Bishop Fenwick Wins Overtime Thriller

            Doug Adams Stadium (DAS) just cannot rid itself of “Xenia’s Word On The Street” (www.xeniaword.com) and myself. After covering an Ohio Division 5 – Second Round Playoff Game last Friday night (11/13/2015), I am back again. Today (Saturday, November 21, 2015), I will be covering a Division 4 – Region 14 – Regional Final Game. The participants are the undefeated Bishop Fenwick High School (BFHS) Falcons (12-0) and the Clinton-Massie High School (CMHS) Falcons (11-1). Unlike last week’s matchup between Greeneview High School (GHS) and Brookville High School (BHS), tonight’s game will be a competitive contest. GHS vs. BHS was a one-sided affair. BHS completely steamrolled GHS. Bishop Fenwick and Clinton-Massie both are really good teams. Therefore, I would be totally shocked if a blowout occurs again. In fact, I fully expect this game to be close (until the very end). In my opinion, something special is going to take place tonight. All week long, I have been getting that feeling. Honestly, I feel this way. OVERTIME PLAY is not out of the question! Definitely, I would not be surprised if the game went in that direction. For sure, I am not saying Overtime will take place. The possibility of it taking place is very strong.

            Bishop Fenwick started the game on offense first. On 1^st Down and 10, Fenwick’s Offense was positioned on its own 25-Yard Line. At 11:52, Nathan Jeffers rushed the ball to the 46-Yard Line (21-Yards). On the next play, Jeffers took the ball to Clinton-Massie’s 49-Yard Line. From there, the drive would go nowhere. On 4^th Down and 4, BFHS was set to punt. At the snap-of-the-ball, the ball flew high. The Punter had his kick blocked (10:02). CMHS took over on BFHS’s 45-Yard Line. The Offensive Possession did not last long. On 1^st Down and 10 at 9:16, Clinton-Massie’s Quarterback Hunter Fentress was intercepted by Fenwick’s Sammy DeBiasi. Bishop Fenwick’s Offense started on Clinton-Massie’s 32-Yard Line. Two, separate penalties (Holding and False Start) hampered the possession. On 4^th Down and 12, BFHS was on CMHS’s 35-Yard Line. At 7:26, Bishop Fenwick was forced to punt.

            The punt pinned CMHS’s Offense deep in its own territory. The Offensive Drive started on the 2-Yard Line. Led by Running Back Davey Tunon, Multiple rushes placed the ball on the 31-Yard Line. At one point, Tunon had a 15-Yard Run. Two, ensuing runs by Fentress and Tunon managed to only obtain a total of 5-Yards. With 3:44 remaining in the 1^st Quarter, Clinton-Massie had a 3^rd Down and 5 on its own 36-Yard Line. Fentress completed a 6-Yard Pass which obtained a First Down. Once there, the drive would come to a halt. In fact, it lost yardage. On 3^rd Down and 12, CMHS was positioned on the 41-Yard Line. At the 2:42 mark, Fentress threw an Incomplete Pass. Fortunately for him, BFHS was penalized for Pass Interference. That violation placed the ball on Bishop Fenwick’s 44-Yard Line. Ensuing runs by Tunon and Fentress moved the ball. A Holding Penalty moved it backward. On 3^rd Down and 11, Clinton-Massie was on Bishop Fenwick’s 47-Yard Line. With 59.0 Seconds remaining in the 1^st Quarter, Fentress was intercepted by BFHS’s Defensive Back Logan Gearhart.

