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| Yellowjackets' gutsy effort comes up just short |
By: Stephanie Sturgis - Press Sports Editor
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Posted: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 7:36 pm
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Tiger by the tail — Greenfield's Kadeem McDonald (right) tackles Tiger Steven Cessac during Halls' 7-6 win over the Yellowjackets. The Greenfield defense was up to the task, but the offense came up a play short. Photo by Stephanie Sturgis
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GREENFIELD, Tenn. – If it was a poker game instead of football, it could be said that Greenfield Yellowjackets coach Jason Rodehaver was all in.
After scoring a touchdown to cut the Halls Tigers' lead to 7-6 with 2:10 remaining in the contest, Rodehaver opted to run a two-point play and go for the victory instead of kicking for a tie and a potential overtime.
The gamble didn't pay off for the Jackets (1-8, 0-5 District 14-A) and Halls (4-5, 1-4 District 14-A) held on for the thrilling 7-6 win on a muddy, sloppy Harris Field Friday night in Greenfield.
"We were going for the win. It never crossed my mind to go for a tie. We were going for the win; missed it by inches. It's the story of our season," Rodehaver said.
After the Tigers finally took advantage of the excellent field position they'd had all night to score the go-ahead touchdown, Greenfield responded.
Starting at their own 25-yard line, the Jackets used some trickery to move the chains. Ty Smithson took a pitch from quarterback Dalton Potts, then handed off to Steven Sawyers on the reverse. Sawyers jetted around the right end and scampered 23 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the GHS 48.
On second down from the 50, Potts rolled left before cutting back against the grain for a 22-yard gain to the 28. On the next play, the Jacket QB found Brady Medling open downfield. Medling raced toward the end zone, absorbed a blow at the goal line and fell into end zone for the touchdown, cutting the Tiger lead to a point at 7-6.
"Our kids came up big. We got the ball with 3:20 to go in the game, and we marched it down the field and scored in about four plays," the GHS coach said.
Rodehaver then called a timeout to talk to his team. After breaking the huddle, the Jackets lined up to go for two. During the snap count, a Halls defender jumped early, but wasn't flagged. Potts took the snap and looked for Sawyers running a quick slant. The pass just behind the line of scrimmage deflected off the fingertips of the diving receiver, leaving Halls still in front on the scoreboard, 7-6.
"There was never a doubt in my mind. I told the kids, 'We're here to win. We're not going for a tie or playing for overtime. We're going to win it right now.' It was just over the outstretched arms. It was there," the disappointed Rodehaver recalled.
Now trailing by a point with the clock also against them, the Jackets had to go for the onside kick. Dakota Bills bounced the ball off the tee and into the turf. The Tigers allowed the ball to rattle around in the mud, before a Jacket special teamer fell on it setting off a celebration on the Greenfield sideline. However, the joy was short-lived as an official indicated a Jacket had touched the ball before it traveled the required 10 yards, giving possession to Halls.
The Tigers soon ran out the clock to earn the 7-6 win.
Footing was treacherous for both teams as rain fell throughout the first half. Most of the game was a defensive struggle with the Jackets, time and time again, called upon to make a stand deep in their own territory. Halls started five of its 12 drives at the Greenfield 30 or closer to the end zone.
An interception by Sawyers ended one of those drives, while the end of the half thwarted another Tiger threat. HHS signal caller Emmitt Henning hooked up with Cody Chipman for a 25-yard completion down to the 7. After a spike to stop the clock, Henning was tackled for a loss on second-and-goal as the second quarter ended in a 0-0 tie.
Halls scored on a seven-yard run by Steven Cessac to cap a four-play, 20-yard drive with 3:49 left in the fourth. Cody Peery booted the PAT and deciding point in the game.
Halls-Greenfield, Stats
Halls 0 0 0 7—7
Greenfield 0 0 0 6—6
Fourth Quarter
HHS —Steven Cessac 7 run, (Cody Peery kick), 3:49.
GHS — Brady Medling 28 pass from Dalton Potts, (pass failed), 2:10.
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HHS GHS
First Downs 11 6
Rushes-yards 49-140 29-43
Passing yards 30 50
Comp-Att-Int 5-13-1 4-9-1
Punts 3-30.7 7-23.4
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 5-40 3-15
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Individual Statistics
Rushing — Halls David Davidson 18-98, Emmitt Henning 17-37, Steven Cessac 9-5, Cody Chipman 1-3, Team 2-(-1), Cody Curran 2-(-2); Greenfield, Steven Sawyers 1-23, Dalton Potts 10-19, Jonathan Benson 2-8, Kadeem McDonald 6-6, Tyler Dunning 7-5, Ty Smithson 1-(-9), Team 2-(-9).
Passing — Halls, Henning 5-13-1 30; Greenfield, Potts 4-9-1 50.
Receiving — Halls, Chipman 1-25, Cessac 3-5, Davidson 1-0; Greenfield, Brady Medling 1-28, Benjamin Woods 1-9, Cody Worley 1-8, Sawyers 1-4.
Records — Halls 4-5 (1-4 District 14-A), Greenfield 1-8 (0-5 District 14-A).
Next Game — Halls will host Humboldt, while Greenfield will visit Lake County with kickoff at 7:30 on Friday night. |
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