It might forever be remembered in Gilmour lore as ‘The Drive’.
Trailing, 21-20, at archrival University on Oct.3, the Lancers took possession at their own 36-yard line with just 47 seconds left in the game after having stopped the Preppers on a fourth down play.
Junior QB Thomas Richardson completed short passes to senior Michael Snelling and sophomore Tommy McCrone to move Gilmour near midfield.
Richardson then found Snelling down the sideline for a 41-yard gain to the University 10-yard line.
Just 13 seconds remained when Richardson took the snap, looked to his left, and fired a pass to sophomore RB Santino Harper in the end zone for the go-ahead score, the Lancers’ first lead of the game. A two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving Gilmour on top, 26-21.
Junior Rich Clark brought the kickoff out to the 44 for University with 3 seconds left, but a final pass attempt was incomplete, and the Lancers had prevailed in a thriller that won’t be soon forgotten.
“This is everything,” Richardson said. “Happy, sad, excited, I don’t know right now. This is a great win for our team.
“This is one of the biggest rivalries. We have Hawken as a rival, too, but this is way bigger than that. I’ve only been here two years, so I don’t understand it completely, but I know it’s really big for our seniors.”
The game-winning drive would not have been possible without the heroics of Harper, Gilmour’s offensive line, and its defense.
Gilmour (3-3) trailed at the half, 21-6, and scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to pull off the comeback win. Harper, who had been held by the aggressive, attacking University defense to 52 yards on 14 carries in the first half, broke loose for touchdown runs of 79 and 59 yards in the third quarter.
The Preppers blocked the PAT attempt on the second of those touchdowns, leaving the Lancers down, 21-20, and for a long while it appeared that that would be decisive.
Gilmour was ruled to be a yard short on a 4th and 8 play at the Gilmour 24, and University embarked on a 17-play, time-consuming drive in which it converted three 4th down plays before Lancer senior Mitch Lamosek sacked US QB Jackson Boland for an 11-yard loss on 4th and 6 at the Gilmour 29.
Each team turned the ball over on downs once more before Gilmour got its game-clinching drive under way.
“For our guys to shut them out defensively in the second half, put some points on the board, Santino, the offensive line, everything, was fantastic,” Gilmour coach Chris Kosiorek said.
The blocked extra point, coming up short on fourth down deep in US territory, and giving up three fourth down conversions on one drive all could have served to derail the Lancers in the second half, but Kosiorek and his squad kept the faith.
“In a rivalry game there’s going to be swing plays,” Kosiorek said. “They got us early on the opening kickoff (Gilmour fumble), when they scored on the next play. But this is kind of what our season has been. We’re never out of a game.”
Gilmour outgained University, 345-313, led by Harper, who finished with 225 yards rushing and three total touchdowns. Richardson passed for 66 yards and ran for 48.
“Just trusting my teammates, basically,” Harper said in regards to his role in the comeback. “I don’t give props to myself, because it’s a team sport. We fought hard. Even though it was a bad start, we fixed it up, and we got back on top.”
The loss was an agonizing one for University (1-5), which dominated the first half. Senior RB Nick Flowers carried 33 times for 178 bruising yards and two touchdowns. He had two additional long touchdown runs called back in the second half due to holding penalties.
Freshman Jackson Boland made his debut as starting QB for the Preppers. He passed for 71 yards and ran for 84, including a touchdown.
“You know what? What a great football game, as tough as it is,” University coach Ben Malbasa said. “It hurts a lot, and I know I’ve got some seniors that are really hurt right now. That’s what a good football game and a rivalry is all about. They made a couple plays at the end, and hats off to them.”
Both teams will be on the road for first-round OHSAA playoff games next week. University, in Division 2, Region 5, will travel to Kent Roosevelt on Oct. 9. Gilmour, a member of Division 4, Region 13, will head to East Liverpool on Oct. 10.
