Announcement
YORK TWP. — Guard Jalin Brock flipped off his helmet and buried his head into the cold, damp grass at Edwin Steingass Field. Quarterback Nathan Polidori did the same just feet away with helmet still attached.
The Buckeye players, along with their teammates, had nothing left to give. They were battered, bruised and exhausted after playing for their football lives for 48 minutes and three overtimes against physical West Geauga in the first round of the Division III, Region 7 playoffs. Ultimately, the Bucks’ playoff curse claimed its seventh victim, as the sixth-seeded Wolverines escaped with a 35-28 triple-OT classic that, even in defeat, will live on in Buckeye lore for decades to come. West Geauga (10-1) advanced to play No. 2 St. Vincent-St. Mary (10-1) next week, while the third-seeded Bucks finished 10-1 for the third time in school history after the see-saw affair ended when Wolverines linebacker Dominic Pavich intercepted Polidori.
“It was a great season and we fought hard,” Buckeye star slotback/safety Trevor Thome said. “We just came out on the short end.” With Thome (hip) and Polidori (ankle) playing hurt in the second half and Nathan Scott (hamstring) leaving for good in the first quarter, Buckeye trudged on despite their gutsy stars struggling to keep themselves on the field.
The Wolverines began the third overtime with the ball and pounded undersized yet tough-as-nails halfback Joe Daddario (36 carries, 190 yards, 2 TDs) until Bucks linebacker Dustin McCullough (3 tackles for loss) stuffed Daddario 2 yards behind the line. That set up third-and-goal on the 4-yard line, but Daddario sliced into the end zone untouched to make it 35-28. Buckeye remained confident because its long-dormat offense had come back to life.
Bucks coach Mark Pinzone didn’t have a decision etched in stone, but said a go-for-the-win two-point conversion was being discussed among his staff. Unfortunately for a lively, jam-packed home crowd, Polidori underthrew Thome (15 carries, 58 yards, TD; 6 catches, 87 yards) on an out route and Pavich was there for a bread-basket interception. It was only Polidori’s second pick of the year and first that didn’t go through a receiver’s hands. Game over.
The celebrating Wolverines didn’t catch a sprinting Pavich until he reached the opposite 30-yard line. “We knew that we had to stop them and we had to score to win,” Thome said. “They scored one more time than they did.” The first two overtimes went quickly and evenly, as Buckeye matched 1-yard TD sneak by Cam Searight (13-for-25, 218 yards, 2 TDs, int.; 12 carries, 15 yards) when Polidori nailed Justin Lowry on a post pattern for a 21-yard score. Richard Gatt’s extra point was true and the game headed to double overtime.
