You get enough short fields and odds are eventually you are going to break through.

That was the story for McHenry in its 20-14 win over Crystal Lake Central on Friday in McHenry.

The Warriors started in plus territory five times with their worst starting positioning being their own 43. That allowed them to produce enough big plays to close out their season on a high note (3-6, 3-6).

“We had to leave everything out there,” said senior running back Ethan Dietmeyer, who rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown. “We had to empty the tank. It’s our last time out on the field. We just had to give it our all.”

It wasn’t necessarily easy. Crystal Lake Central (0-9, 0-9) came out motivated to crack into the win column and provided its best defensive performance of the year. The defense provided three straight big stops while the offense used a 3-yard touchdown run by Tyler Porter to take a 7-6 halftime lead.

“That’s the best that we have played all year on defense right there,” said Central coach Matthew MacCrindle. “I’m proud of our boys for scrapping and fighting. It’s not easy to do when you’re in the situation that we’re in. It’s a testament to our kids and believing in what we’re trying to do. They just kept fighting until the end.”

Eventually, though, the dam broke early in the second half.

After McHenry stopped Crystal Lake Central on the opening possession, a 7-yard punt set up the Warriors with great field position again. This time, they converted, needing just five plays to score, the last being a 2-yard run by Hunter Lechner with 4:04 left in the third. The Jeffry Schwab two-point pass to Dayton Warren made it 14-7.

After a big three-and-out by the defense, McHenry went back to work. Taking over at midfield, the Warriors scored in five plays after a 26-yard run from Dietmeyer with 11:53 to play.

“We knew that our O-line was doing their job and were being dominant up front. So we knew if we stuck behind them we were going to come out again on top,” said Dietmeyer. “We just had trust in the team.”

The McHenry defense was stout throughout the game, forcing two turnovers, including a James Butler interception in the fourth quarter. They also forced two turnovers on downs in the second half.

“I was just really proud with how hard we played and how our guys responded,” said McHenry coach Colt Nero. “We had a good week of practice and were ready to roll.”

The Tigers did add a touchdown late with Jonathan Horbenko catching a 28-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Niederkorn with 27.4 seconds left. However, the ensuing onside kick failed.

Niederkorn finished 15-for-25 passing for 135 yards. Rylan Reicher caught eight passes for 58 yards. Porter rushed for 89 yards on 15 carries.