            Bishop Fenwick’s Offense took over on its own 37-Yard Line. An Illegal Procedure Penalty ended up managing to place the ball on the 38-Yard Line. As the 2^nd Quarter got underway, BFHS faced a 3^rd Down and 8 from its own 39-Yard Line. A False Start Violation moved the ball back 5-Yards (to the 34-Yard Line).  At 11:52, Quarterback Alan Nix took the ball to the 37-Yard Line. On 4^th Down and 10, BFHS had to punt (11:19). Once again, a punt pinned Clinton-Massie’s Offense deep in its own territory (7-Yard Line). Rushing by Tunon and Running Back Brad Hunt got the ball to the 16-Yard Line. On 3^rd Down and 3 (9:47), Tunon ripped off a 35-Yard Run to BFHS’s 49-Yard Line. Once there, the ball would not move another yard. With 8:06 on the scoreboard, the team had to punt. Bishop Fenwick took over possession on its own 31-Yard Line. At the 6:59 mark, BFHS had a 3^rd Down and 5 on its own 37-Yard Line. Jeffers picked up 7-Yards. Three, consecutive runs moved the ball a total of 9-Yards. On 4^th Down and 1, Bishop Fenwick was on Clinton-Massie’s 47-Yard Line. With 5:17 remaining before Halftime, Nix rushed the football. Unfortunately, he was unable to pick up the First Down. As a direct result, BFHS turned the ball over on downs.

            Clinton-Massie’s Offense took over on its own 47-Yard Line. After Tunon rushed the ball twice, CMHS was on BFHS’s 47-Yard Line. On 3^rd Down and 4, Hunt picked up 14-Yards (4:04). On the next play, the snap-from-center was fumbled. CMHS recovered the loose ball. On 4^th Down and 7, CMHS was on Bishop Fenwick’s 30-Yard Line. At the 1:52 mark, Fentress was sacked by BFHS’s Linebacker Ben Hinton. CMHS turned the ball over on downs. BFHS’s Offense took over on its own 40-Yard Line. Three, consecutive runs place the ball at Midfield (50-Yard Line). Once there, BFHS went three plays and out. With 15.2 Seconds remaining in the 2^nd Quarter, BFHS was forced to punt. At the end of the First Half, the score was still 0-0. After the Halftime Break, CMHS started with possession of the ball. Its Offense had a 1^st Down and 10 on its own 35-Yard Line.

            A False Start Penalty moved the ball back to the 30-Yard Line. On 3^rd Down and 4, Clinton-Massie was positioned on its own 41-Yard Line. At 11:00, Running Back Jaycob Wolf picked up 3-Yards. On the next play, Fentress picked up 2-Yards and the First Down. CMHS proceeded to go four plays and out. The team turned the ball over on downs (8:56). Bishop Fenwick’s Offense took over on its own 45-Yard Line. The team went three plays and out. On 4^th Down and 9 from its own 46-Yard Line, BFHS had to punt (7:12). At the 7:05 mark, CMHS’s Offense was given a new set of downs. The team started on its own 28-Yard Line. Unfortunately, CMHS was unable to gain any momentum. The team went three plays and out. With 5:43 remaining in the 3^rd Quarter, CMHS was positioned on its own 32-Yard Line. On 4^th Down and 6, the team punted the ball away.

            After the punt, Bishop Fenwick’s Offense set up shop on its own 19-Yard Line. Once again, BFHS went three plays and out. On 4^th Down and 5, the team was positioned on its own 25-Yard Line. With 3:40 on the clock, BFHS had to punt. On 1^st Down and 16, Clinton-Massie’s Offense was positioned on its own 29-Yard Line.  At the 3:19 mark, Fentress was intercepted by Bishop Fenwick’s Jimmy Gephart. The interception gave BFHS good field position (its own 48-Yard Line). Keegan Corbett and Jeffers each had multiple rushes (Corbett-2 and Jeffers-3). The ball rested on CMHS’s 31-Yard Line. As the 4^th Quarter got underway, BFHS faced a 4^th Down and 1 from CMHS’s 28-Yard Line. For a 2-Yard First Down, Running Back Michael Sheridan moved the ball forward. Multiple runners got the ball to the 9-Yard Line. On 4^th Down and 5, the first points of the game were scored. BFHS’s Kicker Mathew Hirko successfully converted a Field Goal Attempt. BFHS took a 3-0 lead.

