Pirates come up one play short in state finals shootout, 37-36

CANTON — A touchdown circus between Perkins and Indian Valley turned on a discussion about trying a field goal. Perkins could've kicked a short 3-pointer to take a lead in the final minutes of the Division IV state championship game Saturday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. But that would've given Indian Valley's unstoppable running game one more chance. So on fourth down-and-3 from the Indian Valley 9-yard line with less than five minutes to play, Perkins considered its options and threw a pass. A Braves defender broke it up inside the 5 and the Pirates turned it over on downs trailing by one point. The Pirates never got the ball back and fell 37-36 to Indian Valley in a state finals shootout that featured touchdowns on the game's first 10 possessions. "We felt confident in Grant's (Hickman) ability to kick that field goal, but ultimately it came down to there was too much time left on the clock to give the ball back," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "A field goal might do you no good if they have the ball at the end. Being up a couple points wasn't gonna do much for you at that time. "We had a play we really liked, the one we threw to Braylon (Collier) at the end there. Obviously didn't execute it, but confident in that call." The Pirates were put in position to make a hard choice after a late flag wiped out Collier's diving 14-yard touchdown catch with less than six minutes to play. The go-ahead score was nullified by an illegal man downfield call. The umpire watched the line of scrimmage, turned to see Collier make the catch, then turned back and threw his flag. Video shows a Perkins lineman a couple yards downfield. Three? Maybe, maybe not. An OHSAA Rules Philosophies & Interpretations memo that provides guidance to officials reads, in part: "When calling an ineligible downfield you must see the player more than 2 yards downfield at the time the ball is released." Just like the game, it was very close. After the questionable call, Perkins was called for delay of game then threw an incompletion. A 10-yard pass to Isaac Bunts on third down preceded the last incompletion. "We play pretty good football down (in Tuscarawas County)," IV coach Matt Lancaster said. "We needed to get one defensive stop and finally came up with one." Indian Valley, which finished 16-0 in front of a huge following from its home base 40 miles south of Canton, ran six plays before going into Victory Formation to win an instant classic and the school's first state football title. "It definitely sucks to come up short, but tonight Indian Valley was the better team," Collier said. "Not every night is your night. Sometimes life is gonna knock you down. It's all about how you respond to adversity." Collier was spectacular in his final high school game. The Michigan State-bound receiver finished with eight receptions for 207 yards and three touchdowns. His yardage total set a Division IV state title game record. The game's other superstar was Indian Valley junior running back Grady Kinsey, who was a Mr. Football finalist for a reason. Kinsey carried 36 times for 247 yards and five touchdowns. He finished the season with 3,278 yards rushing and 50 TDs. He could've had more. On IV's final possession, Kinsey broke free for a first down. Instead of heading to the end zone, he slid onto the turf at the Perkins 40-yard line so his team could run out the clock. "It was more of an instinct," Kinsey said. "I did not want their offense on the field. Number 1 (Collier) was super explosive. He was one of the best players we've played in years. "I wanted to grind it out, get a few first downs, run the clock out and win by one point." Indian Valley finished with 355 yards rushing on 55 attempts. Sophomore quarterback Ryker Williams carried 15 times for 112 yards. The Braves dominated time of possession, keeping Perkins' defense on the field for long stretches. Harvard-bound linebacker Mikey Young finished with 20 total tackles in his final high school game for the Pirates. Fellow linebackers Braxden Martin (14 tackles) and Dylan Crabtree (10) also got acquainted with Kinsey. "I think we knew what they were gonna try to do as far as running the ball and eating the clock up and they executed it to perfection," Santoro said. "When two good teams are going at it and a team knows what you're gonna do and they still do it, hats off to them. "That's a great team and obviously it stings, but reality is we lost to a very good team." Perkins, which finished the season 14-2, outgained Indian Valley 441 to 409. Junior quarterback Sam Schweinfurth completed 18 of 24 passes for 370 yards and five touchdowns, tying a D-IV championship game record. Two of his scores went to Blake Parker, who caught four passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Parker made an incredible one-handed catch in the end zone on a fourth-and-9 play from the IV 26-yard line to give Perkins a 29-22 lead with 8:46 left in the third quarter. The play gave the Pirates three of the four touchdowns scored since early in the second quarter and big-time momentum. Parker's catch followed Collier's 70-yard catch and run with 53 seconds left in the first half that tied the game. Perkins, wary of giving the Braves the ball to start the second half, tried an onside kick and recovered. The play was reviewed, and after a lengthy delay the Pirates were awarded possession. "We came out of the locker room definitely planning on it," Santoro said. "We were OK giving them the short field if we didn't get it. That way it wasn't gonna be an eight-minute drive, only a four-minute drive. Obviously we recovered it. "We wanted to do it again if we would've scored again, just to not give them time to milk the clock and score. We weren't having much success on defense and it was one of those games where whoever had the ball last felt like they were gonna win." Perkins took an early 7-0 lead on Schweinfurth's 40-yard touchdown toss to Parker. The Braves then chewed up the final 7:55 of the first quarter and scored on Kinsey's 2-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Kinsey scored moments later on a 12-yard run after Perkins fumbled the kickoff — the game's only turnover. Perkins tied it at 14-14 when Schweinfurth found Collier over the middle for a 54-yard score. After Perkins pulled off the onside kick and scored to start the second half, Indian Valley tied it at 29-29 on a Kinsey 2-yard run with 5:11 left in the third quarter. Perkins responded and scored on a 53-yard Collier catch and run with 1:34 left in the third. Back came the Braves, who put together a 10-play, 63-yard drive, taking the lead on Kinsey's 2-yard plunge. Kinsey ran in the 2-point conversion for the lead and game's final points. The Pirates accepted their state runner-up trophy after countless hugs and some tears. Announced attendance for the game was 7,350 on a 33-degree night Perkins won't soon forget. "I'm glad these guys got that experience," Santoro said. "Obviously you want to end it with a win, but being out here at the hall of fame is a special feeling. It's what a lot of kids dream of doing." Perkins 7 15 14 0 — 36Indian Valley 0 22 7 8 — 37 P — Blake Parker 40 pass from Sam Schweinfurth (Danny Buga kick) IV — Grady Kinsey 1 run (kick blocked) IV — Kinsey 12 run (Burcher pass from Williams) P — Braylon Collier 54 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick) IV — Kinsey 2 run (Kinsey run) P — Collier 70 pass from Schweinfurth (Isaac Bunts pass from Schweinfurth) P — Parker 26 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick) IV — Kinsey 2 run (James kick) P — Collier 53 pass from Schweinfurth (Buga kick) IV — Kinsey 2 run (Kinsey run)