An improbable touchdown appeared to keep one of Illinois' top high school program’s postseason hopes alive on Friday night. Then an unusual call changed everything.
Trailing by four in the closing seconds of the game on Nov. 6, Antioch's (IL) Chance Verden came up with an improbable reception off of a bobbled catch that appeared to give the Sequoits the win and one of the best plays of the season.
However, as Antioch celebrated, the referees gathered and the touchdown was overturned as the refs ruled that there was inadvertent whistle, which blew the play dead before Verden came up with the catch and later found the end zone.
Despite pleas from the Sequoits’ side, the referees came to the agreement that the whistle was blown, signaling the play
was dead before it actually was. Antioch was given the ball at the spot of the catch instead of the touchdown and one untimed down to convert.
That one opportunity did not go the Sequoits’ way.
UNREAL: 5A #1 Antioch has a miracle Hail Mary win taken away by an inadvertent whistle.
— Joshua Shuman (@JShumanTV) November 7, 2026
Down 32-28 with only time for one play, Chance Verden catches a live bobble for what everyone believed to be the game winning score. The refs rule an inadvertent whistle, starting the play… pic.twitter.com/wzTerlMnDT
Instead, Sycamore junior cornerback Dylan Curtis intercepted the ensuing pass in the endzone, breaking the hearts of everyone on Antioch’s roster and ending the Sequoits’ unbeaten season. Antioch entered the game at 10-0 and ranked as one of the top teams in Illinois' Class 5A playoff scene.
For Sycamore, the win was the fifth in a row for the Spartans as they've also now gone 3-0 in the postseason. They opened the playoffs with a 48-14 win over Crystal Lake South (IL) and also beat Belvidere (IL) 42-20.
Sycamore advances to the state quarterfinals and will play Wauconda (IL) on Nov. 13.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow USA TODAY High School Sports on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Unbeaten Illinois high school football team loses playoff game on inadvertent whistle
