Oh, snap: Braden Tischer takes off on 99-yard TD run late in fourth to lift Lincoln-Way East in Class 8A state semifinals. ‘I sprinted as hard as I could.’

Lincoln-Way East’s Braden Tischer has a good memory.

The junior quarterback watched the wild NFL game last Sunday between the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, with Josh Allen fumbling the ball away on his own 1-yard line.

Tischer remembered that play Saturday when the Griffins had the ball at their own half-yard line against a Glenbard West defense that loves to capitalize on those situations.

“You saw that Buffalo Bills game and they dropped a snap,” Tischer said. “You don’t want to fumble when your back is against the wall. You don’t want to fumble there.

“You want to take care of the football. It’s the most important thing.”

Tischer took care of business with 4:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, running into the pile and hoping to gain a few yards of cushion while holding safely onto the football.

Instead, Tischer finished off a 99-yard touchdown run to put a huge exclamation point on a 31-7 victory over the Hilltoppers in a Class 8A state semifinal game in Frankfort.

The Griffins (13-0) will face playoff archrival Loyola (12-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the championship game at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

Even before the exciting run, Tischer had completed 10 of 15 passes for 165 yards and a pair of TDs to senior receiver Jimmy Curtin for 19 and 57 yards, respectively.

That run, though, looked like Houdini pulling off a magic trick. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Tischer escaped the scrum, sped down a snowy, slippery field and avoided a tackler.

All without a hitch.

“Once I got the snap, everyone converged in and pushed,” Tischer said. “And with my height — I’m a shorter quarterback — I used it to my advantage because they couldn’t see me.

“I pushed and it opened up, and I sprinted as hard as I could.”

Tischer then credited his offensive line, especially center Josh Janowski’s pancake block of an opponent, for opening up the hole.

“A 99-yard run in general is hard,” Tischer said. “And doing it with a quarterback sneak that usually goes for what, two or three yards at most … that’s a pretty sick play.”

On defense, junior defensive back Stephon Gist-Gardner had two interceptions in the end zone and tag teamed with senior linebacker Jake Scianna to stop Glenbard West (11-2) at the 1 to set up Tischer’s run.

“My favorite play of the three was the play at the 1-yard line,” Gist-Gardner said. “That play meant everything. That gave us more momentum, and it allowed our quarterback to go and score.”

Gist-Gardner said he had played on offense until being asked to work on the other side of the ball.

“At first, I was second guessing it,” he said. “But coach said to go do it and make it happen. It turned out well.”

Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar praised Gist-Gardner for making the move.

“We had a stable of offensive skill players this year,” Zvonar said. “We had a need in our secondary and asked him to give it a shot. It’s working out well for him.

“He’s one of seven juniors on defense that have been doing well.”

Gist-Gardner talked about the weather and conditions.

“It was terrible,” he said. “We were slipping and sliding.”

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In other words, he enjoyed it.

“Loved it — loved it,” he said. “That was football weather.”

James Kwiecinski also scored a touchdown and Carter Nair kicked a 42-yard field goal for the Griffins.

This will be the fifth appearance in the state championship game for Lincoln-Way East.

The Griffins have won three state titles and finished second once, a 10-8 loss in 2012 to Glenbard West in Class 7A. And they also remember last season.

“Loyola beat us in the quarterfinals last year,” Tischer said of a 3-0 loss in 2021. “We’re coming with everything we’ve got.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.