Poland escapes Girard, 38-35, with late go-ahead score and defensive stop
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GIRARD -- Just one more play. That's all Poland needed.
The Bulldogs, after getting the go-ahead score, made one last defensive stop Friday night to hold on and defeat Girard 38-35 at Arrowhead Stadium.
"In the Northeast-8 this year, you have to be ready to go every game because it's a dog fight, it's a heavyweight match, whatever analogy you want to use -- it's a fight," Poland head coach Tom Pavlansky said. "I'm just really proud of our kids to keep playing, to have that composure and to have that mental toughness to keep playing. I couldn't be more proud of them. I give credit to our seniors, our leaders and our coaching staff."
With 3:42 left, Poland trailed Girard by four. On 4th-and-17, Andrew Todd intercepted Indians quarterback Tuff McConahy at the goal line and returned it to the Bulldogs' own 34-yard line.
From there, Poland needed to go 66 yards. On the first play of the drive, quarterback Dom Pagano, who had commanded the Bulldogs' offense all night long with the authority of a field general and finished with 181 total yards and three touchdowns, found Josh Macejko on a deep route down field behind the defense for a 66-yard score, but the play was called back due to an ineligible man downfield.
However, on the very next play, Pagano found Danny Nittoli open on a screen pass, and Nittoli did the rest, scampering 70 yards to paydirt to put Poland ahead.
"We talked about (the play) all week. Bottom line is it's not rocket science -- we got the ball to a really good football player and he made a play," Pavlansky said. "They had him dead to rights. (But) he broke a tackle and he was not going to be denied. Danny along with his fellow seniors are so special -- they weren't going to be denied."
Talk about a swing of emotions.
"There's going to be changing emotions, and there's going to be swings," Pavlansky said. "Good teams are going to make plays."
Down by three now with just under three minutes to go, the Indians were in perfect position to either go tie the game with a field goal or take the lead with a touchdown with their quick-strike passing attack.
The Indians moved the ball with a series of passes from McConahy to Domenico Simone and Will Hynes, and with 0:32 to go, Girard had 2nd-and-21 from the 22-yard line after McConahy was sacked.
After an incomplete pass, McConahy found Simone on an 18-yard completion to just inside the three-yard line.
Facing fourth and a long yard with 12 seconds left, the Indians had a decision to make. They could either kick a field goal and send the game to overtime, or go for the game-winning touchdown.
They elected to go for it.
"We're going to go win the game -- we play to win the game," Girard head coach Pat Pearson said. "That's who we are. That's what we do. That's how we play."
On the play, Girard turned to its all-purpose playmaker Stephen Sims, who Poland had no answer for all game in the Indians' passing attack, out of the wildcat formation. Sims took the snap out of the shotgun and ran to his left, looking for a hole to cut inside and either cross the goal line or pick up the first down.
Instead, he was met by a swarm of Bulldogs defenders at the line of scrimmage and was brought down for a loss.
Ballgame.
"Our kids played their butts off. I'm proud of them," Pearson said. "We came up short. We're not happy with that. But I couldn't be more proud of this group of kids and this group of seniors playing their tails off."
Poland forced a turnover-on-downs and took a knee as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"Make them play one more play, just make them play one more play," Pavlansky said. "The game was on the line, and I think our guys thrive in that kind of situation. I think they embraced it. They said, right now is our chance to win the game. They knew it. ...(Girard) gives the ball to their best player, and all 11 (of our) guys did a heck of a job."
Poland got off to a fast start in the first half, and as a result, Girard twice had to come back from double-digit deficits.
Cole Fulton led Poland's ground assault with 167 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, which included an 80-yard touchdown run about midway through the second quarter.
In a clash of differing offensive philosophies, the two teams combined for 739 total yards in a shootout fitting the occasion.
In the first half, the Indians leaned almost exclusively on their passing attack with McConahy at the helm, who finished 30-for-44 for 359 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
Then in the second half, Girard was able to get the ground game going with Ahmad Curd-Stephens to complement McConahy.
The Indians scored just before the end of the first half to cut their deficit to three. Then put the ball in the end zone again on their opening drive of the second half to take their first lead of the game, before the two teams traded scores the rest of the way.
"(It) was very good momentum," Pearson said. "I thought we came out (in the second half) well. It was just a great Northeast-8 football game. ...This team has battled all year. This is a battle-tested team. We make our way to the playoffs, I think people are going to find out how tough we really are.”