So close but yet so far.
It's a cliche, yes, but perfectly describes the Pioneers' heartbreaking 26-20 playoff loss to Austin Prep.
I'm still waiting to see the replay on the Cougar's TD in overtime. Quarterback JR Richard clearly fumbled the snap and when he came up out of the pile he looked like he was short of the goal line, but apparently the officials saw him recover the ball in the endzone for the score.
The Pioneers had one last chance, but the AP defense made a nice call blitzing on the fourth down play and Gino Cohee had no chance to get into the endzone. Even if he had, the play would have been called back due to an illegal formation call (which head coach Neal Weidman didn't agree with by the way). So it would have been fourth and goal from the six and a half, a much tougher assignment.
But now is not the time for sour grapes. Considering the stakes and the atmosphere, this was one of the best high school football games I have ever seen. Two evenly matched teams battling it out to the bitter end...and then some. The lead changed seven times and Ol' Momentum kept switching from a black to a white jersey
Ultimately, it came down to a few feet of artificial turf either way and the Cougars made one more big play than the Pioneers. That's the way it goes sometimes.
The loss in no way should take anything away from a dream season for these Pioneers. 2009 will go down as one of the best years in Pioneer football history and will be the measuring stick for many Lynnfield High teams for years to come. They won their league title and made it to the post season for the first time in 23 years. They are the first Pioneer team to win 10 games and they were a few short yards from making the trip to Foxboro.
Assistant Coach Pat Sheehan probably put it best after the game. "It was a great season all year long. The kids played their butts off today. That might be the toughest way to lose as far as emotions go. It's going to sting for the kids for a while but they should be proud of themselves."
All in all, a terrific year and congrats to all the players and coaches.
More on the AP game and the season as a whole later in the week.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Tom, it truely was a great game. The Austin go ahead TD in OT, the QB did fumble the snap, but the ball back back into his hands and he followed his blockers into the end zone. Lynfield was a very good team and their coaching staff is good because the disiplane their players show on the field. One thing however cannot be over looked, the call to go for two after Lynnfield's 2nd TD cost them the game! If they go for one, the game ends 21 -20 Lynnfield. Of course, hind-sight is always easy to see. Congrads to Lynnfield on a great season.
ReplyDeleteAP Fan.