Rams big rally comes up short against Buckeye

BUCKEYE SURVIVES 4TH QUARTER RAMS SURGEBY RILEY DICKINSONUPPER SANDUSKY– Despite being up 28-3 as the fourth quarter began, Medina Buckeye had a rough finish, narrowly avoiding a loss. The Bucks squeaked out a 28-18 victory over Upper Sandusky on the road on Friday night, relying on their strong play in the first three quarters. The Bucks stopped Upper Sandusky on the opening drive, forcing a punt. Beginning on their own 24, the Bucks opened their first drive with a 36-yard pass from quarterback Shane Metter to Colton Homchik. That play allowed the Bucks to open up their running game, which they used to build up an early lead. The Bucks alternated between their two backs, Denis Shevchenko and Liam Phillips, all the way down the field before Phillips notched a nine-yard rumble up the right side for Buckeye's first score. Upper Sandusky's third drive saw the Rams make it to the Bucks' 35, before stalling on fourth and 7 and turning the ball over with an incomplete pass. On their next drive, the Rams opted for a field goal on fourth and 5 from the Bucks' 15, recording their first points. "Medina Buckeye just executed a little bit better earlier on, and ended up getting some scores there," Rams coach Russell Hall said. "We just weren't able to come back."The Rams were stuck at 3 until a massive momentum swing in the fourth quarter. Following a near 30-minute delay due to several injuries, the crowd was pin-drop silent as the Rams took the field to resume play with just under eight minutes left and facing a 28-3 deficit. Prior to the stoppage, the Rams were looking at a fourth and 16 after the Bucks sacked quarterback Will Leightey for the fifth time. The stoppage, however, fueled the Rams. Upper Sandusky went for it, as kicker Kobe Beidelschies found Ezekiel Baldwin for a 17-yard pass on the right sideline, extending the Rams' drive. Leightey, who was one of three Rams to go down hurt during the stoppage, was replaced in the backfield by receiver Kasen Gottfried. On Gottfried's first play under center, he handed it off to Declan Pelfrey for a 14-yard gain. On his second play, Gottfried called his own number. Gottfried took a 17-yard keeper to the house, marking the Rams' first TD with 6:03 remaining. The Rams followed that touchdown by forcing a three-and-out on defense, taking over on their own 5 after a strong punt by the Bucks. On the second play of the drive, Gottfried took the ball down the left side of the field for a huge gain that was moved even further by three penalties, including an unsportsmanlike, on the Bucks. On the following play, Wyatt Kennedy found paydirt on a 6-yard handoff on the left side, followed by an unsportsmanlike call once again on the Bucks. Rather than kick an extra point, the Rams went for two. Gottfried once again held the ball himself, surging through the middle of the Bucks' defense for a 2-point conversion. The conversion also coincided with a third unsportsmanlike call on Buckeye, its third in as many plays. Those penalties moved the subsequent kickoff up to the 30, but the Rams were unable to capitalize on the field position as the Bucks recovered Upper Sandusky's onside kick attempt. Despite the momentum, the Rams simply ran out of time to complete their comeback."We kept fighting the whole time," Hall said. "Really proud of our kids, you know. That's just kind of our mentality all year, we started out 1-0, then we lost one, won the next one, lost three. But, you know, we just kept striving and working to get better. It says a lot about the character of these men, and these seniors." Buckeye's Shevchenko ended the game with 144 yards on the ground, with Phillips tallying 125 more. Nick Prouza added 61 rushing yards, and quarterback Shane Metter added an 18-yard TD run. Leightey, who made his first start on Friday as starting QB Keegan Dunn was out with a concussion, completed 11 of his 23 passes for 110 yards. Gottfried had 59 yards through the air, while Caine Rupe added 46 and Baldwin tacked on 22. The Rams' season comes to a close with a final record of 6-5, its best win total since 2013. "Medina Buckeye's used to winning, they went 11-1 last year and made the second round of the playoffs," Hall added. "They came out, and they're used to playoff football. This is the eighth time that we've made the playoffs, so we just don't have that experience that they have. Hopefully, we have another great offseason and get an opportunity to try again next year."Buckeye 7 7 6 8–28U. Sandusky 0 3 0 15–18FIRST QUARTERBUCK - Shevchenko 7 Run (Russo Kick)SECOND QUARTERBUCK - Metter 18 Run (Russo Kick)US - Beidelschies FGTHIRD QUARTERBUCK - Shevchenko 60 Run (Kick Failed)FOURTH QUARTERBUCK - Phillips 2 Run (Phillips 2-Pt Run)US - Gottfried 17 Run (Beidelschies Kick)US - Kennedy 6 Run (Gottfried 2-Pt Run)