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Joe Eitel
Div III, Region 12
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CELINA --
A perfect finish to a season of fantastic finishes.
Nick Pfeffenberger kicked an improbable, unbelievable, school-record 40-yard field goal as time ran out to lift St. Marys to a 16-14 win over Celina Friday at Bulldog Stadium.
The Roughriders, who have pulled out big wins all season, finish the season at 9-1 with an undisputed Western Buckeye League Championship, and probably clinched a home game for the Division III, Region 12 playoffs next week in Skip Baughman Stadium.
Despite a strong second half performance by the defense, it appeared as if the Riders had fumbled away any chance to win.
St. Marys fumbled four times in the second half, losing three. In addition, the Riders were flagged for crucial penalties on big gains.
The Riders broke a 7-7 tie with a 14-play, 70-yard drive spanning the third and fourth quarters. Bo Frye had a key third down run on the drive, and Eric Sullivan picked up 26 yards to move the ball inside the Celina five.
Frye finished off the drive on a one-yard run with 9:41 left to play. Pfeffenberger missed the extra point -- a mistake he would atone for later.
Then the fumbles began.
Celina fumbled the ensuing kickoff with the Riders recovering at the Celina 41. On the very next play, Sullivan fumbled it back at the Celina 34.
Three plays later, Celina quarterback Brian Gagel fumbled the ball back to the Riders. But wait, they still didn't want it. Inside the Celina 30, Frye fumbled the ball four plays later and Celina recovered with 6:09 left to play.
This time the Bulldog offense moved the ball down field for the first time in the second half. A big play on the drive was a 33-yard completion by Gagel to the Rider two yard line.
Two plays later, Brady Bonifas carried the ball in from two yards out to tie the score with 1:18 left in the game.
Following a Celina timeout, Tim Homan's all-important extra point kick was good, giving the Dogs a 14-13 lead and, apparently, the win.
But Homan's next two kicks went out of bounds, giving the Riders a chance at good field position. His third kick was fielded by Corey Vossler, who returned the ball into enemy territory at the Celina 45.
Vossler then completed a 13-yard pass to Nick Yahl, and a 12-yard pass to his brother Scott.
But the Rider offense, not known for its two-minute drill, appeared confused as precious time ticked off the clock and a procedure penalty was called.
Following a timeout and an incomplete pass, Vossler was sacked on a roll-out, bringing up a third down with only 11 seconds left to play.
St. Marys set up a screen pass, but could not connect, bringing up a fourth down at the Celina 23-yard line with four seconds to play.
Only enough time for a desperation pass into the end zone, right?
Nobody gave much thought to a field goal attempt, but that's exactly what St. Marys Coach Doug Frye went for.
Pfeffenberger lined up for a 40-yard attempt, which was five yards longer than the school record held jointly by Greg Yingling and Jeff Hughes.
The snap was good, and Pfeffenberger's straight-on attempt sailed through the uprights with room to spare, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and writing Nick "Wild Thing" Pfeffenberger's name into the Roughrider record books.
Joyful St. Marys fans stormed the field and held an impromptu victory dance before the players reached the sidelines. The Roughriders had found a way to win again.
FIRST HALF
Celina cracked the scoreboard first with a short drive thanks to a key defensive stop.
The Riders turned the ball over on downs near midfield on their first possession of the game when a fourth down run by Frye was snuffed out.
The Bulldogs drove 48 yards in seven plays. Brian Gagel scored on a play that the Riders have had trouble stopping all year -- the quarterback draw up the middle.
Celina spread out the defense, and Gagel ran up the middle 22 yards for the score with 4:45 left in the first quarter.
Celina had a golden opportunity to go up by two scores as the Riders fumbled on their second play of their next possession, again near midfield.
However, five plays later the Dogs fumbled back with the Riders recovering at their own 16.
From there the St. Marys offense went to work. Corey Vossler scrambled for 27 yards to get the ball in Celina territory. Three carries by Bo Frye resulted in another first down.
Inside the 30, two incomplete passes brought up a fourth-and seven, where Vossler tossed a pass to Nick Fortman, who caught the ball at the one yard line and stepped into the endzone for the score.
Nick Pfeffenberger's PAT boot tied the score at 7 with 8:10 left in the half.
Celina had no real problems moving the ball in the first half, but a 12-play drive on its next possession ended when Nick Yahl intercepted a Gagel pass at the St. Marys four yard line with 2:20 left in the half.
From there the Riders ran out the rest of the clock leading up to the halftime intermission.
...
Quarterback Corey Vossler finished the game as the Riders' leading rusher with 127 yards.
St. Marys will finish in 2nd or 3rd place in Region 12, depending on Saturday's outcome of the Alter/C-J game.
The official Division III playoff pairings and game schedules will be released by the OHSAA Sunday evening, October 26. Check back here on Ridertown this Sunday for the details of the Riders' next game.
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