By Harold Zeigler
Published Nov 26, 2005 12:50
The ground game, solid throughout the season but seldom spectacular, was nowhere to be found.
With two key pieces of the team AWOL, Lancaster Catholic desperately needed a hero to step up if it was going to reach the state football semifinals.
Nick Downey nearly answered the call.
Catholic’s 5-10, 170-pound junior quarterback almost engineered a Joe Montana-like comeback Friday night at Kemp Stadium, but an unlucky interception at the goal line in the final seconds ruined a miracle finish.
Ryan Miller’s pick with just 23 seconds remaining enabled Montoursville to hold on for a 27-21 victory in the state Double-A quarterfinals.
Montoursville boosted its record to 12-1 and moved on to play Wilson Area in the semfinals next weekend. Lancaster Catholic, which had dreams of a 15-0 state-championship season, was eliminated at 12-1.
“But for a couple of tips in the end zone, it could’ve gone our way,’’ said disappointed Catholic coach Bruce Harbach. “But it went their way tonight.’’
“It hurts,’’ Downey said through tears. “It hurts. I think we all feel we let one slip away.’’
The game will probably be remembered for the weather. It was played in bone-chilling 15-degree cold.
It came close to being remembered for The Drive, a Downey-guided march that nearly produced the game-winning touchdown.
Catholic was down and nearly out early in the fourth quarter, trailing 27-6. But Downey capped a 6-play, 71-yard march with an 18-yard TD pass to Bobby Bushong. A two-point conversion pass to Matt Balasavage cut the gap to 27-14 with 9:32 left.
Two possessions later, Downey engineered an 11-play, 74-yard drive, capping it with a 9-yard TD pass to Brendan Bresnahan. Michael John’s PAT had Catholic within six points, 27-21, with 1:02 left.
A successful onsides kick followed, and the Crusaders could smell miracle. A procedure penalty pushed them back five yards, and they started at the Montoursville 49 with 56 seconds to go.
Downey hit Bushong for 10 yards. Then came an incompletion. Downey hit Bushong for 9 yards and a first down. Bushong got out of bounds, stopping the clock with 45 seconds left.
Then a 16-yard Downey-to-Bresnahan hookup put the ball at the Montoursville 16.
Catholic had one timeout left, and the clock was running when Downey brought the offense to the line. He called an audible, hoping to hit Bresnahan on a quick post.
Bresnahan was open for a split second, but the pass still had to be threaded like a needle. The ball made it through, but it bounced off Bresnahan and right to Miller at the goal line.
He fell at the 1-yard line, and Montoursville ran out the final 23 seconds.
“Yeah, he was open,’’ Downey said “I tried to hit him on a quick post, but the other safety came over and made a good play.
“I never should’ve thrown that ball. It was a terrible throw.’’
Harbach said Balasavage appeared to be open on the back side, but he wouldn’t second guess his quarterback.
“We were a couple of yards short of going to the state semifinals,’’ he said. “What (else) can you ask for?’’
Downey was valiant in defeat, completing 24-of-35 passes for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns. But he was intercepted three times.
The interceptions didn’t bury Catholic, however. Its inability to stop the run did.
Catholic had allowed just 734 yards rushing in its 12 games. Montoursville had rushed for 3,962 yards in its 12 previous games. Something had to give, and it was Catholic.
After starting strong, the Crusaders’ defense wore down as the game progressed. In the end, Catholic allowed Montoursville 275 yards on the ground, and Luke Ellison (20-122, 2 TDs) and Garrett Cillo (10-105) both surpassed 100 yards.
Harbach repeatedly put seven and sometimes eight defenders on the line of scrimmage. Eventually, Montoursville figured how to crack the defense and break backs into the secondary. That’s when the Warriors took control of the game.
“They just broke the line of scrimmage,’’ Harbach said. “That’s what happens when you put people in the box. You break the line of scrimmage and you end up with big plays.
“But I didn’t think they could run the ball (like that).’’
Catholic’s offense was one-dimensional, the rushing attack producing just 51 yards.
That’s why it was left to Downey to pull it out.
He nearly did.
“Twelve wins, that’s something special,’’ Downey said, trying to console himself. “It was a good season, but we wanted a little more.’’
“The kids are sad and disappointed,’’ said Harbach, “but a couple days from now they’ll sit back, after they let it sink in a little bit, and a big smile will come to their face at what they accomplished this year.
“This was a great football team, and it was an honor to coach these kids. I couldn’t be more proud of them.’’
