Winfield-MU suffers first loss

WINFIELD ? A dream season for the Winfield-Mt. Union football team came to an end on Monday night at the hands of Lynnville-Sully kicker Noah Engle. The Hawks? senior hit a 34-yarder with less than 10 seconds left in the game and Lynnville-Sully escaped Winfield with a 29-28 win.

The Wolves, who were without leading rusher Darren Hunter, due to a shoulder injury, started out with the ball in the first quarter. Both teams traded possessions, and both teams relied heavily on runs and short passes early.

The scoreboard remained unchanged until late in the first quarter. Lynnville-Sully struck first with a deep pass to senior receiver Kobe Fisk that put the Hawks inside the five, and a short touchdown run by star running back Sage Ehresman. The extra point by Engle was good, and the Hawks led 7-0 after one quarter.

In the second quarter, the Wolves drove down to the red zone with the chance to put their first points up on the board. A fumble inside the 15-yard line seemingly ended that hope, but the Hawks gave it right back on the next play with a fumble of their own recovered by Sam Jennings.

Then, faced with a fourth-and-2 from the 5-yard line, the Wolves went to Bryce Robison up the middle. The junior running back converted for the first down by inches, and then took it around the left side on the next play for a touchdown. The two-point conversion pass was knocked away, but the Hawks? lead was cut to 7-6.

Later in the second quarter, Kolt Rossiter threw the first of his three long touchdown passes on the night. Zach Davis caught a deep pass and avoided defenders to go down the right side of the field for a 71-yard touchdown reception. Rossiter ran in the two-point conversion, and the Wolves had their first lead, at 14-7.

Defense ruled the third quarter, but the Hawks were able to tie the game up with a 44-yard touchdown run by Ehresman. The extra point tied the game at 14-14, and the teams went into the final quarter with everything on the line.

Lynnville-Sully had a fourth-and-9 from the W-MU 29-yard line at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Tyler Van Zante threw a long pass that was caught by Fisk and ran into the end zone for the Hawks? first lead of the second half. Engle?s extra point was no good, but the Wolves trailed, 20-14.

With the season on the line, W-MU senior Garret Baker stepped up in a big way. First, the speedy receiver caught a short pass and outran the defense for a 50-yard touchdown reception on the Wolves? next drive. Rossiter ran in the two-point conversion, and just like that, W-MU was back on top, 22-20.

?When we throw that route, we know that if Garret breaks one tackle, it?s going to be a touchdown,? McCarty said. ?That was the plan, get the ball out quick and let Baker do the work with the ball in his hands. He is arguably the fastest guy in pads on the field in any given game.?

Then, after the Hawks were forced to punt, Baker struck again. He caught a swing pass from Rossiter and turned it up the sideline. Baker tight-roped up the sideline and avoided tacklers for a 79-yard catch and run that gave the Wolves an eight-point lead and electrified the home crowd. A failed conversion kept the score at 28-20 midway through the fourth.

The Hawks responded with a quick drive down the field that ended when Ehresman ran the ball to the right side for his third touchdown. The W-MU defense, however, stopped the back just ahead of the goal line for the failed two-point conversion, and the Wolves held onto a 28-26 lead.

A failed onside kick spelled trouble for Lynnville-Sully, but the Hawks had all their timeouts, and were able to use them to stop the clock and get the ball back with just under two minutes left.

The Hawks raced up the field with the clock winding down. Ehresman made another big play with under a minute left, when he made a sliding catch inside the W-MU 25 that set the Hawks up for a long field goal attempt.

Engle barely got the ball over a crashing W-MU line, but his kick sailed through the uprights to shock the crowd and give Lynnville-Sully a 29-28 lead with less than 10 seconds left on the clock. A Hail Mary attempt failed for W-MU, and the Wolves were eliminated.

Rossiter finished the game 8-17 for 246 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Baker led the receivers with six catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns, and Davis had one catch for 71 yards and a score.