Johnsburg coach Sam Lesniak briefly addressed his players in the postgame team huddle, after the Skyhawks’ epic 7-6 nonconference win over Addison Trail Friday night.

And while his speech didn’t last long, the words he spoke were monumental, perfectly capturing the spirit of what had just taken place minutes earlier.

“That’s why you play high school football,” Lesniak said to his team. “That was the kind of moment you’ll all remember for the rest of your lives.”

Boy, was he right.

With just over three minutes left in the game, and the Skyhawks (2-0) leading by a point, Addison Trail took possession of the football at its own 14-yard line following a stalled Johnsburg drive.

The Blazers (1-1) then frantically put together a 14-play drive of their own, that took them 79 yards, to the Johnsburg 3-yard line, with under a minute remaining.

After losing three yards on the next two plays, Addison Trail senior Noah Cruz — who had already made two first half field goals from 32 and 24 yards - lined up for the potential game-winning field goal on third down with 9.6 seconds to play.

That’s when Johnsburg senior Jacob Vetter decided to play hero.

Vetter timed the snap flawlessly, burst through the Blazers’ offensive line, then snuffed out the potential game-winning kick with a two-handed swat that sent the Skyhawks sideline and their fans into an absolute frenzy.

Chaos ensued on the field. Vetter was mobbed by his teammates.

“If it wasn’t for the three guys in front of me clearing a huge path, I never could’ve gotten to that ball,” Vetter said. “It all happened so fast, so it’s kind of a blur.

“I’m not even sure who the three guys in front of me were, but they’re the reason we won this football game. Not just me.”

All game long, when it mattered most, the Skyhawks’ defense shined.

It came through huge when Addison Trail had a 3-0 second quarter lead, and fourth-and-goal at the Skyhawks’ 2-yard line.

That’s when senior Mario Zakrzewski met Blazers running back Gio Ortiz head-on with a spectacular tackle, just inches from the right pylon, to force a turnover on downs.

Then, in the third quarter, Johnsburg senior cornerback Jarrel Albea picked off a pass at the Blazers’ 27-yard line.

“To be able to come up big, in front of our own home crowd, against a really good team, it’s just so exciting,” Zakrzewski said. “Every guy on our defense gave it everything they had out there. It was just so much fun to be part of a game like this.”

Zakrzewski also scored Johnsburg’s only points of the game, thanks to a 6-yard touchdown run with 7:28 remaining in the third quarter.

Those were all the points Johnsburg’s offense would need, as the Skyhawks tallied four sacks, including one by Vetter and another by Duke Mays, who also had 15 carries for 62 yards.

Addison Trial gave a valiant effort, spearheaded by senior quarterback Nico Dill.

Dill completed 18 of his 24 passes for 206 yards, as the Blazers’ offense managed 296 total yards, while Johnsburg was held to 176.

Dill also set his team up for the potential game-winning field goal with a huge 17-yard run that set up first and goal from the 3, with under a minute to play, before Johnsburg’s defense played spoiler.

Despite his kick being blocked at the end of the game, Cruz led the Blazers with seven catches for 84 yards.

“We just need to do the little things better,” Addison Trail coach Chris Bazant said. “We had a key turnover, didn’t finish a couple of drives.

“But I’m very proud of our kids. They understandably look dejected right now, but this was about as good as a high school football game gets. Johnsburg is a really good team, and the main thing I liked is how we battled as hard as we could until the end.”