Hornets score a touchdown with 7 seconds left, try for 2 stopped.
Riverheads 14 Wilson Memorial 13 Final
- Thread starter ShenValleyGuy
- Start date
These two have had some amazing games in their 60+ year history but this one will go down as one of the most memorable. As already indicated it came down to a final play with just seven seconds left but there was a TON of drama and momentum swings before we got to that point.
In some ways it was a tale of two halves as Wilson thoroughly dominated the first half and at times appeared on the way to an easy win. The Podgorski to Barcom combination got them on the board on their first possession and meanwhile their defense had Riverheads completely under control as they were stopping the Big Red running backs either in their tracks or for short gains.
The Gladiators then made the kind of adjustments at halftime that earns the coaches the respect they deserve and they were able to get the running game going in the second half as they scored on a pair of long drives before the final Wilson fireworks at the end.
Despite some amazing individual plays on offense, this game may well have turned on a defensive play and an injury, which occurred within seconds of each other in the final moments of a somewhat controversial second quarter. The Hornets were dominating at that point and driving toward a potential second TD. If they had gone ahead 14-0, plus receiving the second half kick-off, we might be having a different discussion.
Instead, Riverheads miraculously kept them out of the end zone and kept the score at 7-0. Jackson Fitzgerald saved the Big Red with his second interception in as many games as he picked one off inside the red zone and attempted to bring it back out. However on the return, the Gladiators were flagged for a block in the back, which started an odd chain of events.
Before play could resume after the interception, the Gladiators were flagged two more times. The first was a harmless sideline warning, but the second was an unsportsmanlike conduct that was indicated to be against the RHS coaching staff. We can only assume they were expressing disagreement with one or both of the first two flags.
When play did resume with Riverheads now in possession, they only ran a play or two before Jayden Dotson, one of the stalwarts of the Gladiator defense, went down with an injury. Wilson was also flagged for a personal foul on the same play, but I cannot honestly say the two were related.
At any rate, the Gladiators already had 6-8 walking wounded on the sidelines and could ill afford to lose another one, especially on defense. But Dotson was eventually taken away by ambulance. Coach Norcross indicated in his post game comments that it was a neck-related injury, that he seemed to have control of his limbs, and that the attention he was given may have been precautionary. Needless to say, we all wish him a speedy and complete recovery.
Although the teams went to the locker room with the score still 7-0, it seemed obvious in the second half that the Gladiators were a different team, and were definitely fired up by the interception, the defensive stand, and/or their determination to rally around their fallen teammate.
As mentioned Wilson received the second half kickoff and the Gladiators stopped them cold. Riverheads received the ensuing punt and finally gave their fans what they had been waiting for the entire game..........one of the Big Red's textbook drives. They drove approximately 83 yards, converting five or six consecutive first downs, capped off by Fitzgerald's game-tying sweep around left end from about 12 yards out. Zac Brooks' PAT tied things up at 7-7.
Midway through the fourth quarter, RHS fielded another Wilson punt around its own 36 and marched toward a go-ahead score. However it was not much of a "march" because Jonathan Talbott, who had been held pretty much in check by the Wilson defense, finally broke the big one as he got to the corner and rambled up the far sideline for about 50 yards. At first it appeared that he dove in the end zone for the touchdown, but he was ruled down at the three.
That ruling actually worked in Riverheads' favor as it gave them the opportunity to take some time off the clock and delay what they hoped would be the winning score. So they stuck to safe running plays and Talbott punched it across with 1:24 on the clock. Brooks then booted what would eventually turn out to be the winning point.
At that point Gladiator fans were hoping that Wilson would panic and commit a turnover, enabling the home team to win the easy way. Instead Wilson kept its poise and got right back in position for its own last-second win. They used the sidelines for short completions, but both sides were getting nervous as the seconds ticked down under 30.
Podgorski then completed an incredible pass to presumably Barcom that he hauled in over the shoulder while being double-teamed. That gave Wilson a first and goal at the six.
Wilson then went to a spread offense that had the Gladiator defense completely buffaloed. With the vast majority of the Hornet offense on the right side, that allowed Barcom to get open all alone on the left side for the TD.
After a time-out, the Hornets went for the game-winning two-points, which just about any coach would do on the road. This time they lined up in a different formation, with equal numbers spread to both sides.
However, instead of trying to win through the air, they went with a straight hand off to Keyvon Jones (Not 100% sure of the name.) The Gladiators sniffed it out and made initial contact with him around the two. For a few anxious seconds, it looked like he might be able to squirm his way out of trouble and break away long enough to fire up a desperation pass or maybe fumble on purpose, which might have led to one of those wild endings we have all seen on TV.
Instead the Big Red reinforcements arrived and a gang of about six finally got him to the ground. The Gladiators then needed to just recover an onside kick and take a knee to preserve the hard-earned victory.
As stated earlier, definitely an epic game in an epic rivalry. One that ranks up there with the following, which may bring back memories for some of you old-timers......the two ties they had before overtime was implemented, one of which ended in such a fog that no one saw the tying touchdown..........the 6-3 Wilson win in which the kicker had to beat the clock to get his shoe on to kick the winning field goal.......and in one of the more recent Wilson wins in the series, it was Riverheads that scored in the final seconds and missed a game-winning two-pointer.
