Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez.

Orland Park – It was a thrilling rematch that kept fans on their feet from start to finish.

In the opening round of the IHSA playoffs, the #10 Carl Sandburg Eagles hosted the #23 Lockport Township High School Porters on Saturday, November 1, 2025, for a showdown that lived up to all the hype.

The matchup was a rematch from Week 7 of the regular season, when the Porters claimed a dominant 28-7 victory over the Eagles.

Sandburg opened the scoring in the first quarter when Quinn Durkin rushed for a 21-yard touchdown, giving the Eagles a 7–0 lead.

Lockport answered in the second quarter with two field goals. The first was a 24-yarder by Matthew Blazewski, and the second came from Zane Synkowski, who converted a 31-yard kick with just 3 seconds left in the half.

At halftime, Sandburg held a narrow 7–6 advantage.

In the third quarter, Lockport moved in front when Brendan Mecher pushed across the goal line from just inches out. He then converted a two-point attempt to make it 14–7 Porters.

Early in the fourth quarter, Lockport extended their lead as Mecher connected with Khairi Sias on a deep 49-yard touchdown pass in the south end zone.

Sandburg answered with a bit of trickery. Jeffrey Bellik took a handoff to his right, then flipped a 31-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Matykiewicz with 8:28 remaining.

The Eagles needed a fast defensive stop, but the Porters managed to drive past midfield, running the clock down to under 2:20.

Sandburg’s hopes came down to a few final plays, but after the quarterback was flushed from the pocket and threw off balance, his pass was intercepted by Armando (AJ) Garcia Jr. for the WCCN Play of the Game, sealing the win for Lockport.

FINAL: Lockport 21, Sandburg 14

The WCCN Player of the Game was senior quarterback Brendan Mecher, who finished with two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing, along with 117 passing yards and 80 rushing yards.

Another standout was Junior wide receiver Khairi Sias, who caught the game-winning 49-yard touchdown,

WCCN spoke with both Mecher and Sias after the game.

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Lockport advances to face Homewood-Flossmoor on Saturday, November 8.

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