The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Pettway leads Blue Devils to comeback win
Isaac Pettway’s one-yard touchdown leap on fourthand-goa with 12 seconds left gave host Wickliffe a 28-24 comeback victory over Fairview in front of a raucous crowd Aug. 31.
After the teams traded scores on their first two drives, the Warriors defense managed to get the first stop of the game early in the second quarter. The offense thanked them for it with 10 unanswered points.
Fairview broke the 14-all tie as quarterback Declan Jewitt rumbled in from the one for his second score of the night giving Fairview a 21-14 lead with 7:04 remaining in the first half.
On Wickliffe’s ensuing drive, Warriors defensive back Turner Hahn snagged his first of two interceptions on the night and set up a 37-yard Adam Nemeth field goal as time expired,to give Fairview a 24-14 lead at the half.
Both offenses stalled in the second half until Pettway scored his second touchdown of the night, capping off seven-play drive with a three-yard score that pulled the Blue Devils within a field goal at 24-21 with just 1:52 left in the game.
Wickliffe then set up for and recovered an onside kick at the 40-yard line, armed with one timeout and trailing by three.
The Blue Devils offense, led by quarterback Brad Dieterich running the no-huddle offense, moved the ball through the air to the Warriors one.
On fourth down, Wickliffe did what it does best and used its running game to secure a win as Pettway leapt at the 1-yard line and landed in the end zone for his third touchdown and the gamewinning score.
Top Players
WICKLIFFE » Pettway finished with 166 yards and three scores on 26 carries for the Blue Devil. Chase Fortkamp added 33 yards on the ground and 69 receiving..
Stat Attack
Both teams averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Wickliffe ran 42 times for 229 yards, while the Warriors ran 41 times for 224 yards. Time of possession was almost even as well, showing just how tight of a contest this was.
They Said It
WICKLIFFE HEAD COACH MARCE PORCELLO » ”We started slow and I got on them pretty good at half time. Our defense responded in the second half. We did some unbelievable things at the end on offense without huddling. They played hard and they played until the end which allowed us to get this victory.”