These two are definitely not boring when they play one another. Being in different classifications, they will not have a playoff re-match this year, but with Podgorski returning next season, and Riverheads having most of its running game back, next year's game will have the potential to be as memorable as this one. But for now, we are only halfway through this season and there is lots more action to come.
In some ways it was a tale of two halves as Wilson thoroughly dominated the first half and at times appeared on the way to an easy win. The Podgorski to Barcom combination got them on the board on their first possession and meanwhile their defense had Riverheads completely under control as they were stopping the Big Red running backs either in their tracks or for short gains.
The Gladiators then made the kind of adjustments at halftime that earns the coaches the respect they deserve and they were able to get the running game going in the second half as they scored on a pair of long drives before the final Wilson fireworks at the end.
Despite some amazing individual plays on offense, this game may well have turned on a defensive play and an injury, which occurred within seconds of each other in the final moments of a somewhat controversial second quarter. The Hornets were dominating at that point and driving toward a potential second TD. If they had gone ahead 14-0, plus receiving the second half kick-off, we might be having a different discussion.
Instead, Riverheads miraculously kept them out of the end zone and kept the score at 7-0. Jackson Fitzgerald saved the Big Red with his second interception in as many games as he picked one off inside the red zone and attempted to bring it back out. However on the return, the Gladiators were flagged for a block in the back, which started an odd chain of events.
Before play could resume after the interception, the Gladiators were flagged two more times. The first was a harmless sideline warning, but the second was an unsportsmanlike conduct that was indicated to be against the RHS coaching staff. We can only assume they were expressing disagreement with one or both of the first two flags.
When play did resume with Riverheads now in possession, they only ran a play or two before Jayden Dotson, one of the stalwarts of the Gladiator defense, went down with an injury. Wilson was also flagged for a personal foul on the same play, but I cannot honestly say the two were related.
At any rate, the Gladiators already had 6-8 walking wounded on the sidelines and could ill afford to lose another one, especially on defense. But Dotson was eventually taken away by ambulance. Coach Norcross indicated in his post game comments that it was a neck-related injury, that he seemed to have control of his limbs, and that the attention he was given may have been precautionary. Needless to say, we all wish him a speedy and complete recovery.
Although the teams went to the locker room with the score still 7-0, it seemed obvious in the second half that the Gladiators were a different team, and were definitely fired up by the interception, the defensive stand, and/or their determination to rally around their fallen teammate.
As mentioned Wilson received the second half kickoff and the Gladiators stopped them cold. Riverheads received the ensuing punt and finally gave their fans what they had been waiting for the entire game..........one of the Big Red's textbook drives. They drove approximately 83 yards, converting five or six consecutive first downs, capped off by Fitzgerald's game-tying sweep around left end from about 12 yards out. Zac Brooks' PAT tied things up at 7-7.
Midway through the fourth quarter, RHS fielded another Wilson punt around its own 36 and marched toward a go-ahead score. However it was not much of a "march" because Jonathan Talbott, who had been held pretty much in check by the Wilson defense, finally broke the big one as he got to the corner and rambled up the far sideline for about 50 yards. At first it appeared that he dove in the end zone for the touchdown, but he was ruled down at the three.
That ruling actually worked in Riverheads' favor as it gave them the opportunity to take some time off the clock and delay what they hoped would be the winning score. So they stuck to safe running plays and Talbott punched it across with 1:24 on the clock. Brooks then booted what would eventually turn out to be the winning point.
At that point Gladiator fans were hoping that Wilson would panic and commit a turnover, enabling the home team to win the easy way. Instead Wilson kept its poise and got right back in position for its own last-second win. They used the sidelines for short completions, but both sides were getting nervous as the seconds ticked down under 30.
Podgorski then completed an incredible pass to presumably Barcom that he hauled in over the shoulder while being double-teamed. That gave Wilson a first and goal at the six.
Wilson then went to a spread offense that had the Gladiator defense completely buffaloed. With the vast majority of the Hornet offense on the right side, that allowed Barcom to get open all alone on the left side for the TD.
After a time-out, the Hornets went for the game-winning two-points, which just about any coach would do on the road. This time they lined up in a different formation, with equal numbers spread to both sides.
However, instead of trying to win through the air, they went with a straight hand off to Keyvon Jones (Not 100% sure of the name.) The Gladiators sniffed it out and made initial contact with him around the two. For a few anxious seconds, it looked like he might be able to squirm his way out of trouble and break away long enough to fire up a desperation pass or maybe fumble on purpose, which might have led to one of those wild endings we have all seen on TV.
Instead the Big Red reinforcements arrived and a gang of about six finally got him to the ground. The Gladiators then needed to just recover an onside kick and take a knee to preserve the hard-earned victory.
As stated earlier, definitely an epic game in an epic rivalry. One that ranks up there with the following, which may bring back memories for some of you old-timers......the two ties they had before overtime was implemented, one of which ended in such a fog that no one saw the tying touchdown..........the 6-3 Wilson win in which the kicker had to beat the clock to get his shoe on to kick the winning field goal.......and in one of the more recent Wilson wins in the series, it was Riverheads that scored in the final seconds and missed a game-winning two-pointer.
These two are definitely not boring when they play one another. Being in different classifications, they will not have a playoff re-match this year, but with Podgorski returning next season, and Riverheads having most of its running game back, next year's game will have the potential to be as memorable as this one. But for now, we are only halfway through this season and there is lots more action to come.
