Local Sports

Potters answer the bell in fourth OT

EAST LIVERPOOL -- East Liverpool had plenty of chances to put Brooke away on Friday at Patterson Field, but the Bruins kept it interesting.

East Liverpool quarterback Ben Myers scored a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth overtime and Tyler Kirby knocked away Brooke’s two-point conversion attempt to win the game in a 27-26 Potter victory.

The win gave East Liverpool (8-2, 4-1) a share of the Buckeye 8 Athletic League Big School Division along with Indian Creek. East Liverpool also earned a first-round home playoff game in Div. IV, Region 15 against Columbus Marion-Franklin this Friday.

“It was a battle throughout the game but we knew it would be,” Myers said. “Brooke’s a great team, so props to them and all glory to God. We just knew we were going to do whatever it took to get a home playoff game next week.”

After regulation ended tied at 13, the Potters scored in their first overtime possession on a Myers to Kirby 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Camden Wright connected on the kick to make it 20-13. Brooke (4-4, 2-3 Buckeye 8) countered with a Kamden Sperringer to Grant Yost 4-yard touchdown pass and Memphis McCoy extra point.

A holding penalty and sack zapped East Liverpool’s second overtime drive. East Liverpool’s Meshach Harris came up with an interception to end Brooke’s second overtime attempt.

In the third overtime, Myers was picked off by Crosby Morris and Brooke’s drive ended at the 18 with three straight incomplete passes.

“I can’t recall a time in my career where I went four overtimes,” East Liverpool coach Paul Cusick said. “That was crazy.”

In the first quarter, East Liverpool struck first on a Myers 72-yard run with 5:20 on the clock.

Xavier Lara pushed the lead to 13-0 on a 7-yard run with 10:44 left in the second quarter.

The Potters had first and goal inside the 10 on their final two possessions of the first half but were turned away once on downs and by a Morris interception.

“We had our opportunities in the first half and we didn’t take advantage of them,” Cusick said. “That’s the bottom line. We put ourselves behind the 8-ball when we do that. They’re a scrappy, hard-nosed team. They’re well-coached and their kids played hard, so we knew it was going to be a battle like this. I’m proud of how our kids responded.”

Brooke got back into the game in the second half first with Sperringer hitting Michael Gibson on a 30-yard streak down the sideline with 3:41 left in the third. Then in the fourth quarter following a Kolton Vizyak fumble recovery of a mishandled exchange by Harris after Myers departed for a few plays due to cramps, Brooke set up the potential go-ahead score when Sperringer and Morris hooked up again on a 6-yard touchdown with 4:47 left in the game. A flag was thrown on the touchdown celebration and Brooke was pushed out of field goal range on the extra point. Kirby intercepted Sperringer’s conversion pass to leave the game tied at 13.

“We got banged around a little bit, but we showed a lot of character tonight,” Cusick said.

GAME NOTES

• Myers said he he was fine after there was concern about his condition after he made a 20-yard run for a first down and couldn’t get back off the turf.

“It’s nothing crazy. I’ll be fine,” Myers said. “I was just cramping in both my calves.”

• When the Salem-West Branch halftime scored was announced over the public address system there was an audible gasp from the Potter faithful when they learned that the Quakers were down 42-0.

• During the overtime periods, a medical emergency happened somewhere off the field and a medical helicopter landed near Patterson Field to attend to the situation.

B:0-0-7-6-7-0-0-6 -- 26

E:7-6-0-0-7-0-0-7 -- 27

SCORING

E -- Ben Myers 72 run (Camden Wright kick)

E -- Xavier Lara 7 run (kick blocked)

B -- Michael Gibson 30 pass from Kamden Sperringer (Memphis McCoy kick)

B -- Crosby Morris 6 pass from Sperringer (pass failed)

E -- Tyler Kirby 15 pass from Myers (Wright kick)

B -- Grant Yost 4 pass from Sperringer (McCoy kick)

E -- Myers 1 run (Wright kick)

B -- Morris from Sperringer 19 pass (pass failed)

TEAM STATS

BROOKE

First downs: 10; Total yards: 228; Rushes-yards: 38-147; Passing: 81; Comp-Att-Int. 9-20-1; Punts 0; Fumbles-Lost 3-1; Penalties-Yards 8-73

EAST LIVERPOOL

First downs: 13, Total yards 285, Rushes-yards 49-244, Passing 41; Comp-Att-Int. 4-14-2, Punts 5-38, Fumbles-Lost 2-1, Penalties-Yards 12-121

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING -- Brooke, Grant Yost 6-40, Cole Bolen 19-77; East Liverpool, Xavier Lara 18-62, Ben Myers 25-157, Meshach Harris 4-21.

PASSING -- Brooke, Kamden Sperringer 9-20-81-1; East Liverpool, Ben Myers 4-13-41-2, Meshach Harris 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING -- Brooke, Crosby Morris 4-39; Michael Gibson 2-40; East Liverpool, Tyler Kirby 2-20, Meshach Harris 2-21.

INTERCEPTIONS -- Brooke, Crosby Morris 2; East Liverpool, Meshach Harris

FUMBLE RECOVERIES -- Brooke, Kolton Vizyak; East Liverpool, Dre’Keim Abercrombie