Smyrna Tops Sallies In OT State Title Game For the Ages
History was made Saturday afternoon at Delaware Stadium. The Sallies football team was undefeated, the top ranked team in the state and were lead by Delawares Gatorade Player of the Year Colby Reeder. They were suppose to be in the title game. They were suppose to win the title game.
None of that mattered to Smyrna. The Eagles came into the title game with just one lone loss on the season, coming at the hands of the Sallies. Smyrna wanted a chance at revenge, and they got the opportunity on Saturday, on the sports biggest stage.
But it would be the Sallies that would strike first. Zachary Gwynn would find Jeremy Ryan from 15 yards out on a slant and he would walk in for the score. The Eagles would come right back. They drove down the field and would get all the way down to the 2 yard line. There, quarterback Nolan Henderson would fake the handoff to Will Knight, then appear to tuck it to run in off the left side, but at the last second would send it into the flats to Charlie Taylor who would take it in for the score to tie the game up at 6-6. Sallies would then go on a nice run. Zachary Jarome would break loose for a 38 yard touchdown run to get it started. The Eagles when failed a 4th down conversion attempt, and that set up yet another Salesianum score. Gwynn would go play action and find Kyle Cathers deep down the field. He would break a tackle and take it in to give his team a 18-6 lead. After another failed 4th down conversion attempt for the Eagles, Sallies looked like they were going to add another score late in the half. But just as Gwynn let one fly on a slant, Jamal Powell would jump the rout and make the pick at the 1 yard line.
Eagles would be down 2 scores at the half and it looked like things were going to get a lot worse after Will Knight would leave the game momentarily after taking a huge hit on a sweep. The very next play though, Henderson would pump fake a pass into the flats and find Taylor on a double move down the sideline for a 81 yard score. Following a turnover though, the Sallies would stretch their lead to 26-12 after Gwynn found Jeremy Ryan for arguably the most incredible touchdown catches of the year. Smyrna would respond right away though, returning the kickoff to get back within 26-20. Then late in the 4th, the Eagles would go to their bag of tricks. Henderson would throw to Knight in the flats, who would go to a halfback pass down the field and find Jared Gillis who would scramble 65 yards down the field to the 5 yard line. Two plays later, Knight would score off a sweep to give his team the lead. Following a couple possessions, it looked like the Eagles were going to get the ball back with a minute and a half left with good field position. The Sallies would punt it away, but the Eagles would be called for running into the kicker, giving up the first down. Sallies would be content to go into overtime tied, where they would play defense first.
The Eagles first two plays went for negative 10 yards as they faced 3rd and goal from the 20. There, Henderson found Brandon Bishop, who would take it down to the 1 yard line. Knight would then get it in the Wildcat formation and score to give the Eagles their first lead of the game. Sallies would look to answer and get down to the 1 yard line on 4th down. There, they handed the ball off to Reeder, but he would be tackled in the backfield by Eli Hutchinson to end the game, and give the Eagles their historic win.
