By RICK SPRUNGER
That was a tough way to lose.
A failed two-point conversion attempt with 0:24 remaining in the game left Norwell on the short end of a wild 42-41 decision at the hands of Yorktown in the Class 3A sectional championship game at the Courtyard Friday night.
Lleyton Bailey was brought down behind the line of scrimmage on the last meaningful play of the game to get the celebration started in the visiting bleachers.
Yorktown, now 9-3 on the season, advances to regional play next week against Indianapolis Chatard.
Norwell closes the books on an outstanding 10-2 season.
The loss was even tougher to take, coming as it did after the Knights were seemingly in solid command with a 21-0 lead after a dominant first quarter.
But Yorktown completely reversed the script over the last three-quarters of play.
After racking up 11 first downs and outgaining Yorktown 165-31 in total yards while piling up that early three-touchdown lead, the Knights found themselves outgained 315-297 in total yards the rest of the way.
So what happened?
“Well, they had that long drive, then we fumbled on the first play, and then they blocked a punt,” said a somber Norwell coach Josh Gerber when it was over.
“That got them right back in the game.”
“Our guys never panicked. No one was hanging their head,” said Yorktown coach Mike Wilhelm on the other end of the field.
“We saw on game film how all-season teams folded when they got down against Norwell.
“We were determined not to let that happen.
“Our guys just got together and said that they hadn’t been quite ready to go in the first quarter, that they had been dipping their toes in the water, and that they weren’t going to give in but rather keep fighting.”
And so the Tigers lit out on an 80-yard, 18-play drive to start the second quarter that used up more than seven minutes of clock.
Key to the drive were three fourth-down conversions.
The touchdown at the end of the drive came on a 12-yard pass from Mason Moulton to Kolton Nanko on a fourth-and-9 play.
Okay, so that made it 21-7.
But then, disaster.
Norwell fumbled the ball away at the 33 on its first play from scrimmage, and Yorktown took full advantage of the short field to make it 21-14.
Then came a Norwell three-and-out, and that blocked punt that gave the Tigers the ball at the 8.
One play later, the game was tied.
Norwell quickly drove the field and retook the lead on a 36-yard scoring run by Luke Graft, who finished with 191 yards rushing on 35 carries.
And the Knights got a break when it was Yorktown’s turn to fumble the ball right back to them at the 26 with 0:39 to play.
But three plays only gained seven yards, and Austin DeLeon was wide left on a 39-yard field goal attempt.
Yorktown started the second half with the football and immediately got the tying score on the second of three touchdown passes from Moulton to Nanko.
Norwell responded with an 80-yard, 18-play drive of its own, retaking the lead on a one-yard scoring flip from Bailey to Kline Neuenschwander on the first play of the fourth quarter.
And when the Knight defense forced a punt and drove down to the Yorktown 8 courtesy of a 33-yard Graft burst, Norwell seemed on the verge of finally putting the game away.
But the offense went backward, and DeLeon was wide on a 28-yard field goal attempt.
And the momentum shifted yet again when Thomas got loose on a 74-yard touchdown run down the right sideline just two plays later.
“Games like this are all about momentum,” said Wilhelm later.
“They had it, then we had it, then they had it, and then we had it again.”
Norwell went three and out, and Yorktown, converting yet another fourth down, got the go-ahead score on a 28-yard pass from Moulton to Nanko.
The Knights had 3:17 to work with and promptly marched 80 yards on the strength of passes from Bailey to Neuenschwander for 19 and 38 yards, the latter on a do-or-die fourth-and-5 play, plus a timely pass interference penalty on another fourth down play.
Bailey took it in on a keeper from two yards out that brought the Knights within a point with 0:24 to play.
Gerber elected to win it or lose it on one play rather than force an overtime.
“We weren’t stopping them,” said Gerber matter-of-factly about the decision to go for the win.
“It was a run-pass option for Lleyton,” said Gerber of the play call, “and they brought edge pressure. We were expecting that,” said Wilhelm of his team’s only sack of the game. We thought that number 1 [Bailey] was going to keep the ball and try to make a shifty play on the outside. We called time out right before to make sure our guys were ready for it.”
“We didn’t do enough to get the win,” said Gerber, summing up his team’s frustrations.
“We had some golden opportunities, and we didn’t get it in the end zone, and I’ll take responsibility for that.
“These kids deserved better than that.”
YORKTOWN 42, NORWELL 41
At Norwell
Yorktown 0 21 7 14 – 42
Norwell 21 7 0 13 – 41
First Quarter
N-Jon Colbert 9 run (Austin DeLeon kick), 7:36.
N-Trey Bodenheimer 33 run (DeLeon kick), 5:02.
N-Colbert 13 run (DeLeon kick), 0:47.
Second Quarter
Y-Kolton Nanko 12 pass from Mason Moulton (Nanko kick), 5:17.
Y-Jalen Thomas 10 run (Nanko kick), 3:45.
Y-Thomas 8 run (Nanko kick), 2:05.
N-Luke Graft 36 run (DeLeon kick), 0:51.
Third Quarter
Y-Nanko 29 pass from Moulton (Nanko kick), 8:30.
Fourth Quarter
N-Kline Neuenschwander 1 pass from Lleyton Bailey (DeLeon kick), 11:55.
Y-Thomas 74 run (Nanko kick), 7:17.
Y-Nanko 28 pass from Moulton (Nanko kick), 3:17.
N-Bailey 2 run (run failed), 0:24.
Team Statistics
YRK NOR
First Downs 16 24
Rushes-Yards 30-183 61-374
Passing Yards 163 88
Passing (C-A-I) 13-23-1 6-12-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards 5-32 4-35
Punts-Average 2-33.5 2-12.5
Time of Possession 27:12 20:48
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Yorktown-Jalen Thomas 20-161, Ayden Ewing 6-13, Mason Moulton 3-7, Kolton Nanko 2-1. Norwell-Luke Graft 35-191, Lleyton Bailey 11-55, Jon Colbert 8-54, Drew Graft 4-23, Trey Bodenheimer 3-41.
Passing: Yorktown-Mason Moulton 13-22-1 163, Kolton Nanko 0-1-0 0. Norwell-Lleyton Bailey 6-12-0 88.
Receiving: Yorktown-Jalen Thomas 6-45, Kolton Nanko 5-86, Blair Webster 1-26, Brayden Foltz 1-6. Norwell-Kline Neuenschwander 5-85, Cade Shelton 1-5.
