Pine Plains loses to Tri-Valley in final

KINGSTON, N.Y. >> Time ran out for Pine Plains/Rhinebeck High as they fell to Tri-Valley 16-12 in the inaugural Section 9 eight-man football finals at Dietz Stadium Saturday.

With seconds left to play and the ball on the Bears 12-yard line, Tri-Valley forced Luke Imperato out of bounds after he broke away on a run, and there simply wasn’t enough time left for the Bombers to run another play.

Imperato was playing in place of the Bombers starting quarterback Andrew Holsopple, who was taken out of the game earlier in the half after hitting his head on the turf out of bounds.

Pine Plains led 12-8 until Keegan Streimer, who’d been sacked twice earlier in the drive, found room and threw a 33-yard bomb to Ethan Shover, who ran it in with 1:19 left in the game to put Tri-Valley up 14-12. Joe Schulte then converted the two-point run to give the Bears the 16-12 edge as the school’s band played and Tri-Valley fans roared and beat thundersticks.

Before that, the Pine Plains defense had been right on top of the Bears for much of the second half, even forcing them into several four-and-outs.

With the Bombers trailing 8-6 with 8:21 left in the third, Holsopple threw a 32-yarder to Kyle Stracher, who finished the job to give the Bombers a 12-8 lead. Pine Plains went for the two-point

conversion but couldn’t get it across.

The Bombers looked poised to extend their lead later in the third, landing at the Bears 12 after a defensive pass interference

call on Tri-Valley that came after Imperato’s 18-yard run got Pine Plains within the Bears’ 30.

But a series of offensive penalties for a false start, a block below the waist and an illegal block quickly added up and ultimately forced them back to Tri-Valley’s 38 where they ended up handing the ball

over on downs.

With the Bombers trailing 8-0 with 9:24 to play in the first half Luke Imperato took a 25-yard fumble return in for the TD, but they couldn’t convert the two-point conversion and still trailed 8-6.

Imperato intercepted Streimer in the end zone and ran it back for a TD

with seconds to play in the half, but it was negated by a penalty.

The Bears took the early lead on fullback Alex Schultz’s two-yard run with 3:24 left in the first finished off a 75-yard, 18-play drive that took up much of the quarter. Streimer then ran it in himself for the extra two.

TANIA BARRICKLO — DAILY FREEMAN Pine Plains’ Kyle Stracher cheers as wide receiver Luke Imperato runs to the goal line to make a touchdown.

TANIA BARRICKLO — DAILY FREEMAN Pine Plains’ quarterback Andrew Holsopple fends off Tri Valley’s Alex Schultz in the 8-man football game held at Dietz Stadium in Kingston, N.Y. on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018.