Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Sports
Down by four with 17 seconds on the clock and three downs to work with, the NDSS Junior Football Golden Hawks team had a shot at ending their KASSAA season with a win against the visiting Bayridge Blazers Wednesday afternoon.
Hawks quarterback Ethan McKeown aired out three Hail Mary pass attempts but found no receivers as NDSS was stuck with a tough-luck 22-18 loss.
“It was right up to the last possession,” said Hawks coach Brian Heaton. “It was certainly our closest and most competitive game of the season. It’s been kind of a trying year but that was a finish we liked to see.”
Bayridge built a 15-0 lead in the second quarter, scoring first on a 60-yard dash and then securing the extra two points. They tacked on another seven with a 20-yard pass into the end zone followed by a successful kick.
Matt Ruttan got Napanee on the board with a long run of his own, breaking through the middle for a 50-yard run to the end zone. The Hawks opted to go for two but were held out of the zone. NDSS cut the deficit to 15-12 when Ethan Courneyea took a hand-off at the Bayridge’s five-yard line and worked his way through a wall of Blazer defenders. Napanee’s kick attempt was unsuccessful.
Matt Berry attempts to get around a Blazer defender. Adam Prudhomme photo.
The Blazers didn’t waste any time restoring the lead, scoring on the very next possession to up their lead to 22-12. Ruttan made it interesting with his second touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, just managing to dive into the very corner of the end zone.
That was as close as the Hawks would get however, unable to score on their final two drives.
“It was certainly nice to see the spirit of the kids in a game that was winnable and that’s a nice feeling to play deep into the fourth quarter in a game where it was still within reach,” said Heaton. “That’s certainly a positive result for our team and program.”
“On our offense I thought Matt Ruttan had a really good game, he certainly gave us a chance running the ball,” added Heaton. “On defense I thought Ross Morrow, who played middle linebacker, did a good job on tackles, especially late to get the offense back on the field for a chance to win it.”
The Hawks headed into the game knowing they had been eliminated from the playoffs, but looked for a strong finish and perhaps their first win of the season. Instead they finished 0-6 but with something to build on for next September.
In the senior game, the Hawks called on some of their junior players to help fill out a depleted roster and hung on for a 12-1 victory. The seniors finished the year at 2-4, also out of the playoffs.