Winning five games is technically not a requirement to make the postseason in football, but the percentage of teams that win fewer than that and still get in is very low.

So when Joliet Catholic started the season 1-4, it knew the chances of making the postseason weren’t very good. They’d likely have to win out to punch their ticket back to the postseason.

It was only one game, and it wasn’t easy to make it happen, but the Hilltoppers managed to keep hope alive for at least another week. They knocked off Notre Dame 16-7 on Friday to move to 2-4.

The defense did its part (seven sacks) as did kicker Vinnie DiNovo (three field goals, including a 40-yarder). The offense struggled, and both sides of the ball had issues with penalties. But the win is all they wanted, and it’s what they got.

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