WILMINGTON — Hunter Fentress’ 35-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Boyd and subsequent two-point conversion pass on a fake PAT attempt to Trey Uetrecht with 2:57 left gave eighth-ranked Clinton-Massie (Division IV Associated Press poll) a 29-28 victory over cross-county and South Central Ohio League rival Wilmington.
“We kind of picked it up on film they were attacking the edge on the PAT. They were coming so hard that we ran Trey out there in the flat. It was a no-brainer for me. I didn’t think twice,” CM head coach Dan McSurley said. “We didn’t have the personnel in there, so we had to call timeout. The kids executed.”
The win, Massie’s 51st straight in league play, assures the Falcons of at least a tie for the SCOL title. The Falcons (8-1, 6-0) finish the season next week versus East Clinton.
Wilmington (7-2, 5-1) faces Chillicothe next week to determine second place.
Only Chillicothe in 2013 and 2014 had come within 13 points of the Falcons in the last seven years before Friday. Last year, Chillicothe was seven seconds away from knocking off the Falcons before Fentress and Boyd hooked up for the game-winning score.
“Bryce Boyd for the second year in a row came up big. Hunter was really poised in delivering the ball. Bryce just went up and got it. He was going to own that ball. He made a great play,” McSurley said.
Wilmington’s final drive to win the game ended with 45 seconds left on 4th-and-1 at the Massie 35 with a fumbled snap.
“We were going to do what we were doing all game, run the veer at them. They brought pressure. It was a bad snap. It’s football,” Wilmington head coach Scott Killen said. “I’m not going to blame the bad snap, because, there were throughout the game, opportunities missed.”
The veer was working for the Hurricane as it blew right past the Falcons for touchdown runs of 46 yards by Matt Creditt that knotted the game at 21-21 late in the third quarter and 40 yards by Marlyn Frisco that put Wilmington up 28-21. Those scores sandwiched a Wilmington onside kick.
“All of our kids played their hearts out,” Killen said. “Marlyn was able to exploit what was open. I couldn’t be prouder of him and all of the guys.”
Wilmington’s game-tying score came five plays after Massie took its first lead of the game, 21-14, on a 12-play, 55-yard drive that lasted the first half of the third quarter.
The game was tied two other times, at 7-7 and 14-14. Massie answered Frisco’s 91-yard kickoff return for touchdown to start the game with a Davey Tunon 5-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive, which was 11 plays and 64 yards. After a 50-yard pitch and catch from Creditt to Brady McCune early in the second quarter, Massie pulled even the very next drive on a Brad Hunt 1-yard plunge.
“We were in a battle for four quarters,” Killen said. “No one thought we could play with them, and everyone thought it was going to be a rout. Our kids took it personally. I’m very proud of them. Nothing to hang our heads about.”
SUMMARY
Oct 23, 2015
@Alumni Field
Clinton-Massie 29 Wilmington 28
CM 07.07.07.08…..29
WL 07.07.14.00…..28
First quarter
W-Marlyn Frisco 91 yard kickoff return (Brady Henry PAT) 11:47
CM-Davey Tunon 5 yard run (Chris Demler PAT) 5:53
Second quarter
W-Brady McCune 50 yard pass from Matt Creditt (Brady Henry PAT) 9:17
CM-Brad Hunt 1 yard run (Chris Demler PAT) 4:33
Third quarter
CM-Jacob Wolf 1 yard run (Chris Demler PAT) 6:29
W-Matt Creditt 46 yard run (Brady Henry PAT) 4:13
W-Marlyn Frisco 40 yard run (Brady Henry PAT) 2:59
Fourth quarter
CM-Bryce Boyd 35 yard pass from Hunter Fentress (Fentress pass to Uetrecht) 2:57
TEAM STATS
First downs: CM-16, W-12
Rushing: CM 44-214, W 42-238
Passing: CM 12-17-1, W 1-6-1
Passing yards: CM 182, W 50
Total yards: CM-396, W 288
Penalties: CM 10-75, W 3-25
Fumbles: CM 4-3, W 1-0
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: CM Tunon 17-140, Wolf 11-47, Hunt 10-34, Fentress 6-(-7); W Frisco 18-142, Creditt 20-84, Beaugard 2-6, Ames 2-6
PASSING: CM Fentress 12-17-1, 182 yards; W Creditt 1-6-1, 50 yards
RECEIVING: CM Boyd 7-107, Tunon 1-41, Uetrecht 1-15, Williams 2-15, Richardson 1-4; W-McCune 1-50
