Kaleb Stumpenhorst spent half of Saturday’s game on the sidelines walking his way back through what went wrong on a blocked field goal.

The Oswego senior is his team’s secret weapon in the kicking game. Stumpenhorst made a career-long 47-yarder last year, and topped it by going 50 earlier this year.

Stumpenhorst’s leg is a force, likewise, on punts and kickoffs. On Saturday, though, with winds howling he shanked a few of those punts, and the blocked field goal was low.

None of that mattered in the end.

Stumpenhorst drilled a go-ahead 42-yard field goal with a minute left. It proved the game-winner as Oswego beat Lockport 10-7 in a Class 8A semifinal at Ken Pickerill Stadium.

“I didn’t kick my best,” Stumpenhorst said, “but you know what, when it matters I came through for my team. And we’re going to state.”

Indeed, perhaps improbably, Oswego (11-2) is moving on to face No. 1-ranked and three-time defending Class 7A champion Mount Carmel (13-0) in next Saturday’s Class 8A championship game at 7 p.m. at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium.

It will be Oswego’s first time at state since winning the 2003 Class 7A state championship.

Oswego coach Brian Cooney, class of 1993, was on the school’s first state champion, in 1992.

Even he was left in amazement Saturday.

Cooney could count on one hand his returning starters back from last year’s team that went 9-0 during the regular season.

“Unbelievable,” Cooney said. “Not many people would have believed. Maybe in June if you would have told me I would have said it’s always a long shot. So proud of these kids. Their rate of progression was more than I’ve ever seen.”

Oswego trailed 7-0 into halftime, and into the fourth quarter, until sophomore Ammar Banire gave the Panthers the jolt they needed.

Seemingly stopped on a run off right tackle, Banire kept moving and broke off a 63-yard touchdown run down the right sideline to tie it with 11:42 left.

“I never stop moving,” said Banire, who rushed for 118 yards on 18 carries. “Just before that coach was telling me to move my legs and keep going and so that’s exactly what I did. It felt unreal. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

It was the first score allowed in almost two full games by the Lockport defense, coming off a 35-0 shutout of Barrington.

The Porters (9-4) had taken a 7-0 lead on quarterback Brendan Mecher’s 9-yard TD with 8:02 left in the second quarter. That scoring drive was kept alive by an Oswego pass interference penalty on a fourth-down incompletion.

“I thought we played a really good game,” Lockport honorable mention all-state linebacker Andre Labuda said. “They just got outside us on that run. I thought he was going to be down. I was trying to run over and I couldn’t get around.”

Oswego’s defense gave its team a chance to rally late. The Panthers have allowed just one score in the second half over four playoff games.

“They’ve been there all year,” Cooney said. “Coach [John] Hugunin has done a phenomenal job with those guys.”

Oswego’s game-winning drive started at its 30 with 4:59 left.

Nine runs, six by Banire, and an 11-yard pass from Drew Kleinhans to Graham Schwab got the Panthers close to Stumpenhorst’s range.

“He’s always in our back pocket, he’s on my gameplan where the yardage is, where he needs it,” Cooney said. “I said where do you want it, he said 35 right hash, we were just inside that and he drilled it.

“He wasn’t clicking tonight, I did tell him after the last shank of the punt you need to compartmentalize that, we’re going back to you, we’re going to need you. Sure enough he came through.”

Oswego originally lined up to go for it on fourth and two, but then called timeout and went back to its ace kicker.

“Pregame when that wind was howling, I was hitting 60 yarders pretty easy but it kind of died down,” Stumpenhort said. “I had to come back from that first miss. It’s a kick you’ve done a million times, heart beating. It’s amazing.”

Lockport had a chance in the last minute, as Mecher completed a 43-yard pass to Drew Kozak to the Oswego 37.

After two runs and three throws, Lockport tried a 39-yard field goal on the game’s final play. It was short.

Mecher rushed for 62 yards and threw for 89 for the Porters, who had won eight straight games since starting the season 1-3.

“We never gave up on ourselves and that’s what it came down to at the end,” Labuda said. “Some people might have counted us out but we never did.”

Banire and Oswego can relate to that feeling.

The Panthers trailed into the fourth quarter of their first-round win over Naperville North. They pulled off a 24-21 upset of Maine South in the quarterfinals last weekend.

Fans streamed onto the Ken Pickerill Stadium grass field to celebrate the moment Saturday night.

“It’s surreal. I’ve never felt anything like it. It feels like greatness,” Banire said. “I know i’ve been praying for this. Before the season people were telling us we weren’t going to be nothing and look where we are now. We’re going to state. We put blood, sweat and tears into this. Long nights, early mornings. And here we are.”