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LANGHORNE – Kevin Magee felt a ‘rush of emotion.’
Ariel Hoffman described it as the ‘greatest feeling ever.’
One team’s euphoria is another team’s heartbreak, and it was the Neshaminy Redskins who celebrated as an extra point attempt by Council Rock North sailed just wide right with 30 seconds remaining in Saturday afternoon’s SOL thriller, allowing the Redskins to escape with a 14-13 win.
Magee and Hoffman were on the field when the outcome was decided.
“Me and number four (Kyran Kervick) are the ones going in to try and block it,” Hoffman said of the pivotal extra point. “I went in and two guys stuffed me, and all of a sudden, I see the kicker put his head down.
“I turned and saw the ball go to the right.”
“When I saw it go wide right, I just started jumping in the air,” added Magee. “It was a great feeling. I couldn’t believe it.”
Neither could the stunned Indians, who moments earlier were celebrating Jack Worthington’s dazzling one-handed touchdown reception at the back of the end zone to make it a 14-13 game.
“It took about 10 seconds to go down,” Worthington said of the roller coaster of emotions. “I can’t even explain it.
“It’s just the worst feeling, but we have to put it behind us and go out and win these next two. Hopefully we’ll see them again in the playoffs because when we see them again, we will beat them.”
Saturday’s game – despite the rainy, muddy conditions – had the look and feel of a playoff game, and in many ways, it was. Both teams came into the game knowing it was a must-win if they entertained any thoughts of staying in the conference title chase.
The Redskins, who were led by yet another stellar showing by running back Bryan Dean (131 yards on 32 carries), kept their title hopes alive with a showdown against undefeated Pennsbury on the horizon.
“This is huge,” Magee said. “We’re also in a much better position for the playoffs.”
The playoffs are still a realistic goal for the Indians, but they wanted more than that.
“We’re disappointed,” Rock North coach Tom Coates said. “We expected nothing but a win. We weren’t expecting to play close, we weren’t expecting to come down and put on a good showing. Our kids prepared to come down here and win.
“They’re convinced they belong in the top tier in the league competing with these guys.”
The Indians certainly showed they could compete with the Redskins, surviving the loss of Tyler Hamilton early in the second half when the Indians’ quarterback/safety injured his left shoulder.
Without missing a beat, senior Kevin Hacker stepped in and went to work, completing 8-of-11 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
“We know Hacker would be a starting quarterback anywhere else, and the only reason he’s not is because he’s playing behind Tyler,” Worthington said. “He steps up in practice every day, so we knew he could get it done.”
“Kevin Hacker is a top-notch kid,” Rock North coach Tom Coates added. “He comes out and runs our scout team. Any time we call upon him, he’s come in and stepped in and always done a good job. That kid is a flat-out, mature winner.”
The Indians needed every bit of Hacker’s heroics after the Redskins used a 14-play, 55-yard drive that took seven minutes off the clock to go on top 13-7 when Dean took it in from four yards out with 3:31 remaining in the third quarter. Ricky Domico’s extra point put the ‘Skins on top 14-7.
The drive featured a whole lot of Dean, who accounted for 51 of those yards.
“He’s a beast,” Hoffman said. “He gets banged up a little bit, but he doesn’t quit.”
“It’s a big load off us,” said Magee, who plays defensive end. “He makes the defense look better.”
Down to perhaps their final drive, the Indians took over with 5:27 remaining in regulation at their own 13-yard line. Back-to-back Hacker completions - the second to Ty Bostain for 10 yards and a first down - got the ball rolling for the Indians.
An 11-yard screen pass to Lee Marvel took the ball to the 40, and then Hacker found Bostain for eight yards. An illegal procedure call set the Indians back five yards, and after an incomplete pass, the Indians were facing a third-and-long with time winding off the clock.
It was hardly cause for concern.
Hacker found Bostain over the middle, and the standout wide receiver shed one tackler after another before Kervick made a touchdown-saving tackle at the nine-yard line. On first down, Brandon Cottom bulled his way to the three-yard line, but a penalty on the next play put the ball back on the eight.
A Redskin stop on a run attempt set the stage for the dramatic Hacker to Worthington pass.
“They had to make the plays, and he made a heck of a catch,” Neshaminy coach Mark Schmidt said.
