Roger Bacon's run toward a Division V state title fell short after the Spartans bowed to Preble Shawnee 35-28.
Tied 28-28 after both teams traded leads, Preble Shawnee upped the Spartans with the final big play of the night: a 12-yard touchdown run from quarterback Brayden Doran with 12 seconds remaining.
"They made more plays than we did, especially on the offensive side," Roger Bacon head coach Mike Blaut said. "Our defense played their butts off and wore us out there. The two-headed monster - their running back and quarterback. They kept pounding us and pounding us. My hat's off to them. They're a good team."
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Doran and Arrows running back Hunter Crockett were the life of the Shawnee offense. Each scoring drive was started with their legs.
Just before the half with the Spartans leading 14-7, Shawnee drove into Roger Bacon territory, but Ty Brenner intercepted a pass attempt. An unsportsmanlike penalty on the pick pushed Roger Bacon back to its 19-yard line, but senior running back Jah'Mal Hutsell ran 81 yards on the first play for a 21-7 lead. Hutsell's touchdown came with just 28 seconds left until the half.
The Spartans looked ready to ride their big swing into the locker rooms for the half, but the kickoff bounced out of bounds, giving the Arrows some extra field to work with.
Preble Shawnee took one play to get near midfield and then pulled a trick from the playbook. A double-pass went to junior running back Grady Hutchinson who found a wide-open Dylan Campbell for a score. Doran went in for two points and with 11 seconds on the clock, the Arrows trailed just 21-14.
"They made plays when they needed to and we just didn't," Blaut said. "Those are plays where we need to stop them there. We can't let them go the distance."
On a Shawnee third down, Doran was sacked. The Arrows punted and Beamer Walker returned the punt 55-yards for the game's first score and a 7-0 Spartans lead.
What followed a few drives later could make the Spartans wonder "What if?" for seasons to come.
On Roger Bacon's turn to punt, it pinned the Arrows at the eight-yard line. Doran was hit on a run to the left. Players on the field stopped and the public address announcer even called the name of the player making the tackle. The officials never called the play dead and Doran ran 92 yards unopposed for the score. A blocked extra point made the score 7-6.
"Yeah he was down," Blaut said with a laugh. "His elbow hit the ground, but what can you do? We're not going to blame anything on the referees, but that was a bad one."
Roger Bacon, who fell in last year's state semifinals, finishes the 2021 campaign at 9-3.
"We fully expected to move on," Blaut said of his program's expectations. "Not to take anything away from (Preble Shawnee) because they're really good, but our expectations are to keep playing deep into the season.
"I feel bad for our seniors right now. They're the guys that are hurting right now. That's the tough part."
Undefeated Preble Shawnee (13-0) will play Versailles in the Division V, Region 20 finals. The winner of that game advances to the state tournament.
Preble Shawnee - 6 8 7 14 - 35
Roger Bacon - 7 14 0 7 - 28
RB- Walker 55 punt return (Rolfert kick)
PS- Doran 92 run (kick failed)
RB- Hawkins 21 run (Rolfert kick)
RB- Hutsell 81 run (Rolfert kick)
PS- Campbell 52 pass from Hutchinson (Doran run)
PS- Doran 6 run (Roell kick)
PS- Doran 6 run (Roell kick)
RB- Tschida 48 pass from Huber (Rolfert kick)
PS- Doran 12 run (Roell kick)
Records: PS 13-0; RB 9-3.
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