Sailors edge Tigers on last-second kick

VERMILION — Zeke Dunn was getting ready for the kick of his life, but he wasn't feeling great about it. That's when junior lineman Tim Bucher stepped in. "I was nervous and one of my friends came up to me and made fun of me," Dunn said. "Honestly, I wasn't nervous after that and I sunk it. The line gave me plenty of time." Dunn's 25-yard field goal with nine seconds to play gave Vermilion a 13-10 win Friday night over Huron. Afterward, the Sailors posed with the Win Oar while celebrating their first win against Huron since 1966 — a streak that included 15 straight wins by the Tigers. "We talked all week about if we want to be part of the big boys in this conference that we would have to play good, hard-nosed football," said Vermilion assistant coach Dave Domonkos, who stepped in for head coach Bill DiFucci who missed the game due to personal reasons. "We knew the playoffs really started for us today. Our goal is to have a home goal and this will drive that." The win moved Vermilion to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the SBC Bay Division. The Sailors close out the regular season with games at Edison and at home against Bellevue. The Sailors' game-winning drive began after they blocked a 60-yard field goal attempt by Huron's All-Ohio kicker Cameron Manner with 3:17 to play. Vermilion took over on its own 35 and got an immediate boost from Evan Kuhns, who ran for 17 yards. Three plays later, Kuhns rumbled 21 yards to give the Sailors a first down at Huron's 19-yard line. Ten more yards by Kuhns set the stage for Dunn's second field goal of the season. The senior's first field goal came in the second quarter on a perfect night for football. On the game-winner, Kuhns had a good view. "Earlier in the game, (Dunn) told me that a guy came off the edge and got a finger on it," Kuhns said. "I knew I had block down there and give him a little shove. My heart dropped then got full just as quickly." Dunn didn't know quite how to celebrate. "I felt like I was ready to drop to the ground until I remembered I had to kick off," he said. "I had to run over there and grab before I got yelled at." Kuhns was part of a Vermilion offense that gained 328 rushing yards on 50 attempts, chewing up large chunks of the clock. "Huge credit to our linemen," Kuhns said. "We were running a stretch play. I knew I had to give it my all (on the last drive). I put everything I could into those yards. "It felt absolutely amazing. I felt unstoppable in that moment. It felt so great." Kuhns finished with 16 carries for 128 yards — 55 in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Aaron Mathis added 119 yards on 18 carries while senior Cohen Mooney added 60 yards on 12 attempts. All 19 Vermilion first down came on running plays. The Sailors had zero passing yards. Vermilion held Division VI No. 10 Huron (6-2, 2-1 Bay) to 206 total yards. The Sailors took a 3-0 lead when Dunn made a 22-yard field goal to cap an 18-play drive early in the second quarter. Huron, which visits Clyde next week before finishing the regular season at home against Edison, took a 7-3 lead when Landon Hohler found Grant Periat for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 5:39 left in the second quarter. Hohler was 4 for 4 for 50 yards on the touchdown drive. Vermilion fumbled the second-half kickoff, giving the Tigers the ball on the Sailors' 18. The Tigers couldn't move the ball and settled for a 22-yard Manner field goal. Vermilion drove 80 yards on 12 plays on the ensuing drive, chewing up 6:58. Oliver Roy scored on a 17-yard run and Dunn's extra point tied it. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Huron hurt the Tigers on their last drive, setting up the long field goal attempt. "This helped prove we can compete in this conference," Kuhns said. Added Dunn: "It's a massive win." Huron 0 7 3 0 — 10Vermilion 0 3 7 3 — 13 V — Zeke Dunn 22 field goalH — Grant Periat 16 pass from Landon Hohler (Cameron Manner kick) H — Manner 22 field goalV — Oliver Roy 17 run (Dunn kick)V — Dunn 25 field goal