By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Just when it seemed the War on 24 couldn’t possibly get any better, the rivalry turned in yet another classic. The battle between Rossville and Silver Lake ended in overtime for the second year in row, this time in favor of the Bulldawgs, 28-27 in Rossville.
Senior Cameron Miller scored a pair of touchdowns Friday night, helping Rossville outlast Silver Lake 28-27 in overtime. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior quarterback Canann Mitchell (14) scored Rossville's touchdown in overtime as the Bulldawgs took a 28-27 win over Silver Lake. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Silver Lake scored a touchdown with six seconds remaining in regulation, at which point the Eagles opted to kick the extra point to send the game to overtime rather than attempt a two-point conversion.
The visitors then took the ball first in overtime and scored on a 10-yard pass from freshman quarterback Kipton Kruger to senior Dayne Johnson. But Rossville collapsed the wall protecting the Silver Lake kicker and tipped the extra point, sending it sailing wide right.
The Bulldawgs sensed the opportunity to avenge last year’s 33-26 overtime loss at Silver Lake. On the second play of the ensuing possession, senior quarterback Canann Mitchell bulled his way into the end zone to tie the score at 27-27. For the win, junior kicker Austin Dohrman booted the ball through the uprights and was mobbed by his teammates.
“It was so much pressure. So much pressure,” Dohrman said. “I was just thinking ‘I gotta’ make it.’ ”
“We were in the same situation last year and we were a yard short. We got in there on this one,” Rossville coach Derick Hammes said. “We’ve been close the last couple of years, so I’m glad that they just had some toughness and some resiliency and they showed some strength down the end.”
Hammes recalled the manner in which Silver Lake sent last year’s game into overtime with a late field goal.
“It’s kind of the same scenario as how last year’s game played out, so I’m glad that we didn’t let that creep into our minds and we just kept playing the football game,” Hammes said. “Gritty effort by the kids. We had plenty of mistakes. They probably could say the same. But this is a heck of a start. (Silver Lake is) a good football team and I’m proud of my kids for their effort.”
Rossville shocked the Eagles early in the contest when sophomore Landen Lewis snatched a fumbled Silver Lake snap and dashed 45 yards for the game’s first score.
After the opening series, Silver Lake subbed in the freshman Kruger at quarterback and went to the air. The Eagles drove the length of field to tie the game on a two-yard run by Paxton Willett.
In the middle of the second period, Kruger completed a 51-yard catch-and-run by Johnson. But then Kruger tried a long pass into the end zone which was intercepted by Rossville’s Connor Bush, preserving the 7-7 tie.
The Eagles missed another golden opportunity at the close of the first half. Silver Lake drove quickly into the red zone as the time ticked down. But after advancing ball to the one-yard line, the Eagles attempted a run into the middle of the line on what could have been the final play of the half. The exchange was fumbled in the backfield and recovered by Rossville.
That’s when Rossville senior Cameron Miller took center stage. He hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell on the third play after halftime to put Rossville up 14-7.
After the Eagles responded to tie the score, Miller came up big again. Forced to punt deep in its own end, Silver Lake watched the snap sail over the punter’s head. The Eagle punter chased down the ball and rushed a punt that cleared the line of scrimmage by just seven yards, far from where Miller had lined up to return the kick. From out of nowhere, Miller raced up to catch the ball in the air and scramble 36 yards to paydirt.
“For a second, (Cameron) was going to let the ball hit the ground and then he (came up to make the catch),” Hammes said. “It was clutch for us. That was a momentum changer for us at that point in the game.”
“I didn’t know that (the short kick) was going to happen,” Miller said. “I looked up and I didn’t see any Silver Lake jerseys around, so I decided to go get it.”
Miller’s touchdown put Rossville ahead 21-14 with 6:04 remaining. The teams exchanged possessions before Silver Lake mounted the 77-yard drive to tie the game in regulation.
Silver Lake senior Dayne Johnson had 215 receiving yards in Friday's 28-27 overtime loss to Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
In his first high school game, Kruger completed 22 of 37 passes for 282 yards, 215 of which were caught by Johnson.
Miller watched last year’s loss from the sideline with a broken ankle. He relished the opportunity to beat Silver Lake in his senior season.
“This feels great, to come out here and make an impact and win a good game playing with all my friends,” Miller said. “It’s always great to beat your rival.”
ROSSVILLE 28, SILVER LAKE 27
Silver Lake (0-1, 0-1) 7 0 0 14 6 -- 27
Rossville (1-0, 1-0) 7 0 7 7 7 -- 28
Rossville – Lewis 45 fumble return (Dohrman kick)
Silver Lake – Willett 5 run (VanVactor kick)
Rossville – Miller 35 pass from Mitchell (Dohrman kick)
Silver Lake – Monhollon 2 run (VanVactor kick)
Rossville – Miller 36 punt return (Dohrman kick)
Silver Lake – Burgos 2 run (VanVactor kick)
Silver Lake – Johnson 10 pass from Kruger (VanVactor kick)
Rossville – Mitchell 5 run (Dohrman kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Silver Lake: Burgos 15-78, Willett 7-43, Kruger 4-51, Monhollon 12-33. Rossville: Johnson 3-24, Mitchell 11-24, Bush 1-7, Lewis 5-20.
Passing – Silver Lake: Renfro 2-3-0 17 yards, Kruger 22-37-1 282 yards. Rossville: Mitchell 9-16-0 85 yards, Lewis 1-2-0 12 yards.
Receiving – Silver Lake: Bergmann 6-59, Johnson 14-215, Monhollon 1-4, Ross 1-4, VanVactor 2-17. Rossville: Bush 1-7, Donovan 4-8, Miller 5-82.
Punting – Silver Lake: Hogle 3-19.7. Rossville: Bush 3-33.7, Miller 3-31.3.
