Junior safety Nevan Bufka grew up playing youth football in the Houston area before moving to Lemont when he was in sixth grade.

He knows how big football is in Texas. And he thinks Lemont has a similar vibe to it with its heavy community involvement in the sport.

“I do find a similarity,” he said. “Lemont football is great. Texas football … obviously it’s a lot more serious down there, but I do feel like we have the same atmosphere up here.

“With the support of our students, our school, our community and parents, there is definitely a similarity there.”

With the season on the line on a rainy Thursday night, the 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back made two Texas-sized plays.

Bufka hauled down two interceptions in the final 3:20 and both led to scores as Lemont became playoff eligible with a 19-18 South Suburban Blue win over T.F. North in Calumet City.

Lemont (5-4, 5-1) trailed 12-6, with Daniel Taylor providing a 50-yard TD run on the first play of the game, before Bufka went on his pick roll in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

“Sometimes, you just have to make a big play,” Bufka said. “I took it upon myself, and our defense took it upon themselves, to make a play.

“My coaches say there are 50-50 balls, but I know it’s always 100 with me. I’m going to come down with it, and no one will ever take that ball from me.”

On the first interception with 3:20 left, Bufka ran 44 yards to the Meteors’ 15, leading to Zac Piskule’s 1-yard touchdown run and a 12-12 tie with T.F. North (7-2, 4-2).

His second came with 1:52 left at the Meteors’ 45. Lemont’s Chris Montell then hit Jason Piskule with a 32-yard TD pass with 35 seconds left on a play they call a “seal” route.

Jason Piskule said it resembles a seal clapping as it is a nonstop running slant.

“That’s our favorite play,” Montell said. “We work on it after practice, and we’ll be there an hour after practice working on it.”

“We’ve practiced the play about 100,000 times and we finally got to connect in this fog and rain,” Piskule said. “This is the first time we connected in three weeks. We had a little slump.”

T.F. North, which is assured of its first playoff bid since 2011, was not done, however.

Terrion Long fumbled the kickoff, picked the ball up and ran 85 yards for a TD with 18 seconds left, but the Meteors’ pass attempt to retake the lead was incomplete.

Since 2004, Lemont had only missed the playoffs once — in 2013. It was two scores and three minutes away from that happening again.

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“When you come to Lemont, you have the expectations that you are going to make the playoffs and make a deep run,” said first-year coach Willie Hayes, a former player at the school. “Thankfully, we’re still able to go after it.”

That’s thanks in part to Bufka’s interceptions, which made Hayes, who calls himself “a defensive guy,” happy.

“We are extremely proud of Nevan,” Hayes said. “He started as a sophomore, and he’s continued to develop and get better. He definitely peaked at the right time.”

Bufka was on the field last season when Lemont finished 12-1 and advanced to the Class 6A semifinals. He’s tried to take a leadership role during the ups and downs of this season.

“Everyone had their heads down, but I kept my head up,” Bufka said. “I knew we were going to come into this game and win it.

“I have faith in my guys.”

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.