Lake County Sentinel
Blue Devils stun Warriors with fourth quarter comeback 28-24
. BY TIM SHIRER
SPORTS EDITOR
The Wickliffe Blue Devils welcomed the Fairview Warriors to Wickliffe Memorial Stadium on Friday night. The Blue Devils entered the game 1-0 after defeating
Collinwood in a tough week one battle. The Warriors entered with an 0-1 record after a week one loss to the Pirates of Rocky River in triple overtime. It was more of the same for the Warriors as the Wickliffe used a late fourth quarter comeback to snatch the victory away 28-24.
Wickliffe got on the board first when Senior Isaac Pettway rumbled 45 yards for a touchdown, capping off the first drive of the game with 9:36 left in the first quarter and a 7-0 lead for the Blue Devils.
The Warriors came back just 3:03 later and countered with a 23-yard touchdown run by Junior Marty Rehor to tie the game 7-7.
The Blue Devils struck back at the 2:42 mark of the first quarter when Senior Brad Dieterich hit Sophomore Chase Fortkamp with a 31-yard pass for a touchdown and after Dieterich hit the extra point the Blue Devils lead 14-7.
Fairview pretty much owned the second quarter out scoring Wickliffe 14-0. The first score of the second quarter for the Warriors came with 11:01 left on the clock when Sophomore Quarterback Declan Jewitt took the ball in from one-yard out to tie the game at 14-14 after the extra point.
The final touchdown of the first half came at the 7:04 mark of the second quarter when the Warriors took their first lead of the night on a one-yard touchdown run by Jewitt giving Fairview a 21-14 lead.
Fairview’s final score of the half came with no time left on the clock when Senor Adam Nemeth booted a 37-yard field goal giving the Warriors a 24-14 lead at the half.
The second half was very different from the first half as the two teams battled at midfield for most of the half. Fairview’s Nemeth missed a 40-yard field goal attempt with 2:38 left on the clock in the third quarter aside from that neither team came close to scoring opportunity until 1:52 left on the clock in the fourth quarter and Pettway took the ball in for the Blue Devils from four yards out. Initially it looked as the though extra point was no good, but Fairview was called for a roughing the kicker penalty and Dieterich converted the second chance and pulled the Blue Devils to within three points at 24-21.
The Blue Devils then recovered the onside kick with 1:48 left on the game clock at the Fairview 45-yard line. Wickliffe went all the way down the field for the game winning touchdown n 1:36 led by Dieterich and finally when Pettway pushed through the line and scored from the one-inch line with :12 left on the clock. After Dieterich converted the extra point the Blue Devils led 28-24.
After the game Wickliffe coach Marce Porcello commented on his team’s final drive “We did some great things offensively at the end there. We were in no huddle with one time out, moved the ball down the field got an onside kick.” He went on to say, then moved it back down the field and then you know Isaac with that great run at the end on the one-inch line. Our offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and he leaped in the endzone.” He concluded with, “It was a great win, I’m processing it.”
Pettway finished the night with 26 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns. Fortkamp led the Wickliffe receiving game with four catches for 69 yards.
Wickliffe will play next week at home against East Tech Scarabs at 7:00 p.m.
@SportsSentinel POSTED 08/31/2018 23:13
