Whiteford Defeats BD in OT Thriller

The Whiteford Bobcats kept their playoff hopes alive and a great Britton Deerfield comeback in the final Deerfield Homecoming football game Friday.

Down 28-27 and going all-or-nothing for two-point conversion, Gabe LaRoy completed a short pass to Forrest Grosteffon in the end zone to seal the 29-28 overtime victory for Whiteford, which improved to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the Tri-County Conference.

BD was down 21-0 in the third quarter and tied the game on Andrew Prielipp’s TD pass to Eli Browning with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

“That’s a good football team,” said Whiteford coach Matt Garno of BD. “But before the game we talked a lot about focus and that’s why we came out strong. I think our guys fell back a little bit when our captain Cody Donnelly left the game hurt.”

Garno said the decision to go for it was easy.

“We hadn’t kicked the ball all night and I was confident we could get the matchup we wanted,” Garno said.

BD coach DJ Lutz was proud of the way his team came back, but frustrated by the team’s inability to win the close game.

“I told the team at halftime we were going to pitch a shutout in the second half and that we’d score three touchdowns to win. We gave up that early touchdown but we came back to tie it,’ Lutz said. “As soon as we figure out how to win these close games, we’re going to be the team that feels real good at the at the end of the night. I’m at a loss for words. The kids were outstanding tonight. It is just tough to work so hard for something and come up short.”

The Patriots actually outgained the Bobcats in total yardage, 266-209. But early turnovers put the Patriots behind the eight-ball.

On the first play from scrimmage, Andrew Prielipp threw a long pass for Brady Southward. Southward and Whiteford defender Aaron Kellerbauer both jumped for the pass, but Kellerbauer came up with it. He returned it 25 yards to the BD 35. BD’s defense was strong, holding the Bobcats to seven yards on three plays. On 4th-and-7, LaRoy completed a short sideline pass to Kellerbauer, who made a move and then sprinted to the BD seven. Again, though, the BD defense was strong. On first down, Cody Donnelly was held to a yard. On second down, Luke Forche and Josh Hoffman sacked LaRoy at the BD 15. Landon Handy stopped Donnelly for a loss on third down. Josh Reau sacked LaRoy on fourth down and BD escaped harm.

BD put themselves in trouble again, however. On first down, Whiteford’s George Vergote stripped Jake Warner of the ball and Whiteford took over at the BD 35. The BD defense just couldn’t hold up again. On 3rd-and-8,  LaRoy broke to the outside and swept his way for a 13-yard gain. A few players later, after a Jordan Osbun sack, Whiteford faced 3rd-and-16. LaRoy rolled to his left and passed to Donnelly, who did the rest, racing to the sideline and then somersaulting through a hit in tothe end zone for a 6-0 lead. Austin Bischoff’s kick was wide.

BD’s didn’t turn the ball over its next time out. But after gaining a first down on runs by Warner and Handy, and then another first on a pass to Josh Hoffman, the drive stalled at the Whiteford 40. Prielipp’s punt was downed at the Whiteford 11. The Patriots held the line with big stops coming from Handy, Craig Coopshaw, Brock Prain and Josh Hoffman, and forced Whiteford to punt from the 12-yard line. BD started at the Whiteford 31. A 3rd-and-7 pass to Southward over the middle gave BD a first down at the Whiteford 17. But Grant Track stopped Warner for no gain on first down. The drive sputtered and a fourth-down pass was broken up by Grosteffon. Whiteford took over at its 20. On first down, they picked up 17 yards when LaRoy, under big pressure, dropped a short pass to Tabbert, who plowed ahead for the first. Tabbert ran for 12 yards up the middle on the next play, for a first down near the 50. Donnelly rushed for 11 yards on the next play, giving Whiteford a first at the BD 38. The next three plays went for a total of four yards. On 4th-and-6, Tabbert banged his way up the middle for first down at the BD 27. Whiteford earned another first with a short pass to Donnelly for nine-yard run to the 13.  Two plays later, Tabbert smashed his way through the line for 13 yards and TD. LaRoy converted the two-point play with a keeper and Whiteford led 14-0 with 5:06 to play in the second half.

      BD went three-and-out on the next possession and punted from the 44. Kellerbauer returned the punt all the way for a touchdown, but the play was called back because of a penalty. Whiteford took over at the BD 19. A pass to Tabbert gave Whiteford a first down at the BD 9. The Patriots’ defense came up big again. On 3rd-and-Goal from the six, Osbun brought down LaRoy for a five-yard loss. With 1.4 seconds left, Bischoff’s field goal attempt went wide by just a foot, and BD escaped down just 14-0.

      Whiteford started its next drive at the 18. Whiteford converted a 3rd-and-inches on a Grosteffon keeper to the BD 33. Two plays later, a Donnelly sweep gave Whiteford a first at the BD 47. Two plays after that, Donnelly picked up 25 yards on a sweep, giving Whiteford the ball at the BD 21. On 3rd-and-9, Whiteford earned a new set of downs with a 12-yard pass to Grosteffon. Donnelly scored from eight yards out, and then Bischoff’s extra point kick made it 21-0 with 6:51 to play in the third quarter.

