GUT CHECK FOR Crete-Monee....

I guess it's true - Warriors don't give up! This was proven Saturday afternoon in Crete, Illinois when the Crete-Monee football team didn't give up in the second round of the playoffs and knocked off Peoria-Richwoods 35-32 to continue on to the Class 6A State finals. Crete led 21-6 and appeared on the verge of putting it away when the Warriors stopped Richwoods (8-3) on fourth down at the Richwoods 30 with eight minutes left in the third quarter. Instead, the Warriors turned it over on five straight possessions, including a 90-yard fumble return and a recovery in the end zone on consecutive Crete-Monee snaps that turned a 21-12 deficit into a 24-21 Richwoods lead in 15 game seconds. Richwoods scored again on a 61-yard run by Jeremye Johnson (79 yards receiving, TD) before Treadwell stemmed the tide. Seven turnovers — five in the second half — helped Richwoods score 26 consecutive points and take a 32-21 lead before Laquon Treadwell (7 catches, 85 yards; 5 carries, 34 yards, 2 TDs; 50-yard INT return for TD; 5-for-5 PATs) added to his All-American credentials with a 50-yard interception return for a score early in the fourth quarter and the game-winning 1-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes remaining. "The irony is I think we fumbled four times all year, and I know Marcus (Terrell) only had three interceptions," Crete coach Jerry Verde said. "The fact that we came out on top shows how far this program has come. There is a time in the not-too-distant past that we wouldn't have recovered from this." Turnovers after turnovers didn't stop Crete-Monee from doing what they set out to do over three-and-half months ago, make it to the State finals. "They were all over our school, all over our locker room, during the offseason," said Treadwell, who scored three touchdowns and was 5-for-5 on PATs. "Peoria. That's all we heard, and that's what we worked for. "I didn't expect to jump out like that, and once we did, I think we relaxed. Once they smacked us in the face and got a couple picks, we had to battle back. It was a tough game, but I know if we keep preparing like we did this week, the sky is the limit." The Warriors will play host to Ottawa next week in the 6A quarterfinals. Replay the game LIVE below via HighSchoolCube.com

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