Bouy's late touchdown lifts Margaretta to outright River title

CASTALIA — Jake Bouy wasn't having a good night. The Margaretta senior quarterback threw three first-half interceptions, including two in the end zone that could have resulted in Polar Bears touchdowns. He didn't stop fighting. Even after limping to the sidelines earlier on a big hit, Bouy scored with 39 seconds left to help lift Division VI No. 4 Margaretta to a 9-6 Sandusky Bay Conference River Division win over Division VII No. 13 Gibsonburg. "You can't have perfect nights," Bouy said. "Tonight wasn't a perfect night, but it's not about me. It's about the team and everybody coming together and sticking together. We had to fight, especially on that last drive. That last drive, that shows what Margaretta football is about. "We're going to fight until the end and we're not going to give up until we get what we want." With the win, the Polar Bears clinched the outright SBC River Division championship, the first outright league title for Margaretta since 1996. "It wasn't a very pretty game for us all the way around, but that's a good football team," said Margaretta coach Gary Quisno of the Golden Bears. "They're big and strong. We got it done at the end and that's all that matters. Proud of these guys. A lesser group of guys might have just said they had their share of it and thought they were SBC champs even without this one. "They didn't want to share it with anybody." The Polar Bears (9-1, 7-0 SBC River) trailed 6-0 after Gibsonburg (7-3, 5-2) scored on their first possession of the second half. Margaretta kept getting defensive stops, but had to play the field position game when the offense couldn't cash in. The Polar Bears finally made it pay off when Gibsonburg went to punt from its own 7 and the snap went over the punter's head and out of the end zone for a safety. That brought Margaretta within 6-2 with 4:09 to play. Things still looked bleak for the Polar Bears on the ensuing drive. Margaretta started at its own 47 after the free kick and got a pair of first downs. Later, the Polar Bears faced 4th-and-9 at the 20 when they used a timeout. Bouy lined up under center and after a bit of scrambling, found Judah Keller in the flats. Keller made a few moves, busted through a couple tackles and picked up 17 yards for a first down as the clock ticked under a minute to play. "That's the play of the game," Quisno said. "That completion to Judah was all Judah. He wasn't going to be denied getting a first down. He almost got into the end zone." After a short push by Bouy, he scored on second-and-goal, getting behind his offensive line and pushing until the official signaled a touchdown. He added the extra point, giving Margaretta a 9-6 lead with 39.8 seconds remaining. The Polar Bears needed to make one more stop. With the clock quickly evaporating, Gibsonburg, typically a run-first team, was forced to pass. Gibsonburg got a first down on a pass interference penalty, but the Polar Bears knocked down one final pass as time expired. Students rushed the field as Margaretta celebrated not only a league title, but Senior Night for 10 football seniors. "Persevere is a good word for Jake," Quisno said. "It obviously wasn't his best ballgame of the year with three interceptions. He hung in there. We told him those plays were over and to move onto the next one. He did and he got us down there and into the end zone." Both teams had opportunities in the first half. Margaretta was on the Gibsonburg side of the field when Bouy threw his second interception in as many possessions. Gibsonburg started at its own 1 and got a big 48-yard run by Grant Smith, but was forced to punt once inside Margaretta territory. After the Polar Bears punted, Gibsonburg chewed more than four minutes off the clock, getting as far as Margaretta's 27 before Smith was stopped for a one-yard gain on 4th-and-2. On the ensuing drive, the Polar Bears got to Gibsonburg's 19, but a pass from Bouy was intercepted by Gibsonburg quarterback Reece Walby, sending the game to halftime scoreless. Gibsonburg opened the second half with the ball and guzzled more than seven minutes off the clock. The 14-play, 83-yard drive was capped on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Walby to Aiden Morant. The two-point conversion was no good, but Gibsonburg was up 6-0 with 4:44 left in the third quarter. "They have a big offensive line," Quisno said. "Grant Smith is one heck of a football player and he stays low to the ground. Very seldom do you tackle him for a loss because he keeps those legs going. He had the two big runs in the first half but in the second half, we held him in a little bit." Bouy ran 15 times for 93 yards while Keller finished with 14 carries for 50 yards. Keller became the all-time leader in career tackles for Margaretta with a stop in the first quarter. The Polar Bears will have a bye week to begin the season before hosting a home playoff game Nov. 7. "It's never been about me," Quisno said. "The kids came in here and believed. From where we were last year with four wins to where we are now, we had to stay healthy. We got Tyson Bailey back in there tonight. "It's fulfilling for me, but for these guys, it's something they're going to remember the rest of their lives." Gibsonburg 0 0 6 0 — 6Margaretta 0 0 0 9 — 9 G — Aiden Morant 18 pass from Reece Walby (run failed)M — SafetyM — Jake Bouy 1 run (Bouy kick)