Resilient Redskins rally past Edison, 21-17

PORT CLINTON — On a night where he was crowned homecoming king, Malakii Pinkelton made the biggest play of the game. Pinkelton scored the go-ahead touchdown on a six-yard run that helped Port Clinton defeat Edison 21-17 in a huge Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division clash Friday. "This is one of the closest teams I have ever been a part of," said Pinkelton, who didn't play in last week's five-overtime win at Vermilion. "These guys know that we have to stay composed in the locker room and on the field when we are down and keep fighting." The first quarter featured the Chargers jumping on the board quickly as Cole Leimeister drove the Chargers down the field behind his arm before calling his own number from 10 yards out to give Edison a 7-0 lead. After Adam Strecker grabbed an interception on Port Clinton's second play from scrimmage, the Chargers cashed in when Leimeister found Strecker on a 39-yard pass play right down the middle of the field to jump ahead 14-0. For the third straight week, Port Clinton (5-3, 2-1 SBC Bay) saw itself behind by 14 or more points. Just like the previous weeks, the Redskins kept fighting and finding themselves right back in the game. "This is a tough group of kids," Port Clinton coach Eric Leuthold said. "We would like for them to start a little quicker, but these guys never quit fighting no matter the score." In a game that started out rough for quarterback Landon Leis, Port Clinton rode the legs of Pinkelton to jump-start the offense. "These guys lean on me every game," Pinkelton said. "This team has so many talented players but there are times they rely on me to be that spark plug." He was featured in Port Clinton's third drive, which ended up resulting in Leis finding Lucas Bodie on a four-yard touchdown pass to cut the Edison (5-3, 1-1) lead to 14-7. The first half ended with Alex Davidson hitting a 27-yard field to put Edison up 17-7. After that, the Redskins defense limited the Chargers in check while the offense scored 14 unanswered points en route to the victory. Edison had chances in the second half to extend its lead, but could not cash in on the opportunities. The first drive in the second half featured them driving the ball for eight minutes, but the Redskins defense made a stop on fourth down. "These guys hustled, gave everything the whole game, but in the end could not make that crucial play," Edison coach Jim Hall said. "Give Port Clinton credit. They are a very resilient team and made a couple more plays then we did." After getting that fourth down stop, Leis found the end zone from eight yards out to make it 17-14. Then came a crucial play in the game with nine minutes left. It looked like the Chargers had a 36-yard touchdown, but it was ruled the receiver did not complete the process of the catch. After a fourth down stop, Leis and Pinkelton marched the Redskins down the field and set up his six-yard touchdown to make the score 21-17 with about five minutes to play. Edison had a chance to respond and win after forcing a fumble, but turned it over on downs. Edison (5-3, 1-1) travels to Vermilion next week in another Bay Division matchup. "Every division team has one loss now," Hall said. "These guys still have a lot to play for. We will start Monday and prepare for Vermilion." Port Clinton hosts Bellevue (5-3, 1-1) next week. "These guys are energetic and will never stop fighting," Leuthold said. "Every week in practice they get better and better."Port Clinton 0 7 7 7 — 21Edison 14 3 0 0 — 17 E — Cole Leimeister 10 run (Alex Davidson Kick)E — Andy Strecker 39 pass from Leimeister (Davidson kick)PC — Lucas Bodie 4 pass from Landon Leis (Adam Fitt kick)E — Davidson 27 field goalPC — Leis 8 run (Fitt Kick)PC — Pinkelton 6 run (Fitt Kick)