LOWELL - Both Bishop Dwenger and Lowell had a chance at a field goal in hopes of grabbing some momentum. But both came away empty handed, actually giving momentum to the opposing team.
The end result was the Saints' football season came to a close with a 24-21 overtime loss in the IHSAA Class 4A Semi-State.
On its first possession of the game, the Saints drove 86 yards to the 11-yard line before senior kicker Emerson Ueber missed a 27-yard field goal, kicking it wide left. Facing a third and long on that drive, quarterback Wade Markley hooked up with receiver Landon Feichter on a 42-yard throw. On the next play junior Remound Wright ran into the end zone for a score, but the play was called back because of an illegal block in the back on the Saints. Dwenger was unable to get back into the end zone and had to settle for the field goal try.
“If we could have scored either 10 or 14 in the first half then it could have made a slight difference with the second half,” Saints head coach Chris Svarczkopf said.
The Red Devils got on the board first when running back Brandon Grubbe scored on a 6-yard run, capping a 80-yard drive.
Grubbe led the rushing attack with 10 carries and 43 yards on the drive. He finished with a pair of rushing touchdowns and 158 yards in the game.
Lowell did not commit a penalty until late in the third quarter when the Red Devils were in the red zone and got called for holding, pushing the play back 10 yards. On the next play, Lowell received a 15-yard penalty for a chop block and found them facing a second-and-28 near midfield. Senior kicker Boge Pejoski came up short on a 38-yard field goal, giving the Saints the first possession of the final quarter with the score deadlocked at 21 apiece.
Dwenger carried the ball down into deep Red Devil territory, before Markley threw an interception that eventually helped set up Pejoski’s tiebreaking field goal from 23 yards that proved to be the game winner.
“Not making the first field goal attempt could have deflated [Pejoski],” Lowell head coach Kirk Kennedy said. “But we gave him another chance and he was able to make the game-winner. With this being his first year on the team, I was wondering if the reason that he made the second one with such ease was that he was oblivious to the crucial kick that he missed on his first chance.”
Saints running back Wright broke free and ran 20 yards to head into the half with the score tied at seven.
From the first play from scrimmage of the second half, Wright scored on a 76-yard run, giving Dwenger its first lead of the game.
The Red Devils tied up the game with a 20-yard score by Cole Midgett with 3:57 remaining in the third quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Feichter cleared a few tackles and returned the ball 86 yards for a touchdown, sending momentum quickly back to the Saints.
Lowell responded with a big return of its own to the 7-yard line and scored on the next play, taking momentum back.
All three scores happened within 24 seconds.
With 1:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Saints had one last chance to score, starting from its own 16-yard line. After a few quick first downs picked up by long passes to receivers, Dwenger faced third-and-two from the Lowell 40 and Markley kept the ball in hopes of picking up the first down. When the officials checked for measurement, the Red Devils players began to celebrate although no official word came from the officiating crew. Believed to have possession back, the Lowell stands erupted in cheers, only to see the Saints fans across the field also begin to celebrate.
The official call turned out to be a first down for Dwenger and kept its drive and season alive. Markley threw up a desperation pass as time expired and the pass fell incomplete, again the Red Devils fans and players erupted in celebration, only to be fooled once again.
Pass interference was called on the defense and set the ball at the 20-yard line for the Saints to attempt a field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime. Ueber received a second chance to make a difference but the ball went just a few feet wide to end the game and this time the Lowell fans’ celebrations were not interrupted.
The Red Devils have now won 20 straight games on their home field, the “Inferno”, and second straight at home against the Saints. Lowell beat Dwenger in the 2007 semi-state championship with a 10-7 win.
Heading for the state finals for the third time in the past five years, the Red Devils will face off against Evansville Reitz at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Class 4A championship Saturday at 3:30.
