STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (Sept. 26, 2009) – A three-overtime shootout turned into heartbreak for the Red Flash football team, as it watched a 17-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter of a 56-48 loss to the Wagner Seahawks at Wagner College Field in Staten Island, N.Y.
The teams combined for a high-powered 104 points in both teams' Northeast Conference openers. But the Wagner Seahawks, who were held to just 14 points through three quarters, revved up the offense and scored 20 points in the final regulation quarter on what was a previously-stout Saint Francis defense. Alternately, the Seahawk defense that had been gashed by long runs all day tightened up and closed the Red Flash rushing lanes that had been so wide earlier.
“They were just able to overpower us on the lines [in the second half],” said head coach Dave Opfar, whose team fell to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the Northeast Conference. “We lost that edge we had in the first half when it came to running the football.”
Despite falling behind, 34-31, with 2:10 remaining in regulation, Red Flash freshman quarterback John Kelly (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) drove his team down field and freshman kicker Josh Thiel (Leesburg, Va./Heritage) (Leesburg, Va. / Heritage) nailed a 20-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.
Initially tied at 34, the two offenses would explode in bonus time. The first two overtime periods ended with four touchdowns, as each team went to its bread and butter to reach the endzone. Wagner ran its spread option to perfection as they had all game, with quarterback Nick Doscher (20 rushes, 144 yards, three touchdowns) and running back Dominique Williams (21 rushes, 102 yards, four touchdowns) each sliced through the SFU defense to reach the endzone.
Likewise, Kelly found favorite target Antoine Rivera (Willingboro, NJ/Willingboro -BCIT) (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) for two touchdowns in the extra stanzas. Overall, Kelly tied a school record with four touchdown passes, going 25-for-44 for 301 yards and the third straight game without an interception.
Rivera, likewise, set some precedents; he finished with a career-high 10 catches for 154 yards and a school record-tying three touchdown receptions. Rivera passed former teammate Luke Palko in the all-time receiving yards list with a third quarter catch and run. He now has 2,118 career receiving yards, trailing only Michael Caputo in school annals.
However, the third time proved to be the charm for the Seahawks. Williams broke a 17-yard run to the endzone in the third overtime period, and Doscher notched the two-point conversion to give his team the final score, 56-48. The game ended when Kelly's mad dash to the first-down stick on fourth down was stopped a yard shy, quashing the hopes of the Red Flash.
The Wagner turnaround started at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when Saint Francis held a 31-14 lead and had found huge running lanes against the Wagner front seven. Those lanes evaporated, and the offense bogged down. After a Dominique Williams run at 13:20 narrowed the lead to 10, the special teams breakdowns began to manifest.
“That was the beginning of the end,” said defensive coordinator Darnel Richardson. “Those three plays haunted us.”
The first of those breakdowns came on the ensuing Red Flash possession. After a long punt return by Dominique Williams put the Seahawks back in Red Flash territory, Doscher orchestrated a 47-yard drive that culminated in his scoring a touchdown to make the score 31-28.
On the very next Red Flash possession, punter Grant Price (Huntertown, Ind/Carroll) (Hunterstown, Ind./Carroll) had his punt blocked in the endzone. When defensive back Jordan Harper (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) picked off Doscher in the back of the endzone, it seemed like the worst was over.
However, the next Red Flash drive ended in a three-and-out deep in the shadows of the goalposts. Price's punt was blocked again, and recovered in the endzone by Wagner.
Lo and behold, what was a 31-14 lead had become a 34-31 hole.
Until the third quarter, however, the game had been playing out very differently. Jude Yearwood (Elkridge, Md./Howard) (Elkridge, Md./Howard) had the best rushing day of his career, carrying 20 times for 118 yards and two of the first three Red Flash touchdowns. Yearwood racked up most of his yardage in the first three quarters before the Seahawks began to plug those holes.
“Yeah, the complexion of the game changed when we were unable to run the ball,” said Opfar. “That took away a lot of our play action, which had been working to that point.”
Two such play action passes had led to two Red Flash touchdown passes by Kelly. The first came at 8:55 of the second quarter, when Kelly's rollout to the right found Rivera for the first of his three touchdowns to make the score 17-7.
The next touchdown was a beauty, with Kelly breaking the ankles of pursuing Wagner defenders to find freshman linebacker-turned-tight end Matt Johnson (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra). Johnson raced 22 yards to the endzone to give the Red Flash a 24-7 lead.
Defensively, the team was led by linebacker Matthew Parker (Darlington, PA/Blackhawk) (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk), who notched 12 tackles, 0.5 for a loss. Josh Bentley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley) had five tackles with one for a loss. Ryan Shepard (Kittanning, Pa./Kittanning) (Kittanning, Pa./Kittanning) had the defense's lone sack of the contest.
The loss drops the Red Flash to 1-3 overall, with an 0-1 record in the Northeast Conference. They will host the Albany Great Danes on Saturday, October 3 at 1 p.m.
Game Notes: The 48 points scored for Saint Francis represents the third-highest point total in school history; the Red Flash outgained Wagner 452-355 in total offense, and the 452 yards represent the highest total since a season-ending victory in 2007; SFU had 27 first downs, second-most in school history; freshman Josh Thiel (Leesburg, Va./Heritage) tied a 21-year-old school record with a 45-yard field goal in the first quarter.
