Cascade wins on last-play pass

By Aaron Swaney

Herald Writer

STANWOOD – Teetering on the brink of an 0-3 start, the Cascade Bruins pulled off a miracle Friday night to beat the Stanwood Spartans 27-21 and remain in the early Western Conference North Division playoff race.

Late in the fourth quarter with the scored tied at 21, the Stanwood punter fumbled the snap on his team’s 35-yard line to give Cascade the ball with under one minute remaining.

After two pass attempts fell incomplete, the Bruins had one more play with just three seconds on the clock. Cascade quarterback Paul Curtiss dropped back and lofted a pass towards tight end Kyle Shasteen, who had broken free of his coverage and was wide open down the right sideline. Shasteen calmly watched the ball into his hands and cruised into the end zone to give the Bruins the very important victory.

“It’s a play we run a lot in practice,” said Cascade coach Rollie Wilson. “It usually doesn’t work that well, but, luckily, that time it did.”

With the win Cascade improved to 1-2, while Stanwood fell to 0-3.

Shasteen’s last-second heroics were set up by a second-half Cascade comeback. Trailing 14-7 at the half, Casacade came out of the lockerroom on fire.

On their first posession of the second half, the Bruins used three different running backs – Andy Fortino, Andrew McGuire and D.J. Sandstrom – to run the ball down Stanwood’s throat. McGuire capped off a six-play, 57-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run to even the score.

After Stanwood fumbled on its next possession, Cascade took the ball and the lead when McGuire ran the first play from scrimmage 50 yards to the end zone giving the Bruins a 21-14 advantage, their first lead of the game.

Stanwood would answer, though. After a late-hit penalty gave the Spartans a first down on their own 40-yard-line, wide receiver Brandon Murr took a reverse 42 yards down the right sideline. Three plays later Joseph Webb scored from 6 yards out to tie the score at 21.