Fremd erased an early 14-point deficit and survived a wild finish to beat Bolingbrook 34-33 in a Class 8A quarterfinal matchup Saturday, sending the Vikings to the state semifinals for the first time in school history.

“We talked about it all week. We wanted to do something no Fremd team has ever done and win this game,” Fremd head coach Lou Sponsel said. “It’s awesome for our families, our kids, our coaches.”

The Vikings trailed 14-0 early, as Bolingbrook’s speed and tempo caused problems, but Fremd settled in after its first scoring drive. The momentum truly swung on a perfectly executed surprise onside kick in the first half with Fremd down 14-10, a play Sponsel called “the Riddle Kick,” named for receiver Ben Riddle, who recovered it.

“We said ‘expect the unexpected’ today,” Sponsel said. “It’s the first time we’ve been down a couple scores all year. Once we got that onside, you could feel the momentum shift. We’ve practiced that kick every week, and when we saw their guy bail on kick return, we knew it was there.”

“I turned around and saw Riddle running with the ball and thought, ‘What is happening?’ That got the sideline fired up,” Vikings senior quarterback Johnny O’Brien said. “We hadn’t pulled one of those all season, and to hit it in a big moment like that was awesome. Hats off to the special teams crew and coaches for cooking that one up.”

After recovering the onside, the Vikings took the lead and held that advantage throughout.

Sponsel didn’t mince words, calling his senior signal-caller a “generational quarterback” after his performance tonight.

“His decision-making, his competitiveness, you have to see him in person to understand,” Sponsel said. “There aren’t many Johnny O’Briens out there, and I’m proud I get to coach him.”

O’Brien completed 27-of-44 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also led Fremd on the ground with 75 rushing yards on eight carries.

Leading the first Fremd team to a semis, O’Brien reflected on what it meant to him personally.

“My brother went through this program and had some struggles,” he said. “I just wanted to come here and leave a legacy. I wouldn’t want to do this with any other group of guys.”

Notably, Fremd’s top receiver was Marquan Brewster, who finished with eight catches for 106 yards.

As it has all year, Bolingbrook leaned heavily on its ground game and put up big numbers behind TJ Lewis and quarterback Tyson Ward, who combined for 315 rushing yards. Lewis ran for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, while Ward added 127 yards and three scores.

But the Raiders were hurt by penalties and stalled drives after taking their early 14-0 lead.

“That’s what you get with a young team,” Bolingbrook head coach Titcus Pettigrew said. “Out of 22 starters, 17 are returning. They needed to feel this. It hurts, but this group brought Bolingbrook football back.”

After trailing 34-27 in the fourth quarter, The Raiders had about five minutes to go tie or win the ballgame. And after marching 85 yards for a touchdown, there was no hesitation to go for a two-point conversion, according to Pettigrew.

“We trusted our offense, and we didn’t want to see O’Brien anymore,” Pettigrew said. “If we were going to go down, we were going to go down deciding our own fate.”

The two-point attempt was left in the hands of Lewis, but the Vikings held him a yard short, setting off a celebration for a program that had never been this far.

“It’s special,” O’Brien said. “Our senior class came in when the program was 1-8. We bought into each other, fought for each other and became a family over time. We wanted to leave a legacy.

“We’re going to celebrate tonight, then get back to work tomorrow.”