It was a tale of two halves as Churchville-Chili held a 13-0 halftime lead while limiting Greece Olympia/Odyssey to just 53 yards of offense, but allowed touchdowns on the first three possessions of the second in what became a 28-20 overtime loss.
On their second offensive possession, the Saints rattled off a 10-play, 69-yard drive capped by a 10-yard flea flicker touchdown pass from senior Dominic Bethune to sophomore Joey Gibson on a fourth down play at the 11-yard line. Luca DiRose’s extra point made it 7-0 Saints.
Late in the second quarter, senior running back Daj’jear Mewborn cutback for a 42 yard gain on the first lay to take the ball to the Spartans 18-yard line. Six running plays later, Mewborn took an inside handoff two yards for the score, but the extra point was no giving the Saints a 13-0 advantage.
The kickoff return team imploded for the Saints forcing the offense to start at their own two and three-yard line on consecutive possessions. The first led to a Spartans interception and a five-yard touchdown but a failed two-point conversion cutting the lead to 13-6.
The next Saints possession started at their own three and resulted in a short punt with a 20-yard return. The 34-yard scoring drive capped by a 13-yard inside screen pass and two-point conversion gave the Spartans a 14-13 lead.
The Spartans extended their lead to 20-13 with a 66-yard drive that started late in the third quarter and early fourth.
Greece took over six minutes off the clock, but had their long drive ended on downs with Saints linebacker Dylan Herman stopping one rushing attempt in the backfield.
After Churchville-Chili threw an interception on their ensuing offensive possession seeming to end any hope, their defense held the Spartans with Gibson blocking a punt to set up the Saints in enemy territory at the 15-yard line.
On second down and with 17 seconds remaining, quarterback Jaden Nelomes tossed a jump ball into the end zone that was tipped into the air and caught by senior Terrence Wilson for the touchdown. DiRose’s extra point tied the game to send it to overtime.
The Spartans needed one play to retake the lead on a 20-yard touchdown strike and the ensuing two-point conversion. The Saints tried a trick-play on their first possession in the extra session, but it was intercepted to end the game.
Mewborn led the Saints with 136 yards rushing on 24 carries and one touchdown while Wilson finished with three receptions for 29 yards a one touchdown. Nelomes was 5-for-11 passing for 53 yards and one touchdown. On defense, the 1-4 Saints were led by Wilson with 5.5 tackles with Brennan Figler making five tackles plus Gibson and Dylan Herman each with 4.5 tackles – two each for loss. Masiere Tisdale had 1.5 sacks and three solo tackles.
