CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Rossview football hosted Lebanon Friday, Nov. 1, with a trip to the playoffs on the line.
It was a wild ride throughout, but it was the Blue Devils who made a few more plays down the stretch to pull out a come-from-behind 17-10 victory.
Rossview football coach Todd Hood discussed the tough loss on Senior Night after the game.
“We’ve not played well the last two weeks,” Hood said. “We haven’t given ourselves a chance. The coaching staff put together a great game plan and we had a great week of practice. We played great in the first half and they just made a couple plays at the end to take us. Our kids battled back this week with some adversity and I’m really proud of this group of kids.”
After allowing an average of 40 points-per-game over its last three games, the Hawk defense came alive on Friday. Hood was pleased with the overall effort his players showed on that side of the ball.
“The defense was playing like we did earlier in the season,” Hood said. “I think we just simplified things a little bit for them this week and gave them an opportunity to make plays. I thought they did an excellent job tonight with that.”
With 5:31 remaining in the opening quarter, the Blue Devils got on the board first with a 33-yard field goal.
Later in the period, after a roughing-the-passer penalty gave Rossview a new set of downs, Aaron Bolster put the Hawks out in front with a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
On the Hawks’ first offensive drive of the second quarter, Rossview picked up two fourth downs to work their way deep into Blue Devil territory. The third time wouldn’t be the charm for the red and black, as Bolster was tackled a few yards shy of the first-down marker on fourth-and-18.
A botched punt by Lebanon on the next series gave Rossview a first-and-10 from inside the 20-yard line.
The Hawks then turned the Blue Devil turnover into points, as Aaron Pardo drilled home a 33-yard field goal, extending the Rossview lead to 10-3 at the break.
On the same drive, the Hawks converted on a third-down attempt, but the game clock continued to run as the officials reset the chains. After eventually receiving clarification that it was in fact a first down and not fourth down, Hawk quarterback Brock Rowland spiked the ball to save a timeout. Hood was animated to say the least that the runoff cost his team a play or two more before the half came to a close.
“I’ve been coaching 28 years and I’ve never seen anything like that,” Hood said. “I’m sure those guys are doing the best that they can. I don’t see things like they apparently see things. I don’t know why you let the clock run for 15 seconds. It’s either a first down or you have to stop the clock to figure it out. Either way, that wasn’t what cost us the game. We just didn’t make enough plays.”
The Blue Devils received the second-half kickoff to start the third quarter. Mayhem later ensued on the drive, as three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were called on Rossview, resulting in 45 free yards for Lebanon and a coaching ejection for the Hawks’ Hood.
On the same drive, the Blue Devils hooked up for a 26-yard gain on fourth-and-14 to make it first-and-goal from the 10-yard line.
A few plays later, Dequantay Shannon took the sweep around the left edge for six points. Lebanon would miss the extra point, as Rossview clung to a one-point lead as the third quarter expired.
With 7:05 remaining in the game, Lebanon returned a Rossview line-drive punt into Hawk territory.
The Blue Devils continued to make magic happen when Eli Clemmons hit Dalton Woods for 18 yards on fourth-and-six, keeping their drive alive.
Woods made the play of the game on third-and-14, as he laid out for a Jaylen Abston pass attempt and hauled it in at the Hawk 3-yard line for a 25-yard completion.
On second-and-goal, Shannon took the handoff and scored the game-winning touchdown for his second of the game. After the successful two-point try, Lebanon went out in front 17-10.
The Hawks’ season came to a close on fourth-and-eight, as the Gabe Sibert pass attempt fell short to his intended receiver.
After the game, Rossview formed an aisle on the field for its seniors to walk down to embrace their teammates and coaches for the final time. Hood hopes the Class of 2020 remembers that there is more in life than just the game of football when they depart as Hawks.
“We talked about that earlier today,” Hood said. “I want my kids to take away from our program that doing things the right way is important. We’ve battled a lot of different issues this year and these kids stood together. I have a great coaching staff and I’m proud of them. I mean that’s it. Do thinks right and excel in life not just in football, but the classroom and outside of school in their future. I think they’ve learned a lot of life lessons in how we played this year.”
Rossview ends its season (5-6, 1-4 4-6A).