By Stan Veitch/Sports Correspondent
Even though a late interception sealed Ranburne’s 37-30
triumph over Westbrook Christian last Friday (Oct. 30) night, it was a
controversial call late in the second quarter that many fans will recall.
With the Bulldogs holding onto a 16-13 lead, Ranburne got a
break as Westbrook shanked a punt that officially traveled only 12 yards,
putting the Bulldogs in business with only 35 yards to cover.
On the next play, Ranburne quarterback Dylan Wiggins threw a
pass to the corner of the end zone, where both wide receiver Theodore Smith and
Warriors defensive back Gilbert Rosas went up for the ball. They wrestled their
way to the ground and it was Rosas who came up holding the ball. However, the
officials ruled that Smith had caught the ball and the Bulldogs were awarded a
touchdown with two minutes left in the half.
There was no quit in Westbrook, though. The Warriors
responded to the controversial touchdown with a 67-yard drive that ended in a
41-yard touchdown pass from Joseph Schauer to Andrew Schauer with only :03.4
left on the clock.
“They’re twins, so they are really on the same page
sometimes,” Westbrook coach Tony Osborne said.
The half ended with the Bulldogs hanging onto a 23-20 lead.
Then there was that late interception.
With only 2:40 left to play, Ranburne scored on a 4-yard run
by Dalton Wiggins – his third of the contest. The Bulldogs then had a 37-30
lead, but again Westbrook came out firing. On a third-down play at the 1:35
mark, Smith picked off a Joseph Schauer pass.
“We gave a great effort but just came up a little
short,” Osborne said. “That’s the way this season was – we’ve shown
up every game and played our hearts out but didn’t get the critical play when
it was needed.”
Westbrook finished the season with a 3-7 record and didn’t
qualify for the state playoffs.
Friday’s game went back and forth, with neither team able to
pull away.
Ranburne’s first possession resulted in a touchdown and
Westbrook’s Justis Glassford got through the line and blocked the extra point
attempt.
The Warriors responded with their own touchdown – a 4-yard
pass to Andrew Schauer. The two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the
score knotted at 6-6. And that’s the kind of game it was.
Each team got a field goal. Will Dickson booted a 38-yarder
in the third quarter, tying the game at 23-23.
Glassford caught a 71-yard touchdown pass and Chandler
Richards caught a 4-yard touchdown pass. Joseph Schauer grabbed an interception
in the second quarter.
“Our inability to run between the tackles has hurt us
all season,” Osborne said. “And it hurt us again tonight. Our passing
game has kept us in contention a lot of times.”
Joseph Schauer completed 18-of-31 passes for 241 yards and
four touchdowns.