By FRANK CASH

Herald-Whig Sports Writer

CARTHAGE, Ill. — A shovel pass doesn't have a home on Jim Unruh's laminated, doubled-sided sheet of plays.

"It's nothing we ever call in a game and we hardly ever work on it in practice," the Illini West football coach said after his team's 43-41 Class 3A quarterfinal win over Wilmington Saturday afternoon. "It's not in our repertoire of plays. I never think about it."

But when the Chargers needed it, it worked.

Trailing the Wildcats 35-28 with 1 minute, 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Illini West was faced with a fourth-and-21 at its own 28-yard line.

That's when the Chargers dusted off their playbook.

"It was actually something (assistant coach Tim) Lafferty suggested," Unruh said. "We were desperate for just about anything. At that point, I was thinking it wasn't going to be our day. I just hoped we could get through it and try to hide our tears the best we could."

Quarterback Michael Lafferty rolled to his left and facing a heavy rush, tossed the ball ahead to halfback Ser Whitaker, who took the ball 72 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.

Before Whitaker scored, panic hit the Chargers' sideline and stands because a penalty flag had been thrown on the play. Instead of being against Illini West, it was holding against Wilmington. The Chargers declined the penalty, Ryan Wilhite made his fifth extra-point kick of the day and the score was tied at 35.

After holding the Wildcats on their final offensive series of regulation, Illini West won the overtime coin toss. Lafferty's 4-yard run led to Stefan Flynn's 6-yard touchdown run. Instead of caling in Wilhite, the Chargers went for two.

"I thought that was the best bet," said Unruh, whose team will play at Stillman Valley (12-0) next weekend. "Go up eight on them and make them work to come back."

The plan worked to perfection. Three plays later, Colin Webb scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak. Forced to go for two, Webb dropped back to pass but couldn't escape Kris Vincent's game-ending sack.

"I got through their line as quick as I could. That's what we're taught to do," said Vincent, a senior defensive end. "This was a real good test for us. We were awfully confident at halftime. They came back and we just kept fighting."

The Chargers (12-0) had every right to be confident after their first two offensive plays. They scored on each of them as Lafferty hooked up with Jacob Schmudlach for 71 yards and Vincent for 85.

Wilmington's Cort Scheel answered with an 8-yard scoring run but Whitaker's 59-yard touchdown run put Illini West ahead 21-7 with 46 seconds left in the first quarter.

After a scoreless second quarter, disaster struck for the Chargers. They fumbled away the ball three times in the second half to allow the Wildcats (11-1) to tie the game and eventually take the lead.

Along the way, Wilmington had found its rhythm on offense. The Wildcats had 222 of its 355 yards after halftime.

But Illini West didn't panic. The Chargers kept their composure, characteristic of a perennial power.

"We knew it was going to be a game of big plays," Unruh said. "This was going to be a game where we couldn't consistently have 3- or 4-yard runs and expect to win.

"It got a little close at the end. But that's what you have to expect this time of year."