            For Clinton-Massie, Tunon fielded the ensuing kickoff in the end zone. Then, he proceeded to sprint 70-Yards (to Bishop Fenwick’s 30-Yard Line) – (9:15). That long return led to absolutely nothing. At the 7:21 mark, CMHS faced a 4^th Down and 5 on BFHS’s 25-Yard Line. An Incomplete Pass was thrown. CMHS turned the ball over on downs. BFHS’s Offense started its Offensive Drive on its own 25-Yard Line. Jeffers led a group of runners who managed to get the ball to the 44-Yard Line. With 4:06 remaining in the game, BFHS had to punt. Less than 2:00 later, CMHS gave the ball back to BFHS. On 3^rd Down and 13, CMHS was positioned on its own 30-Yard Line. With 2:26 on the scoreboard, Fentress was intercepted by BFHS’s Gearhart. BFHS proceeded to go three plays and out. With 2:09 remaining in the game, BFHS faced a 4^th Down and 5 on its own 20-Yard Line. The team had to punt.

            On 2^nd Down and 10, Clinton-Massie’s Offense was positioned on its own 42-Yard Line. Fentress completed a 52-Yard Pass to Wide Receiver Bryce Boyd (1:40). Before he was tackled, Boyd had reached Bishop Fenwick’s 6-Yard Line. Unfortunately, Offsetting Penalties negated the long play. On the next play, Fentress went right back to Boyd. After the completion of the pass, another flag was thrown. This time, BFHS was penalized for a Personal Foul (Face Mask) Violation. A combination of the pass completion and penalty gave CMHS a First Down on BFHS’s 23-Yard Line. At the 1:21 mark, Fentress completed another pass to Boyd. That play moved the ball below the 10-Yard Line. On 2^nd Down and Goal, the ball was on the 8-Yard Line. Fentress kept the ball himself. However, he fumbled the ball. Fentress managed to recover his own fumble. On 4^th Down and Goal, the ball still rested on BFHS’s 8-Yard Line. With 26.3 Seconds left in the game, Kicker Chris Demler tied the game all up (3-3).

            At the end of regulation, the game was tied 3-3. The game was headed to Overtime Play. Bishop Fenwick started Overtime Play first on Offense. The ball rested on the 20-Yard Line. After two runs by Keegan Corbett, the ball was placed on the 13-Yard Line. For a Touchdown, Fullback Vincent Durham took the ball into the end zone. Hirko’s Extra Point Kick was good. By the score of 10-3, Bishop Fenwick led Clinton-Massie. Now, it was CMHS’s opportunity to have the ball’s possession. On 1^st Down and 10, Tunon moved the ball 2-Yards to the 18-Yard Line. Before another play could take place, a flag was dropped. Clinton-Massie’s Offense was penalized for a False Start. That penalty moved the ball back 5-Yards (to the 23-Yard Line). On 2^nd Down and 13, Bishop Fenwick’s Free Safety Nick Wysong made perhaps the biggest play of his life. He intercepted Fentress’ pass. That was the final play of the game. By the Final Score of 10-3, Bishop Fenwick High School won the game. Next Saturday night, Bishop Fenwick moves on to the State Semifinals.

            Without any shadow of a doubt, this game was the best one which I have had the pleasure of viewing (all season long). In fact, I will take it a step further. Quite possibly, it was The Best Football Game Which I Have Ever Viewed (live and in-person)! Despite the very frigid & windy weather conditions, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. By the end of the game, I was not even paying any attention to the weather conditions anymore. I no longer felt the frigid conditions. Now, I am not going to lie. For a while, due to the lack of Offense and Scoring, I thought that the game was boring. As the game went on, that opinion took a 100% turn (for the better). I did not want the game to end. My original assumption proved one thing. In order for a football game to be enjoyable, multiple scoring is not needed. Defense can make any game just as enjoyable (as much as Offense and Special Teams both can do).