With 14 seconds remaining in regulation, Whippet junior quarterback Clark Dean found Desmond Sandifer running two steps ahead of a Holmes Central defender for the go-ahead score, giving Kosciusko an improbable come-from-behind 19-18 victory over the visiting MHSAA Class 5A Jaguars.
“We felt like we’ve played good enough to have won all three games, and we have played well enough,” said Whippet head coach Chad Peterson. “We just had to cut out the turnovers and silly mistakes and I think we have come a step closer do doing that tonight. I’m just awfully, awfully proud of our football team. The defense just played lights out tonight and I just can’t say enough about them, they just went all out and the offense made plays when they had to.”
The game appeared to be clfearly in the hands of the Holmes Central Jaguars after quarterback Rodarius English found Robert Jackson all alone behind Whippet defenders for an 11-yard strike to take a quick 6-0 lead with 8:16 left in the first quarter. Three minutes later, English found Kendrick Blue on a beautifully executed 52-yard throw, giving the Jaguars a 12-0 lead after missing their second consecutive PAT.
Not wasting any time in the second quarter, the Jaguars struck once again when Jackson found the end zone on a 10-yard run, capping a nearly six-minute drive to open the quarter. Holmes Central would fail to score on a two-point attempt, but still led the Whippets 18-0 with 6:27 left in the half. Holmes Central would not score again.
After a long kickoff return from Whippet returner Jaquan Williams, Kosciusko was in business deep inside Jaguar territory near the 30-yard line. Five minutes later Dean bulled it in from seven yards out with just 36 seconds left in the half to push the score to 18-6 after a failed PAT.
Dean found the end zone once more with his feet with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter, Kenny Ashmore kick, to pull within five points of the Jaguar lead 18-13.
After swapping defensive jabs for nearly the entire fourth quarter, the Jaguars appeared poised to put the game away after a lengthy drive that put them near the Whippet three-yard line with just over two minutes left to play. Three plays and four lost yards later, the Jaguars turned it over on downs to Kosciusko who marched across midfield before relinquishing the football on downs themselves with just over one minute to play.
Two Whippet timeouts and three Holmes Central plays later, the Jaguars lined up to punt with just 20 seconds remaining in the contest near their own 45-yard line. With his up backs blocking left, the Holmes punter inexplicably ran rugby style to his right and attempted to punt the football.
Kosciusko junior linebacker Devin Foster came streaking in untouched, blocking the punt before junior defensive end Tanner Threadgill covered it up on the Holmes Central 25-yard line setting up the Dean to Sandifer winning score.
“We’ve been practicing all week on that last play, preparing for that single safety over the top and looking him off to throw to the other side,” said Dean. “I told coach to let me get the ball to Desmond because that safety was coming over like we knew he would all week. We got the right play call and executed.”
The Whippets (1-2) travel to Forest next Friday night for a 7 p.m. contest in what will be Kosy’s first road game of the year.
