Late INT ices win for Red Raiders

With the Sidney High football team holding a precarious four-point lead with just over three minutes left in the game, Hastings was given one more chance to stun the overflow crowd at Weymouth Field on Friday night.

After taking over possession at the Sidney 46-yard line, Tigers' quarterback Vinny Schmidt moved his team to the Raiders' 24 with a minute to go. While Schmidt's outstanding play had given the Raiders fits all night on both sides of the ball, it was Sidney sophomore safety Coby Haas who ultimately took on the hero's role.

Amidst a deafening roar from the Sidney faithful, Haas stepped in front of a Schmidt pass in the right flat and raced 80 yards down the Tigers' sideline to the Sidney end zone with 49 seconds left to preserve a 38-27 victory in the Raiders' home opener.

"I knew they were going to throw it short and I was ready for it," said Haas while accepting congratulations and backslaps. "They were throwing that play the whole game so I just came up for it."

Added head coach Chris Koozer, "It was an overall team win for sure, but Coby has been our quarterback on defense all year and he came up with the big play when we needed it."

While the Raiders completed their third consecutive 3-0 start, all the news was not good. Sidney running back and defensive end Jake Heeren, who was already having an outstanding night, had to be helped off the field in the second quarter. He spent much of the rest of the game on the sidelines with ice around a badly swollen ankle.

"We had a number of kids step up tonight, especially with Jake going out," Koozer said. "We had four different guys step in and take up the roles Jake has. They were young kids, too, and they did an outstanding job."

Among those that took on Heeren's load were freshman Arik Doty and sophomore Jon Smith. Smith stepped in to kick off and handle the punting duties in addition to his usual responsibilities as a starter in the defensive backfield. Doty kicked the extra points. Haas and another sophomore, Derek Robb, took on more significant roles in the offensive backfield.

Heeren made his presence known early when he bolted around the right side and dashed down the sideline for the opening score of the game from 46 yards out. The Heeren touchdown, with 10:18 left in the opening quarter, finished off a six-play 65-yard drive that included an earlier 12-yard bull rush by Heeren.

Before his exit, Heeren had run for 70 yards on just five carries. In all, the Raiders piled up 290 yards on the ground, which included 81 by Robb and 60 from Hunter Secrest. Though the Heeren rumble gave Sidney a 6-0 advantage, the Tigers and Raiders would swap the lead on five occasions.

"We saw on film that they were capable of defending anyone," Secrest said. "They came out and played us hard, but we fought them right back."

After the Raiders' opening salvo, Blayne Dreher answered for Hastings 1:45 later, for a 7-6 lead to end the first-period scoring. Alex Linneman initiated the next lead change when he ran in from 12 yards out 41 seconds into the second stanza.

Defensively, the Raiders came up with several big plays in the second 12 minutes. Patraic Hays stepped up first with a sack of Schmidt for an eight-yard loss on a third-and-six play. Robb next stopped a promising Tigers' drive deep in Raiders' territory by recovering a fumble.

Then the duo of Tyler Wintholz and Isaiah Votruba teamed up to sack Schmidt – though the play was called back on a Sidney penalty. In the waning moments of the second quarter, Haas laid a big hit on Schmidt for a three-yard loss. Haas had 10 tackles on the night to lead Sidney.

But Hastings had the last say in the second frame with Schmidt's 35-yard touchdown pass to Damen Haines, for a 14-12 halftime lead. The Tigers then opened the second half by marching 68 yards in 14 plays to take a 21-12 advantage. Hastings' third touchdown, however, was their high-water mark.

When Wintholz reeled in a 31-yard Radcliffe touchdown pass on the ensuing drive, the Raiders seized the momentum. Still down 21-18, the Raiders would have to wait for a Haas four-yard run three minutes later to gain the lead.

"That touchdown by Ty – and that was a great one-handed catch by him – really gave us a spark," Radcliffe said.

The Haas score was the final touch on a 62-yard march that included another big connection between Radcliffe and Wintholz on third down. Robb later added a 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for a 31-21 lead. After Robb was answered by another Schmidt touchdown pass, Haas had the final say.

"I think we could have blocked better," Wintholz said. "They were pretty big but they didn't give anything we didn't expect. We saw from them exactly what Coach Koozer said we would. It's good to face some adversity though, and see how we overcome it. We were up to the challenge."

The Raiders will face a big challenge at Weymouth Field on Friday when the McCook Bison (3-0) come to town. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.