Football
Wildcats win in the final second
By Stan Ross
FINAL SECOND, FINAL SCORE: 30-29. The Wildcats took on Greely last Friday, Oct. 13, in a tense game that ended with a York victory by a field goal in the final moment of the game. Pictured are, from left, Patrick Bond (57), Cam McIntire (79), Ben Lipton (37), Buddy Gauthier (54), Jared Pruger (24), Greg Lipton (22), Ryan MacGlashing (10), Zach Wheeler (32), Nate Willette (62) and Joey Hampton (44).
Photo by Sherry DaBiere
YORK - First-year senior kicker Ryan MacGlashing came through with every kicker's dream: a walk off R 20 yard field goal, last Friday night, Oct.13, to give the York Wildcats (5-2) a crucial 30-29 win over the Greely Rangers (4-3).
York was trailing 29-27 when they started their final drive from their own 18 yard line.
Sophomore QB Evan Wallace completed one pass to Jon Jiminez and Zach Pruger added 15 yards around end. Jiminez ran over left guard for 10 more yards and then followed the block of Eugene Jones to give York a first down at the Greely 25 yard line. Pruger, with an unofficial total of 220 yards on 30 carries, and Jiminez, with 120 yards on 15 carries, led the Wildcats ground game and York finally had a first and goal on the Greely five yard line, but time was running out.
The Wildcats ground attack was stalled by the Rangers and York called time with 35 seconds remaining. Wallace was stopped on a QB sneak and the Wildcats took their final timeout with six seconds left and a fourth and goal from the three yard line.
MacGlashing came on the field to attempt a "first ever" Wildcat winning field goal.
Greely called a time out to Rice the kicker and set their defense, but the York conversion team of long snapper Ryan Vokey, holder Alex Blomquist and kicker MacGlashing treated it "just like practice" and when the "boomer split the uprights" York had a hard fought 30-29 win.
This offensive battle was like a heavyweight slugfest with the last man standing declared the winner. York took the opening kickoff which Dan Moran returned to the Wildcats 26 yard line. York started a 10-play drive featuring a 20-yard gain off left tackle by Pruger, a 15-yard sweep around right end by Jiminez and a carry by first-time starting full back Steve Buoncristiano.
York Head Coach Randy Small would say after the game, "We had 11 players out sick or injured during the week and wound up using several new players or people in different positions."
Jiminez scored the first TD for York on a nine-yard sprint behind a solid block by Jones. The point after by MacGlashing gave the Wildcats a 7-0 lead at the 6:57 mark. Greely returned the kickoff to their 30 before Tom Ross made an open field tackle. The Rangers picked up three first downs and advanced to the Wildcat 20 before the York defense, led by the tackling of Blomquist, Tim Jones and Peter Corey, stopped their drive and forced a field goal attempt that was wide left.
Pruger gained 26 yards on a long scamper for York but a fumble recovered by Dave Higgins gave Greely the ball at midfield. Then York defensive back Sonny Sala intercepted an errant Greely pass and the Wildcats tried their passing game. QB Jiminez overthrew Dan Sheehan on fourth down and Greely took over at the 50 yard line. Despite three good tackles by Buddy Gauthier, the Rangers advanced to the Wildcat nine yard line. Finally, Greely QB Sean Vaughan completed a short pass to Caleb Jordan in the end zone and the Rangers had evened the score at 7-7 just two minutes into the second quarter. Their squib kickoff was covered by Tim Pidgeon for York at their own 42 yard line. Seven plays later, including a 23-yard breakaway run by Pruger, York had a first and goal on the Greely five yard line. Pruger carried over right guard for the TD, but the point after was wide and York led 13-7 with 5:57 left in the half.
Robert Hampton was credited with an open field tackle on the kickoff and the York defense forced Greely to go "three and out." But York fumbled the fourth down punt and the Rangers had excellent field position on the Wildcat 30 yard line. QB Vaughan completed a pass to wideout Jordan, who was well covered but made a leaping catch at the York four yard line. Three plays later, Vaughan found Ben Stewart open in the end zone for an 11-yard TD and the point after gave Greely a 14-13 lead. But the half was not over in this high-scoring game, and Pruger nearly had a TD breakaway before he was finally tripped up by Jordan on the Greely 38. The Rangers passing attack got them a first down at the Wildcat one, where Vaughan scored on a QB sneak. York defensive end Ross broke through and blocked the point after so the score remained 20-13 at halftime.
York attempted on "onside kick" to open the second half, but Greely alertly covered the ball and started a drive from their own 47. Despite the aggressive tackling of Vokey, Ross, Corey and Jones, Greely drove for a first down at the York eight yard line. Then the pass rush by Ross forced an incompletion and Greely was faced with a fourth and four to the goal line. Their 22-yard field goal by Matt Harris was good and Greely led 23-13 with 5:06 left in the third period.
Jiminez returned the kickoff 30 yards up the middle and sophomore QB Wallace entered the game for the first time. Wallace completed a pass in the flat to Blomquist and another over the middle to Ian Bond for one first down. Then Pruger raced around end for 11 yards and Jiminez worked his way up the middle for another first down. Pruger was stopped on a sweep, but Wallace drove for a first down behind the blocking of Vokey and Jones. Pruger gained six off left tackle and finally Wallace drove up the middle for a TD, but York still trailed 23-20 entering the fourth quarter.
The Wildcat defense stiffened and forced a fourth down punt that Blomquist caught on the York 46 yard line. Now York used the running of Pruger and Jiminez behind the blocking of Jones and Jake Moran to gain a first down at the Greely seven yard line. Then Wallace scored from seven yards out on a QB keeper and the point after gave York a 27-23 lead, but there was still 5:33 left in the game.
Greely started from their own 25, and York gave ground grudgingly, but after 13 plays Greely finally scored on a four-yard pass from Vaughan to Jordan. Defensive end Ross blocked the point after on what York Coach Small said "turned out to be the key play of the game."
Greely now led 29-27 but York had time for one last drive, which led to the last-second field goal and a 30-29 win for the Wildcats. As the informal pep band, made up of the York cross-country team, led a wild celebration in the end zone, a veteran observer commented, "This was definitely the most exciting exhibition" (of offense in high school football) that I have ever seen."
This Friday, Oct. 20, York plays at Falmouth and then in the final regular season home game, will host Wells on Friday, Oct. 27.
