Fall Sports Recap: Stratford's Hail Mary Ends River Bluff's Football Season

Shock. Disbelief. Heartbreak.

Appropriate words for the unlikely end to River Bluff's 5A-Division I Lower State playoff run on Friday night at Stratford High School.

The 2nd round matchup between the 7th-seeded Gators and the 2-seed Stratford Knights was an epic battle. Even the ending, despite the crushing impact it had on one team and its fanbase, was monumental.

The talent-laden Knights were heavily favored over the upstart Gators, but when Stratford's first drive came up empty and River Bluff scored a touchdown on the next possession, the matchup on paper gave way to the matchup on the field.

The Gators' first score came on a 6-yard Hayden Myers run a little over 5 minutes into the game. Stratford responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a Maliq McGowan 3-yard touchdown run.

River Bluff scored again early in the second quarter after an 11-play, 65-yard drive was capped off on Myers' second touchdown. The PAT was blocked, and the Gators had a tenuous 13-7 lead.

Stratford responded 3 minutes later, when quarterback Jachin Davis carried it in from 13 yards out. With the converted extra point, the Knights had their first lead of the game, 14-13.

Later in the 2nd quarter, a botched snap on fourth down forced punter Liam Flynn to boot the ball out of the back of the endzone, giving the Knights a safety.

McGowan scored his 2nd rushing touchdown on Stratford's next possession, followed by a 33-yard field goal by Renzo Gorritti as time expired in the half to give Stratford a 26-13 lead.

River Bluff took the 2nd-half opening kick and marched down the field in 17 plays, taking 8:40 off the clock, and scored on another Myers run to get within six, 26-20.

Stratford's next possession stalled at the River Bluff 17-yard line. Gorritti's 33-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left, giving the Gators the ball, down 6 with 10:35 to go in the game.

Ten plays and 80 yards later, Myers scored his 4th touchdown, giving the Gators back the lead 27-26 with 4:47 left in the game.

Flynn lost his footing on the ensuing kickoff, and the kick only skimmed down to the 26-yard line, where JQ Crosby fielded it and returned it to the Stratford 49. The Knights were able to regain the lead when McGowan scored his 3rd touchdown and a 2-point conversion to give Stratford a 34-27 lead with 2:18 remaining.

Jyree Grady, who amassed 109 yards on 4 kickoff returns, returned the Stratford kickoff to the RB 40, giving the Gators 60 yards and 2:13 to retake the lead and possibly win the game.

It took 12 plays before Myers punched it in for his 5th touchdown of the game. Down 34-33, River Bluff head coach Perry Parks decided to go for the 2-point conversion. Myers was the obvious choice, but QB Davis Taylor faked the handoff to Myers, sprinted around the left side, and dove into the endzone to give River Bluff the lead 35-34 and what would seem to be the win with only 10.5 seconds left on the clock.

The moment the officials signaled the 2-point conversion was good, the Gator bench cleared, sprinting toward the corner of the end zone to Taylor and his offense. Celebrating an exciting, hard-fought playoff upset win is to be expected, but leaving their designated area of the sideline is not allowed by rule, and it prompted a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, which carries a 15-yard penalty. As a result, the Gators had to kick from their own 25-yard line instead of the 40.

McGowan fielded Flynn's kick at the Stratford 25 and returned it to the 50-yard line. The return took 5.8 seconds off the clock, leaving just 4.7 seconds and a prayer for Stratford.

The Gators dropped back in a prevent defense. Davis took the snap and launched a bomb from the Knights' 40-yard line as time expired. The ball sailed high and long, reaching a mass of leaping players, and ended up in the outstretched hands of Knights receiver Crosby, who fell backward across the goalline. Stratford's Hail Mary actually worked, and the Knights emerged with the unlikeliest of victories.

Myers finished the game with 216 yards and 5 touchdowns on 38 carries. Taylor went a respectable 14-for-22 for 139 yards and an interception. Noah Robinson led the Gator defense with 15 tackles, and Caleb Renwrick snagged an interception.

McGowan carried the ball 32 times for the Knights, gaining 260 yards and 3 touchdowns. Davis passed for 132 yards, completing 9 of 15 attempts. He also ran for 112 yards.

The loss ended River Bluff's season, but revealed a Gator team that displayed a tremendous amount of growth, grit, and character.