As the clock ticked down late in the fourth quarter Friday, the only thing that mattered to Joliet Catholic wide receiver Adrian Washington was to get open. Period.

Andy Munoz, his quarterback, would find him. And in order to have a shot at beating perennial Class 8A powerhouse Marist, Munoz had no choice but to find him.

With just 25 seconds left, it all came to pass for the pair of seniors. Munoz hit Washington in the right side of the end zone near the pylon — the third time they connected that night.

“He just ran a good corner route and I put some zip on the ball,” Munoz recalled of the key play with Washington for the winner. “It was a straight drop back pitch-and-catch.”

Senior kicker Patrick Durkin converted the extra point to help the Hilltoppers come back for a tense 21-20 CCL/ESCC Green victory over the host RedHawks in Chicago, but the game simply cemented what most people already knew about Munoz and Washington.

The duo has been together since their Pop Warner days in middle school with the Plainfield Saints. And they have a special on-field chemistry.

“I believe the fact that we connect real well is because we’ve played together over the years,” Washington said. “It’s really an adrenaline rush.”

Friday was the second time this season Munoz and Washington connected for three touchdowns in a game for the Hilltoppers (4-2, 2-0). They also did it Sept. 15 in a 28-13 victory over Niles Notre Dame.

Whatever the reason, it’s working. And the 6-foot-2, 165-pound Washington, a track standout in the long jump, makes a formidable target for the 5-11, 170-pound Munoz.

“He is basically the same player that he was,” Munoz said of Washington. “Just a little more football knowledge.”

Joliet Catholic coach Jake Jaworski is pleased with what he’s seen so far, and with the playoffs on the horizon, the pair could do even more damage to opposing defenses.

“I think it’s a situation where you have two seniors who have played together for three years,” Jaworski said. “They were kind of backups last year — just guys making the most of their opportunities.”

Munoz and Washington took different paths to their current varsity status.

While Munoz made the team as a junior, Washington was promoted for the Class 4A playoffs as a sophomore. That season ended with Joliet Catholic’s 56-27 victory over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in the state championship game.

The whole playoff run was an education, according to Washington.

“It was awesome being able to watch how fast and physical they were,” he said. “It was beautiful.”

Both Munoz and Washington were complimentary of former JCA players who were mentors. In Munoz’s case, that was quarterback Aidan Voss, a 2022 graduate who’s now with St. Xavier.

What did Munoz learn from Voss?

“Just to be confident, his playmaking ability,” Munoz said. “I looked up to him.”

For Washington, it was 2022 graduate Jake Fieldman, who’s a receiver at Eastern Illinois. From Fieldman, Washington learned “focus, determination, being able to read the field.”

Despite Munoz and Washington’s heroics Friday — in a game that saw the Hilltoppers rally from a 14-0 deficit — extra points are no guarantee, even with the skills of Durkin.

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Munoz was Durkin’s holder, and when the ball was snapped, it skidded along the ground. But the sure-handed Munoz corralled it and got the ball down in time for Durkin to nail the kick.

And the win.

“In my mind, it was no doubt,” Washington said. “But when I saw how the ball was hiked, my heart dropped.”

Munoz and Washington, meanwhile, both plan to play football in college, although the details are to be determined.

But that’s fine. It leaves them plenty of time to work on their games and leadership skills.

“I feel like you have to lead by example,” Munoz said. “And lift teammates’ heads when they are down.”

Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.