Worthington acknowledged that the play was not designed to go to him.
“We were supposed to throw to Ty Bostain on the outside, but I was wide open,” he said. “The safety came over to cover me, so I could only get one hand up. I put a hand up and brought it in.”
The missed extra point set the stage for an on-sides kick attempt by the Indians, but Kervick fell on the football, and a win was in the book for the Redskins.
“Our guys battled,” Schmidt said. “They don’t quit.”
The Redskins needed every ounce of resiliency they could muster during a frustrating first half that saw them twice turn the ball over in the red zone.
The first came after Neshaminy’s Dylan Lange recovered a fumble on the Indians’ two-yard line when – on the very next play –Adam Yborra recovered a Redskins’ fumble in the end zone.
“We don’t worry about that kind of stuff,” Hoffman said. “Whenever the offense does something, the defense wants to pick them up. We can’t let one mistake get us down.”
The Redskins’ defense held, and sparked by a 23-yard Ricky Williams run on a reverse as well as a Williams 22-yard reception of a Charlie Marterella pass, Neshaminy marched all the way to the Indians’ nine-yard line. That’s when Rock North’s Matt Hatheway came up with a clutch interception in the end zone.
“I think everyone talks about our offense and how great our offense is, but I think our defense is the heart of the team,” said Worthington, who also plays safety.
A 15-yard Hamilton run on first down set the stage for an impressive 80-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by a 13-yard Hamilton run on a quarterback sneak on third-and-short as well as a punishing 17-yard run to the eight-yard line by Cottom.
Hamilton found Worthington with an eight-yard touchdown pass, and after Ryan Campbell’s extra point, the Indians led 7-0 with 6:19 remaining in the half.
The Redskins responded with a scoring drive of their own. The big play of the drive was a superb 26-yard reception on third-and-long to Dwight Williams.
“Dwight’s a good player, and he’s a guy that’s going to help us in the future,” Schmidt said.
Two plays later, fullback Stephen Stemme rumbled in from 21 yards out for a touchdown that – after Domico’s extra point – sent the teams into halftime deadlocked 7-7.
“He’s a good player, and he does some good things,” Schmidt said of Stemme. “Our guys did a nice job.”
On Friday, Neshaminy will face Bensalem while the Indians will take on Truman.
“This (loss) really is disappointing, but we had our chances, and we should have taken care of it earlier,” Marvel said. “We played a great game, they played a great game. It was a great contest.
“We’ve got to come back, play hard next week and take care of business.”
NESHAMINY 14, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 13
Council Rock North 0 7 0 6-13
Neshaminy 0 7 7 0-14
CRN-Worthington 8 pass from Hamilton (Campbell kick)
N-Stemme 21 run (Domico kick)
N-Dean 4 run (Domico kick)
CRN-Worthington 8 pass (Kick failed)
CRN N
First Downs 13 17
Rushing Yards 128 193
Passing Yards 143 68
Total Yards 271 261
Passing (C-A-I) 13-23-0 5-9-1
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1
Penalties-Yds. 5-29 4-32
Punts-Avg. 2-38.5 1-28.0
RUSHING:
Council Rock North – Brandon Cottom, 11-59; Tyler Hamilton, 9-50; Lee Marvel, 4-15; Jack Worthington, 1-4.
Neshaminy – Bryan Dean, 32-131, 1 TD; Ricky Williams, 1-23; Stephen Stemme, 1-21, 1 TD; Corey Majors, 4-10; Charlie Marterella, 1-10; Brian Titus, 1-(-2).
PASSING:
Council Rock North – Tyler Hamilton, 5-9-38, 1 TD; Kevin Hacker, 8-11-105, 1 TD; Lee Marvel, 0-1-0.
Neshaminy – Brian Titus, 1-2-4, Charlie Marterella, 4-7-64.
RECEIVING:
Council Rock North – Ty Bostain, 4-75; Adam Yborra, 2-20; Lee Marvel, 2-17; Jack Worthington, 2-16, 2 TDs; Brandon Cottom, 2-14; Charlie Anastasi, 1-1.
Neshaminy – Dwight Williams, 1-26; Ricky Wiliams, 1-22; Corey Majors, 1-11; Frank Csaszar, 2-9.
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