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Sandwich edges Plano in ‘War on 34’
Updated: October 8, 2011 12:13AM
It was nail-bitin’ time again for Sandwich coach Dusty Behringer.
After coming up on the short end of tight games the previous two weeks, Sandwich recovered an onside kick in the final minute Friday and held on to edge arch-rival Plano 23-22 in the annual Interstate Eight Conference battle of Route 34 neighbors.
“A one-point win is so much better,” Behringer said after his team survived two big special teams plays by the Reapers. “We’re not a bad football team.”
Sandwich (5-2, 3-2 I-8 Large) made three strong defensive stands, forcing the visitors to turn the ball over on downs twice near midfield in the first half and once at the 1-yard line with 2:26 remaining.
With a 23-14 lead courtesy of 39- and 1-yard scoring runs by P.J. Crotty, a 28-yard field goal from Matthew Saitta and a 14-yard scoring pass from quarterback Derrick Risley to tailback Dallas Schroeder, the game seemed well in hand at that point.
Schroeder, who also plays linebacker, had stopped Plano running back Joseph Jones (16 carries, 81 yards) on fourth-and-1 at the Reaper 42 in the first quarter. He made the critical stop in the late going when 6-foot-4, 220-pound Reaper quarterback Trevor Rea tried to sneak from the 1.
“I knew they were gonna sneak it. I saw the A gap open so I just shot it and met him at the line,” the 6-1, 210-pound Schroeder said.
“Dallas is a big-time hammer that we have,” Behringer said. “He had to deal with an injury last week and didn’t play defense (in a one-point loss to Manteno). I know that was killing him, but we have a long road ahead of us.”
Plano’s defense came up with a stand of its own, forcing a Sandwich punt from its end zone. Devin Haws fielded it at the 36 and returned it 34 yards. Fullback Alan Vega ran it in for a 2-yard score with 1:08 left, and Plano (5-2, 3-2) faked the extra point kick and scored two on a pass from holder Devin Ambrose to a wide-open Kelby Gann.
Earlier in the game, Ambrose returned a kick 87 yards for a score.
Fullback Spencer Carlson (24 carries, 140 yards) keyed a rushing attack that churned out 267 yards for Sandwich, which held a 328-189 edge in total yards.
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