      Just when it seemed the game was over, BD woke up. Sophomore Kray Sweinhagen brought the homecoming crowd to its feet, racing 81 yards on the kickoff return for a touchdown. Prielipp’s kick made it 21-7.

      “That kick off return sparked us, definitely,” Lutz said.

      BD trapped Donnelly at his own 14 on the kickoff. A penalty against Whiteford sent them back to the nine, where Whiteford punted the ball away. BD took over at the 35. A Prielipp pass to Southward and run by Warner gave BD a first at the 24. Two passes to Josh Hoffman gave BD a first at the Whiteford 9.  On the next play, Warner rushed it in to the end zone. Prielipp’s kick made it 21-14 with 2:19 to play in the quarter.

      BD could smell blood. The Whiteford possession started at the 48 and only went backward, thanks to another sack by Osbun. BD took over at its 35. A catch by Hoffman and rush by Warner gave BD a new set of downs at the Whiteford 40 to start the fourth quarter. On 4th-and-10 from 26, Prielipp was on the run when he competed a pass to a diving Warner at the Whiteford six.

      This time, it was Whiteford’s turn for a big defense stop. Vergote stopped Warner on first down and then stuffed Handy on second down. On 3rd-and-Goal from the two, Derek Marckel came up with the big stop on Warner. On fourth down from the three, Prielipp rolled out to pass, found nobody open, and then ran out of real estate. Whiteford took over at its eight. Nice runs by Tabbert moved Whiteford out to midfield. But big stops by Kris Iott and Landon Handy stopped the Bobcats in their tracks, and they bunted from the BD 48. The next BD drive was stopped cold thanks in part to a sack by Track and Bischoff. They punted from their nine. Whiteford had the ball at the BD 37. A pass to Grosteffon moved the ball to the 25.  A rush by Kody Baker moved it to the BD 17, where the Patriots defense made its stand. On 2nd=and=3, the BD defense stopped Tabbert for a one-yard gain. On 3rd-and-2, Baker was dropped for a three-yard loss by Jeremy Hatfield and Nathan Hoffman. On fourh down, Brock Prain and Josh Hoffman stopped Tabbert short of a first down, and BD took over with 1:46 to play at its own 20.

BD gained 15 yards with a pass to Sweinhagen. On second down, Prielipp passed to Josh Hoffman for another first down. A long pass was nearly intercepted by Kellerbauer on the next play. After another incomplete pass, Prielipp’s short pass to Sweinhagen went for about seven yards. But Whiteford was penalized for a late hit and BD had a first down at the Whiteford 33 with 1:02 to play and no timeouts left. On first down, Prielipp found Southward over the middle for a 13-yard again. Prielipp spiked the ball to stop the clock. The next pass attempt was incomplete. On third-and-10, Prielipp scrambled for a five yard gain. BD rushed to the line of scrimmage for a big 4th-and-5 from the 15. Prielipp took the snap and found Warner open over the middle. He caught the pass and ran about eight yards for the touchdown as the Deerfield crowd erupted. Whiteford nearly blocked Prielipp’s kick, which just made it through the uprights, tying the game at 21 with 13.1 seconds left.

In overtime, BD was the first team with the chance to score from 10 yards out. A pass to Handy was incomplete on first down.  A second down rush by Warner went a yard. On third down, Prielipp found Eli Browning wide open for the TD. Prielipp’s kick was good and BD led 28-21.

BD nearly won the game on Whiteford’s first play. LaRoy tried to pass to Grosteffon in the corner of the end zone. Southward leaped for the interception, but Grosteffon hammered the BD defensive back, and the ball came loose. On second down, LaRoy scrambled for a two-yard gain. On the next play, LaRoy found Track wide open in the end zone.

“It was crazy. I was kind of nervous when they called it in the huddle. But it’s been there all day,” said Track. “I felt excited. It was unbelievable.”

Instead of kicking for the tie, Garno elected to go for the win. LaRoy found Grosteffon open in the end zone and Whiteford won the game.

      • Garno said that Grosteffon has showed what kind of person he is during his transition from QB to TE. “It was tough on him the first week because he just wants to compete. What he’s done over the last three weeks has changed this team because he changed himself. To see a senior do that, I think the other kids live off that.”

      • Whiteford visits undefeated Summerfield next week. Summerfield clinched its third straight playoff berth Friday with its win over Morenci.

      • Landon Handy made 12 tackles to led the BD defense. “Our defense has been phenomenal all year,” said Lutz. “They’re the reason why we’ve been in these games.” Osbun and Hoffman were each credited with two sacks.

      • Forrest Grosteffon led the Whiteford defense with eight tackles. Dalton Nagle had seven and George Vergote had six.

      • Donnelly had 81 yards on 15 carries. Tabbert rushed 18 times for 67 yards. Warner led BD with 32 rushing yards.

      • Hoffman caught the ball seven times for 64 yards. Donnelly caught it four times for 45 yards. Prielipp was 15-of-32 for 159 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. LaRoy was 11-of-14 for 125 yards and 2 TDs.