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No quit in Wolverines

Wolverines battle to the end

By ADAM HIMMELSBACH

Date published: 12/12/2004

Final defeat didn't result from lack of effort

RICHMOND--Had they taken their impending defeat, shed a few tears and headed back north, it's not like anyone would've questioned their resolve.

But that's just not how these North Stafford Wolverines work. If you told them there was a minute left, they'd ask you what time the clock started. If you told them there was a second left, they'd be the first ones out of the huddle.

And in yesterday's Group AAA, Division 5 state final against Meadowbrook, there was an entire quarter remaining--enough time to make a comeback and then tell you all about it.

Forget that they trailed by three touchdowns at the time.

"I didn't care what the score was," fullback Mark Kratzer said, his eyes welling up after the 35-27 loss in which North Stafford came up just short. "I didn't care if we were down 50-0, we weren't going to lay down and die."

That came as no surprise to the throng of supporters decked out in blue and orange. That came as no surprise to head coach Eric Cooke. It came as no surprise to the Meadowbrook players, either.

The fourth quarter started and the Wolverines got to work. Junior quarterback Kyle Lloyd, who'd seem calm if there was a boulder rolling his way, completed five straight passes to push the Wolverines inside the 5-yard line.

On third down from the 1, Kratzer bulldozed across the goal line, and North Stafford was right back in it.

"We knew that we couldn't just give up," said senior offensive lineman Tony North, who will start his college career at Virginia Tech in the fall. "We wouldn't let our families down like that. We've been through too much to do that."

The Wolverines forced a fumble a few plays later and defensive end Josh Fink recovered it. But North Stafford punted after three plays, and tossed an interception on its next possession.

Game over, right? Well, not quite.

The Wolverines' defense forced another fumble and recovered it at Meadowbrook's 34-yard line. One play later, Lloyd found Jeremy Wicker down the right sideline for a touchdown. It was 35-27. There were 3 minutes, 56 seconds left.

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Date published: 12/12/2004