BELLEVILLE - Running back and linebacker Clayton Lakatos scored the game-winning touchdown on Friday night, taking in a screen pass from quarterback Jake Curry and racing 50 yards dead ahead to the Belleville East end zone with 2:51 left in regulation to give Edwardsville a dramatic and thrilling 49-45 win over the Lancers in a Southwestern Conference football game at Charlie Woodford Field in Belleville.
The win upped the Tigers mark to 7-0 with two regular-season games to go and also sets up a SWC championship game with East St. Louis on Oct. 13 at Tiger Stadium.
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Lakatos is a Johnston Law Firm Male Athlete of the Month for the Tigers.
The win was one where the Tigers trailed for much of the game until very early in the fourth quarter, then saw the lead see-saw between the teams four times before Lakatos took Curry's screen pass for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown in what was a character win for the Tigers, who trailed by as much as 18 points before mounting their comeback.
"I'm feeling good," Lakatos said in his postgame interview. "I'm just glad we finally pulled through in the end, how happy the coaches gave me a chance to go out there and show what I can do. So I'm just thankful."
Lakatos described his game-winning touchdown catch as one of a simple series of events that led to the score.
"I just caught the ball," Lakatos said, "saw a hole and I just sprinted as fast as I could. I tried to get to the end zone."
Which he did successfully and it climaxed an incredible character win for Edwardsville.
"We knew we could do it, and we needed adversity and we got through it," Lakatos said.
By far, it was perhaps the most adversity the Tigers had faced all season, since going back to their equally as big season-opening win against Jackson, Mo., on Aug. 25, where the Tigers scored nine points in the final minute to defeat the Indians 30-21. East is a very good team, having only lost once before Friday night, and the game overall was one of the best anyone would want to see.
"The feeling is just happy," Lakatos said. "I'm happy we got it done and I'm happy we finally got a test. And we got through it."
The East Side game will also serve as the league's championship game and an automatic berth into the IHSA playoff, which starts in less than three weeks. But first things first and Lakatos knows that 7-0 is an incredible feeling in and of itself.
"We're looking forward to that conference championship next week," he said.
Congratulations to Clayton Lakatos on his recognition as a Johnston Law Firm Male Athlete of the Month.
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