Paladins Hold Off 2nd Half Rally By Pisgah
“I think what makes people fascinating is conflict, it’s drama, it’s the human condition. Nobody wants to watch perfection.” - Nicolas Cage
It was “Lights, camera, action!” and there was no shortage of drama as the Paladins defeated the Mt. Pisgah Patriots 28-25 in WSB’s Game of the Week. It was pretty cool to see the big TV truck there, even though head coach Todd Winter said the exposure “doesn’t change anything.” Anyway, the game came down to the wire, as the Patriots were just a field goal away from sending the game into overtime with twenty seconds left, but the tremendous crowd noise and intimidating defense caused the kick to sail left of the uprights, allowing the Paladins to win the game.
Jake Mangan stood out on defense in this game, and he helped to hold Pisgah to just one touchdown in the first half. In the last three games combined, the Pinecrest defense has only allowed one first-half touchdown. On the offensive side, Ryan McCarthy finished with over 100 rushing yards and all four of PA’s touchdowns. This big region win improves the Paladins record to 6-1, marking this season, so far, as one of the best ever for Pinecrest football.
1st Quarter:
The sun went down and a crescent moon accompanied the shining lights as the Paladins received to start the game. They struck first as McCarthy had a big 47-yard run and then scored his first rushing touchdown of the game. This put the Paladins up 7-0 with 10:25 still left in the quarter.
Pisgah started their first drive at their own 37 after a short pooch kick by Birozes who, by the way, finished with a solid 50 rushing yards in this game. The Patriots drove down the field and scored with 7:14 left in the quarter, tying the game up at seven a piece.
Each team then had an empty drive. Pisgah forced a punt by the Paladins, then they drove down the field and missed a field goal - it was wide left (keep that in mind). It was also earlier in this drive in which the referees made quite possibly the most controversial call of the season by calling “roughing the kicker” when the Paladin tackler was pushed into the punter by a Pisgah player. According to the rules, when this happens to a defensive player, it is not roughing.
2nd quarter
After the Pisgah missed field goal, PA started at it’s own 27. The efficient triple option offense drove down the field and Mitchell Ojeda had a 26-yard catch, thrown by Carson Holler, to set up another McCarthy touchdown with 8:21 left in the half. The Paladins took the lead once again, 14-7.
Pisgah then started at their own 42-yard line, and the PA defense stood strong to force a punt. It was a nice one, and it pinned the Paladins deep at their own 13-yard line.
Pinecrest had 5:42 to work with before halftime, and they managed it beautifully. They drove 87 yards down the field, like just another day at the office, and McCarthy ran it in for a touchdown with 0:40 left in the half. This put the Paladins up 21-7 and didn’t leave enough time for Pisgah to score any more points before halftime.
3rd Quarter:
It was getting a little chilly outside as Pisgah received to start the second half. They drove down the field and were just a few yards away from scoring when Corey Downes came up big and made a touchdown-saving pass deflection. This held the Patriots to a field goal and score was now 21-10, the Paladins leading with 8:49 left in the quarter.
PA came up empty in their next possession as the Patriots defense forced a punt. Pisgah started their next drive at the 50-yard line with 7:20 left in the third.
After two costly (and questionable) facemask penalties, Pisgah managed to score a touchdown with 3:34 on the clock, reducing the Paladins’ lead to four points. The score was now 21-17.
4th Quarter:
The two teams then each had another empty possession and the Paladins ended up with the ball at their own 45-yard line.
Pinecrest drove down the field and then the offensive line provided a big push to help McCarthy score his fourth touchdown of the night. The score was now 28-17 with 9:00 left, but the game was far from over.
After another empty drive by each team, Pisgah had the ball at their own 36. The Patriot offense exploded and they scored in just over one minute. They went for an important two-point-conversion and got it, putting them within a field goal of the Paladins. The score was 28-25.
PA started at their own 36-yard line with 3:06 left, knowing that if they scored, the game would effectively be over. Unfortunately, Pisgah forced a punt and the Patriots then had a chance to take the lead and win.
Pisgah was at their own 39 with 2:30 left in the game. They started driving down the field and it looked like the defense could not stop them. Eventually, though, they did stop them at the PA 22-yard line. The Pisgah kicker lined up for a field goal with twenty critical seconds left at about the same place where he missed it earlier, so guess what happened next.
The kicker missed it wide left, but it was hard to tell before the referees made the “no good” signal, which also doubled as a “go crazy” signal as everyone went berserk. PA got the ball back and ran the clock out to win the game.
Final score: 28-25, Paladins on top.
This game was, in one phrase: all over the place. So many strange and unexpected things had to happen to set up that last missed field goal, like the missed Pisgah field goal earlier, and the missed opportunity for the Paladins to put it away just a minute earlier. So many players did things that nobody expected, like Carson Holler, the receiver, having more passing yards than Ryan McCarthy, the quarterback.
This is what is great about high school football. At the higher levels of football, games are often more predictable and rhythmical. In high school, both on the field and off, anything can happen at any time, and it’s exhilarating. The thrilling ending on Friday night was not the first, as many fans know, and head coach Todd Winter said he’s “used to them.” As long as the Paladins win, drama is never a bad thing.
Pinecrest plays their next game, Homecoming, against Fellowship on October 24.
