Late score lifts Sycamore

Updated: October 29, 2011 7:40PM

Ryan Bartels tried not to get too caught in the emotion of the moment.

“Football’s already such an emotional game,” the Sycamore quarterback said. “I was trying not to think this was maybe going to be my last game.”

With the Sycamores trailing by a point in the closing minutes, Bartels avoided the rush and burst from the pocket. Running left and throwing right, he lofted a perfectly thrown ball that Ben Niemann hauled in for a 38-yard catch.

Three plays later, Sycamore star running back Austin Culton scored on a six-yard touchdown run that powered the visiting Sycamores past King 36-29 in a Class 5A first-round state playoff game Saturday at Lane.

“I just ran left and I threw it as hard and as far as I could,” Bartels said. “Ben made a great catch, too.”

The game featured two ties and four lead changes. The Jaguars (8-2) had a final chance. With just over two minutes remaining and out of timeouts, King star sophomore quarterback Nathaniel Powell threw a 14-yard out pass to freshman running back Lance Robinson and scrambled for 13 yards.

King reached the Sycamores’ 40 with 10 seconds. Powell was tackled at the Sycamore 32 as time ran out.

King also suffered a devastating holding call that nullified a Powell first down and the Jaguars up 29-28. On the replayed down, Powel threw incomplete. “They never would have gotten the ball back,” King coach Lonnie Williams said. “I’m not going to blame the officials, they called a good game. The difference was they had one or two players on the line that were better than us.”

Culton gained 211 yards on 31 carries and scored on touchdown runs of six, 10, two and six yards. He added two two-point conversions. His two-yard burst pulled the Sycamores (7-3) within 29-28, though the Jaguars blocked the point after attempt to hold the slim lead.

Culton also atoned for a fourth quarter fumble, his second of the game. “It was in my mind that I had to come back and make a play,” Culton said. Bartels completed 11-of-14 passes for 182 yards. He added a two-yard touchdown run that helped Sycamore seize a 22-21 lead at the break.

Robinson (eight carries, 122 yards) scored on a 73-yard run that pushed the Jaguars out to the early 8-0 lead. Devonte Rimmer (16 carries, 108 yards) scored on a four-yard run. Powell ran for a two-yard score and he also threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Robert Milligan.

“I didn’t come here to play, I came to win,” Williams said. “I think we gave them a better game than they expected.”

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