The Solanco football team was prepared for precisely this type of situation. After tying the game with 5:30 remaining in regulation, Mules' coach Tony Cox decided it was the ideal time to try it. The Mules (4-2) went with an onside kick. Elizabethtown could not cleanly handle the ball and Zach Turpen pounced on it at the Bears' 42. Despite a holding call on the first play following the kick, the Mules marched for the game-winning touchdown, capped by a three-yard run by fullback Nick Yannutz. Daniel Bird sacked Elizabethtown quarterback Pat Gilhool on the game's final play to secure Solanco's 28-21 triumph Friday night, September 27. "It was something we had practiced during the week," Cox said of the onside kick. "We saw something on special teams so we had been practicing it all week. I didn't want them to get the ball again and score. I felt like this was the chance for us to do it. We gambled and we got it. Momentum just went from there. They we went down and I tried to take as much time as I could off the clock."
Cox credited his veteran leaders for inspiring the Mules comeback from a 14-0 deficit. "Honestly, this whole year I have kind of sat back a little bit and the seniors have done a great job," Cox said. "Rashawn Carter has stepped up and has always spoken up to the kids and led the team. He is doing a great job. So has Chad Carter. And Nate Neuhauser. All the seniors have done a great job leading the team." Solanco got back in the game with a 17-play, 62-yard drive culminating with a one-yard sneak by quarterback Grady Unger. Trent McDowell's PAT trimmed the deficit down to 14-7 with 21 seconds left in the first half. The Mules got the ball to start the second half and Cox rolled the dice again. On a 4th and 3 from the Solanco 30, Unger was hit while he was throwing and his pass fell incomplete. Elizabethtown was unable to take advantage and Solanco linebacker Seth Harnish fell on a fumble on the 20. The Mules embarked on a game-tying 80-yard drive highlighted by a 25-yard completion from Unger to Ryan Smith. Rashawn Carter scored from seven yards out with 3:52 to go in the third quarter. After Elizabethtown regained the lead, Solanco responded with a 13-play drive, converting a pair of fourth downs along the way. On 4th and 3 from the Bears' 24, Unger burst through a hole on the right side and gained 22 yards down the the two "It was give it to Nick or run the ball," Unger said. "I wouldn't be able to do it without the offensive line." Yannutz scored on the next play to make it 21-21 with 5:30 left. Even Unger was surprised by what happened next. "Actually, I had no idea the onside kick was coming," he said. "Once it happened and it worked, I was happy beyond speechless." Unger said he was "100 percent" certain the Mules would score after recovering the kick. "Everybody was clicking. Everybody was moving forward," he said. "Everybody gave 100 percent." A holding penalty gave Solanco a 1st and 18 from midfield. On 3rd and 12, Unger hit Smith for 10 yards. Then Elizabethtown was whistled for an offsides penalty to give the Mules a first down. Yannutz gained six yards on 4th and 1 from the 20. On 3rd and 1 from the 5, Yannutz ran down to the one and Elizabethtown was forced to use its final timeout with 1:34 left. Unger deliberately didn't score on the next play to drain the clock before Yannutz bulled his way into the end zone from two yards out. Elizabethtown got some life when the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds and the Mules committed a personal foul penalty on the first play. The Bears' had a 4th and 6 from the Solanco 43 with eight seconds remaining when Bird sacked Gilhool before the Elizabethtown quarterback could heave a Hail Mary. Unger finished with 75 yards rushing on 14 carries. The Bears did a decent job defending Yannutz but the Mules' senior still managed 137 yards on 34 attempts. "I have confidence in what our kids do and how much we grind during the week," said Cox. "It's like anything else. You keep pounding, keep pounding, eventually something's going to pop open. Nick does a great job. The offensive line does a great job opening the holes. The A-backs [play well]. Grady gets us in the right plays. We had a formation where they weren't covering the number two receiver so we threw that and got a big first down. Again, the seniors all make a great contribution. To being down 14-0, all the seniors were on the sidelines telling everybody to get their heads up, like they have been all year. It's a win for the seniors." Comments are closed.
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