After relying on its ground game for most of the night, Burlington Central went airborne to pull out a thrilling 21-17 Class 6A opening round win over Libertyville Saturday night at Rocket Hill.

The second-seeded Rockets will host No. 7 Harlem, 62-0 winners over Chicago Mather, next Saturday.

Through the first three quarters, Central quarterback Landon Arnold threw only six passes. Trailing 17-14 with 2:24 left to play, the Rockets began their sixth drive of the night on their own 27-yard line.

Arnold switched to his throwing game, executing eight straight passes. The senior’s final toss of the drive was a 34-yard touchdown strike to junior wide receiver Sam Ames in the left corner of the end zone with 1:04 left in the quarter.

“I ran my route. I trusted my quarterback and he put it in the perfect spot for me,” Ames said.

Arnold finished the night completing eight of 14 passes for 138 yards.

After the ensuing kick went out of bounds, Libertyville started its next possession at its own 40-yard line. Wildcats quarterback Trevor Wallace also went to the air in an effort to regain the lead for Libertyville but was not successful.

The Wildcats advanced to the 50-yard line but got no further. Central’s defense broke up four straight attempts with Noah Hedlund batting away the last throw as time expired.

Libertyville led 10-7 at halftime. Two Central miscues led to the Wildcats’ first half scores. On a third down play, Arnold recovered a fumble snap on Central’s opening drive deep in their own territory. The lost yardage forced the Rockets to punt.

The Wildcats ended the ensuing drive with a 26-yard Jack Zaban field goal.

Central took the lead on its next possession, ending a 10-play, 80-yard drive with an Arnold 35-yard TD pass over the middle to Wagner Viebrock.

Libertyville’s defense forced an Arnold turnover late in the second half that set up the Wildcats’ next scoring drive. With 22 seconds left in the half, Zaban scampered three yards for a touchdown.

Central coach Brian Iossi was pleased that his squad kept its focus.

“We battled adversity in the first half. We put the ball on the ground twice. We came out in the second half and didn’t let that sit in our heads. We moved on and had fun,” said the Rockets coach.

Central regained the lead, 14-10, in the closing minutes of the third quarter on a 2-yard Arnold plunge.

Libertyville pulled back in front, 17-14, with 9:09 left in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard pass from Wallace to Brock Williams. Wallace completed 17 of 25 passes for 177 yards.

“It was a tough battle. Two well-matched teams going at it,” Libertyville coach Tim Budge said. “It came down to the end just like I thought it would.”

Libertyville, seeded 15th in 6A, finished its season 5-5.

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