An inch made the difference in determining which football team earned the final playoff spot in class A Division I.
Mohonasen stopped Scotia-Glenville’s two-point conversion run late in the fourth quarter and held on for a 28-27 victory in last Friday’s regular season finale in Scotia.
Not only was it the Mighty Warriors’ (1-4 division, 1-6 overall) first win of the season, but it also propelled them past the Tartans (1-4, 1-6) into the No. 4 seed for Sectionals and a first-round game at Division II champion Lansingburgh Friday night.
We have had a difficult season in a lot of capacities, and last week was no exception, said Mohon-asen coach Scott Sabourin, who fielded a 24-man roster after starting the season with a 42-man roster. `The guys that made it to the end of the week showed a lot of heart and perseverence.`
Scotia-Glenville also showed a lot of heart after falling behind 28-13 in the fourth quarter. Tailback Brett Evensen scored on an 11-yard run, and Kevin Frame added a two-point conversion to pull the Tartans within seven points. Then, Frame capped another series with a 4-yard touchdown run to cut Mohonasen’s lead to one point.
Rather than go for the tie, Scotia-Glenville coach Mike Turgeon went for the win. He called for another two-point con-version run, but this time Mohonasen’s defense stopped the Tartans at the goal line.
`We were moving the ball so well, and I felt good about going for it. The kids felt that way, too,` said Turgeon.
`It was a great call by the coach,` said Sabourin. `If (the player) had scored, everybody would have said it was a great call. Unfortunately, it looks like a bad call because he didn’t make it.`
Mohonasen still needed a first down on its next series to seal the victory, and tailback Sam Olszewski delivered with a clutch run.
`We just decided we were going to find a way to run the ball, and we did that,` said Sabourin.
Olszewski rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns and added a 35-yard scoring strike to Robert Claus to lead the Mighty Warriors, who have lost nearly half of their team to injuries or suspensions.
Evensen and Frame combined to rush for 165 yards for the Tar-tans, who will play Johnstown in a crossover game Friday.
`It’s an opportunity for us to go out of the season on a positive note,` said Turgeon.“