Blocked Extra Point In Final Minute Prevents Lion Comeback
by John Hunt
posted November 20, 2009
) Photo by Michael Locke Greeneville's Austin Perkins pursues Red Bank's Keon Williams. |
None were any bigger than the one he made in the final minute of his team's quarterfinal matchup with the unbeaten and top-ranked Red Bank Lions Friday night at Red Bank’s Community Stadium.
With 38.8 seconds left and Red Bank ready to attempt a potentially-tying extra point kick, McNeese broke through the line and blocked the kick to preserve the 14-13 win as the Green Devils advanced to the semifinal round of the TSSAA Class 4-A playoffs.
Red Bank’s season ends with lots of heartbreak and tremendous disappointment at 12-1.
“There’s only four of us left,” Greeneville coach Cain Ballard said to his team as players, coaches and fans celebrated their biggest win of the season to this point.
“I’m absolutely elated. I knew if we could control the clock that we’d be in good shape. That was two great football teams out there in a battle of hearts. Red Bank is as good as any football team we’ve seen this year.
“It seems like we blocked an extra point in the same round of the playoffs last year, but that just shows you can’t take a play off in a game like this.
"I guess we’ll have to practice on Thanksgiving, but that’s okay with me,” the Greeneville coach concluded with a smile.
McNeese noticed a flaw in Red Bank’s line on an earlier extra point that was good, but the six-foot, 225-pounder made them pay the second time around.
“They left a gap, so I did my best to get through. I don’t think I got touched. I felt the ball hit me in the gut and I started celebrating,” he responded.
Red Bank coach Tim Daniels could only shake his head when the final horn sounded.
“Give them a lot of credit because they had a great game plan and they executed it. We certainly didn’t want our season to end like this, but we just came up a little bit short tonight.
“We got off to a slow start on offense as we just weren’t firing on all cylinders. You have to execute in a situation like this and we didn’t.
"The extra point kick is probably the most important play in football and we work on it every day in practice. I guess we just left a hole on one side.
“I’m very proud of this football team. We had another perfect regular season and that’s hard to do, but we had another great year. It just didn’t finish like we had hoped,” Daniels said.
Red Bank scored the only touchdown in the first half when Keon Williams bulled his way into the end zone from the one with 5:14 to play before intermission.
Andy Ramirez converted the PAT and the Lions carried that 7-0 lead into the dressing room at the break.
The Lion touchdown was set up by an interception from Ladarius Thomas, who’s 36-yard return gave Red Bank excellent field position at the Greeneville 29.
It took seven plays to cover the 29 yards with the big play in the drive being a 13-yard pass from quarterback Andy Christopher to Josh Robinson on third-and-12.
The Green Devils also used a turnover early in the second half to set up their first touchdown.
Robinson was trying to get extra yards after a reception, but fumbled as he got hit. Landon Morrison alertly recovered and Greeneville was in business at the Red Bank 37.
Using nine plays and almost five minutes, the Green Devils stayed on the ground the entire drive and knotted the score when quarterback Wes Quarles scored on a keeper from the 5.
Ben Ogle’s PAT made it 7-7 with 6:17 remaining in the third stanza.
Quarles intercepted a pass from Christopher on Red Bank’s next drive, but the Lions dodged a huge bullet when Denzel Owens recovered a fumble in the end zone as Greeneville was down to the 1 at the time.
Greeneville’s defense forced a Red Bank punt on the next possession and the Green Devils were back in business at their own 35 just a short time later.
With another drive that consumed almost six minutes, Greeneville moved 65 yards in 11 plays with B.J. Spradlin getting the final yard at the 6:24 mark of the fourth quarter.
Spradlin was the Greeneville workhorse as he gained 54 of his game-high 128 yards on that drive, including seven straight carries at the end.
Red Bank had one last chance and started at their own 19 following the Greeneville kickoff.
Williams gained 12 yards on the first play and Christopher connected with Shawn McClesky for eight more on the second play, but the Red Bank quarterback lost 11 yards on consecutive plays.
Facing a do-or-die situation on third-and-21 with just over two minutes remaining, Christopher found Robinson down the right side for a 44-yard gain, moving the ball from the Red Bank 31 to the Greeneville 25.
Williams scored his second touchdown seven plays later to cut Greeneville’s lead to 14-13, setting up the block by McNeese.
Red Bank attempted an onside kick, but the ball went out of bounds.
The Green Devils only had to snap the ball twice before the clock expired and the celebration began.
Greeneville finished with 337 total yards, including 198 on the ground and 139 through the air.
While Spradlin was the leading rusher with 128 yards on 29 carries, Rob Wright was the leading receiver with three grabs for 119 yards, including a long of 58 yards.
Greeneville finished the evening with 16 first downs.
Red Bank had 264 total yards, including 112 on the ground and 152 through the air.
Williams was limited to just 89 yards on 23 carries after gaining 250 yards last week against Fulton.
Christopher connected on 12 of 19 passes for 152 yards.
Robinson was the leading receiver for the Lions as he had seven grabs for 109 yards while McClesky had three for 23 yards.
Red Bank had 15 first downs.
Greeneville 0 0 7 7 -- 14
Red Bank 0 7 0 6 -- 13
RB – Keon Williams 1 run (Andy Ramirez kick), 5:14 left in second;
G – Wes Quarles 5 run (Ben Ogle kick), 6:17 left in third;
G – B.J. Spradlin 2 run (Ogle kick), 6:24 left in fourth;
RB – Williams 2 run (kick blocked), 0:48 left in fourth.
(Email John Hunt at tnmoose2002@aol.com)
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