Wellington, Kan. shocks Gravette
Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2008
GRAVETTE - Linn Hibbs has seen a lot in his coaching career, but maybe nothing like what transpired on Friday night at Lion Stadium.
Hibbs' Wellington (Kan. ) High School team overcame an early 14-0 deficit and kicked the game-winning field goal with seven seconds left to play to beat Class 4 A No. 6 Gravette, 24-21.
Both teams are now 2-1.
"Honestly, I had to ask my assistants at the end if we really won the game," Hibbs said afterward.
Wellington scored 11 points in the final 1: 15 to pull off the improbable win and spoil Gravette's homecoming.
The Crusaders trailed 21-7 with 7: 58 to play before a 53-yard scoring pass from Jordan Edwards to Dylan Woodbridge. Felipe Matsuzoe pushed his extra-point attempt wide right to keep the score at 21-13.
After forcing a Gravette punt, Wellington set up at the Gravette 49-yard line. The drive reached the Lion 33, where Tanner Church was spilled for a 6-yard loss, but a late hit and an unsportsmanlike penalty on Gravette pushed the ball to the Lion 13 where Edwards connected with Sage Aguilar on a touchdown pass to make it 21-19 with 1: 15 to play. Edwards then hit Heath Carroll with a 2-point conversion pass to tie it 21-21.
Gravette got the ball back, but two incomplete passes from Ethan McKinzie left Gravette facing a third-and-10. McKinzie rolled to his left to pass, but Church jumped in front of the pass and returned it 31 yards to the Gravette 8 with 42 seconds to play.
"It was full flow to the right and I just followed the guy in my zone," Church said. "(McKinzie ) underthrew it a little bit and it went right to me. I saw the end zone, but I got tackled."
After Church's interception the Crusaders ran one play - a run - to set the stage for Matsuzoe, a foreign exchange student from Brazil. Matsuzoe's 24-yard field goal was true and Wellington had its come-from-behind victory.
McKinzie said he saw an open receiver, but admitted "I probably should have just ate it."
Gravette coach Bill Harrelson wasn't about to fault McKinzie. "Ethan is a player; he was looking to make a play," Harrelson said.
McKinzie, who finished 13 of 24 passing for 215 yards, was full of big plays in the first half as Gravette rolled to a 14-0 lead after three possessions.
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