ST. VINCENT DRIVES TO 1A TITLE GAME; LATE TD LIFTS INDIANS TO 17-14 WIN

St. Vincent receiver Bryan Meyer hauled in a pass for a first down during the second quarter of Saturday's Class 1A semifinal game at St. Vincent High School.

PERRYVILLE -- Nine consecutive St. Vincent High possessions had been duds, ending in punts or turnovers. Adrian needed one last defensive stand, and defensive back Manny Talley believed it was imminent.

"I thought we had them," he said.

Adrian led 14-10 in the Class 1A semifinal football game Saturday afternoon. St. Vincent was faced with a daunting task: to cover 68 yards in 2 minutes 12 seconds.

But the Indians did just that. St. Vincent quarterback Joey Ponder found the passing touch that had eluded him, and his 23-yard strike to Dusty Cattoor with 53 seconds to go lifted the Indians to a stunning 17-14 victory and a spot in the state championship game.

"I can't believe we did it," said St. Vincent running back Bryan Meyer. "Us bringing it back at the end like that ... oh my God, my heart is just racing. It's wonderful."

Said St. Vincent coach Paul Sauer: "I can't think of a more exciting finish for a football game."

St. Vincent, which improved to 13-0, will meet North Platte of Dearborn Friday at noon in the Trans World Dome in St. Louis. North Platte, 11-2 and ranked No. 6, stopped No. 1 Salisbury 28-22 Saturday.

Adrian's season ended with a 12-1 record.

"I can't believe it," said Adrian coach George Bruto. "We had them deep in their territory. I don't know what was wrong with our defensive backs. They were playing 20 yards off, and you don't play 20 yards off when they're throwing short passes."

Ponder had completed just 1 of 6 passes for 15 yards and was intercepted twice before St. Vincent's final drive. The Indians turned to their 2-minute, hurry-up offense and Ponder went to work. In his best John Elway impersonation, he completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards in the culminating drive.

Adrian "didn't expect it from us at all," Ponder said. "We worked on it hard all year in practice and we finally had a chance to show that we could do it."

After holding the Blackhawks on their first possession, St. Vincent struck quickly with Derek Kutz's 36-yard field goal.

Adrian then botched the pass on a fake punt, and the Indians extended their lead to 10-0 as Meyer burst 41 yards for a touchdown after pinballing off a cluster of Adrian defenders. Meyer, who had averaged 110 rushing yards per game before Saturday, was held to 70 yards in 16 attempts.

Adrian soon punched back with a 10-play, 79-yard drive that was capped by a 10-yard touchdown toss from Chad Bruto to Michael Lovelace with 9:37 left in the second quarter.

St. Vincent led 10-6 at halftime but Adrian wasted no time in erasing the Indians' lead. Kyle Wackerman intercepted a Ponder pass and raced 25 yards untouched for a touchdown 46 seconds into the quarter. Justin Hughes' pass to Lovelace on a faked extra point gave the Blackhawks a 14-10 lead.

After St. Vincent's final touchdown, Adrian had one last chance, starting from its own 20 with 54 seconds remaining. But Bruto was intercepted on a desperation fourth-down pass as time expired.

Although the finish was exhilarating, St. Vincent didn't play one of its best games offensively. Adrian amassed 223 total yards to St. Vincent's 171. The Indians, who are usually proficient in running the ball, had only 89 rushing yards in 30 carries.

"I don't think we played that well," Meyer said. "If we play like this in the Dome, I don't think we'll come out winning it."