PLAIN TOWNSHIP: Improbable finishes.
If that’s what you were looking for on the final Friday night of the regular season, all you needed to do was look to the Federal League.
Improbable finishes in the two biggest games of the night brought an improbable end to a season that was punctuated by more ups and downs than a backyard trampoline. Perry got the last bounce and the last laugh when it scored 27 unanswered points in a span of a little more than five minutes of the fourth quarter to stun host GlenOak 30-24.
The Panthers, who might have felt they were playing for a share of the league title, ended up as the outright champion for the first time since 1992 when front-running Jackson was upset 31-28 by rival North Canton Hoover.
Almost as amazing as Perry’s rally from a 24-3 deficit to finish 8-2, 5-1 in the Federal League. Jackson, GlenOak and McKinley finish tied for second at 4-2.
Not only did GlenOak (7-3 overall) lose a game it dominated for nearly 40 minutes, but it also might have lost three of its key players to injuries. At various times, wide receiver and backup quarterback JJ Olivera, wide receiver/linebacker Jake Steiner and wide receiver/defensive back Abe Billings left the game and did not return. Olivera is believed to have suffered a broken arm, Steiner was having shoulder issues and Billings’ injuries were undisclosed, but he needed help leaving the field.
The loss cost the Eagles what could have been the program’s third consecutive league title and might have put their playoff hopes in jeopardy.
Across the field, it was a great night to be a Panther. The victory, which seemed so out of grasp through three quarters, solidified Perry’s hold on the top spot in the Division II, Region 7 playoff standings and guaranteed it will host a first-round game next week.
GlenOak had a 24-3 lead after Andrew White hauled in a 5-yard scoring pass from Tate Rhoads with 11:56 to play. Earlier, Rhoads had thrown a 6-yard scoring pass to Daquan Johnson on the Eagles’ first possession and put the Eagles ahead by two scores when he went 48 yards on the second possession. Dean Sarris added a 24-yard field goal before Mason Brown got the Panthers on the board with a 40-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the first half.
Perry’s prime
To say Perry owned the fourth quarter would be an understatement. Senior Nick Myers was the catalyst and the ultimate hero. The 6-0, 185-pound Myers rushed for 210 yards on just 16 carries, including 171 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
He scored Perry’s first touchdown when he went 61 yards with 8:31 to go. The Perry defense forced a punt and Perry took advantage as quarterback Max Baker threw a 44-yard toeuchdown pass to junior Robby Kirchner, making it 24-15 after a failed 2-point attempt.
Sophomore Jarin Curtis recovered the ensuing onsides kick and Baker wasted no time in taking advantage again, throwing a 22-yard scoring pass to fellow senior Tevion Cleveland.
Brown’s PAT made it 24-22 with 4:24 to go. Again the Perry defense forced a punt on a 3-and-out. Myers bounced around the right side and went 61 yards to the GlenOak 1-yard line, from where Malachi Strickland gave the Panthers their first lead of the game. Baker completed a 2-point pass to Cleveland for the final margin.