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North Stafford's Robert Piggie (70) reacts as the Wolverines make a late rally in the fourth quarter, bringing them within a touchdown of Meadowbrook. The rally fell short in a 35-27 defeat. |
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.
"I knew I had to do something," Wicker said. "If I didn't make that catch, we had no chance at all. We always felt like we were still alive."
The junior transfer from Hawaii made another spectacular play on the ensuing onside kick, as he scooped up the bounding ball and motored into the end zone, only to learn that the play was dead on the recovery.
That's when the magic ended. North Stafford tried and fought, but gave the ball up on downs. The season was over, and the moment hurt. It hurt a lot.
Syracuse University-bound defensive lineman Cordarrow Thompson consoled Lloyd, as tears flowed beneath both of their helmets.
Several players pounded their fists into the soggy turf, just wishing they'd had one more chance.
As Meadowbrook's fans poured over a cement wall and onto the field, the North Stafford fans stood and cheered. It wasn't a we-were--glad-to-be-here kind of cheer. The supporters recognized how far the Wolverines had come, how they'd never stopped fighting. The players had made their school and their families and their community proud.
"We were going to play this game to the end no matter what," said Lloyd, his wristband playbook still on his arm long after the game had ended. "I wish, I just wish we'd found a way."
At that, the junior quarterback tugged his equipment bag onto the bus to join his teammates for the drive back north. They'd given it everything they had.
To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH: 540/374-5442 ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com
