‘Amazing’ play in final seconds lifts Northmont

Northmont coach Tony Broering and Springboro coach Ryan Wilhite had a brief chat — through masks, of course — on the turf at CareFlight Field after the game Friday.

Each of their teamswaited most of the summer to learn they would get a chance to play this fall and then experienced one of the most exciting games in the state in Week 1. The back- andforthcontest featureda flurry of early touchdowns, a late comeback, Division I prospects living up to the hype and an incredible finish.

Broering used themoment with Wilhite to offer words of consolation after his team pulled out a 40-36 victory thanks to a 32-yard touchdown pass from Cade Rice to Markus Allen with nine seconds to play.

“He should be proud of his guys,” Broering said. “Springboro played great. Really, they did. No team really deserved to lose that game because both teams played their hearts out. I felt bad for him. They’ve got some great players.”

It took two of the top seniors in the area to beat Springboro. Rice, whomade his first start at Northmont after three seasons at Greenon, threw three touchdowns to Allen, who committed to Michigan in May. The last was the most important and the most spectacular.

Northmont faced 4th-and-19 with 22 seconds remaining. Springboro had sacked Rice on the previous play. The winning play began with Rice rolling to his right as one Springboro defender gave chase. Most of the defense had drifted back into coverage.

Rice ran eight seconds off the clock as he waited for Allen to break free in the back of the end zone. When he did, Rice lofted a pass to the back of the end zone. The defense had lost track of Allen. Hewas wide open. The pass was perfect.

“I was just trying to buy time at the beginning,” Rice said. “I was looking for my boy, Markus Allen. We’ve just made a connection over the summerthat’sbeenunbreakable — an unbreakable bond really. I found him luckily standing in the middle of the end zone wide open, and I delivered him a ball thatwas very catchable and he came down with it.”

Allen caught a 12- yard touchdown pass from Rice in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7 and then a 2-yard touchdownpass in the third quarter to break a 21-21 halftime tie.

Allen’s ninth and final catch gave him 102 receiving yards.

“It was amazing,” said Allen, who had 15 touchdown receptions last season. “My quarterback just happened to roll out, and I saw him roll out. I was like, ’Let me go across the field.’ He just happened to see me in the back of the end zone. I had to secure the catch and just let itcomeintomybody.”

Rice, who threw48 touchdownpasses the last two seasons at Greenon, completed 22 of 44 passes for 303 yards with five touchdown passes and an interception.

“He’s an amazing talent,” Broering said. “He’s special. We knew he was good. There’s no doubt. You watch the throws hemakes in practice.”

Rice and Allen weren’t Northmont’s only stars.

■ Senior Cameron Jones ran for an 84-yard score to give Northmont a 21-14 lead in the second quarter, finishing with 115 yards on nine carries.

■ JuniorMalachi Staffney turned a short pass fromRice into a 37-yard touchdown in the third quarter as Northmont built a 33-21 lead.

■ Sophomore Javien Brownleee caught nine passes for 79 yards.

Springboro had its share of standout performances as well.

■ Senior Moise Armbruster opened the scoring with a 49-yard run and finished with 180 yards on 23 carries. He also scored on a 23-yard run with 6:34 left in the fourth quarter to begin Springboro’s comeback from a 33-21 deficit.

■ Senior TitanCase scored touchdowns on three of his four rushing attempts. His 27-yard run with 2:58 to play and then a catch on the twopointconversiongaveSpringboro a 36-33 lead.

■ Senior Michael Ehtridge intercepted Rice with 4:19 to play in the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead touchdown by Case.

In the end, Northmont just made one more play, one of the most memorable plays anyone will see this season.

“It was amazing,” Broering said. “I don’t even know howto describe it. Like I told Ryan, this is my 30th year (in football), and I’ve had some great players and a lot of good quarterbacks, but I don’t knowif I’ve ever seen anything like that.”