Mount Vernon – Twice the Oak Harbor Wildcats celebrated victory Saturday night, only to have a yellow penalty flag stop the festivities in mid scream.
The third time, the Wildcats – and their fans – would not be denied.
Marshall Lobbestael’s two-point conversion pass to Rodrick Rumble from 11 yards out in the second overtime gave the Wildcats a 43-42 victory over fellow Wesco member Mariner in a first-round Class 4A state football playoff game that lasted nearly four hours.
With the win, Oak Harbor (10-1) moves on to the quarterfinals for the second straight year. Mariner, making its first state playoff appearance in eight years, saw its season end at 8-3.
Prior to the game-winning pass, Oak Harbor had scored twice on fake extra-points, only to have each play called back by a penalty.
On the third attempt, Lobbestael lofted a high pass into the right corner of the end zone and Rumble, a 6-foot-3 wide receiver, made a diving catch to set off the third, and final, Oak Harbor celebration.
“I thought we were running out of options,” Lobbestael said of the manic-depressive finish. “But we just kept going.”
On the final play, Lobbestael said it was like watching an instant replay. “Everything went in slow motion,” he said.
The loss was a heart-breaker for a resilient Mariner squad. The Marauders rallied from a two-touchdown, first-half deficit to grab a 28-21 lead with 11:49 to go in the game on a 3-yard scoring run by junior running back Matt Jones.
Jones played a major role in getting the Marauders back in the game. He rushed for 167 yards and five touchdowns, with 156 of his yards coming in the second half.
Trailing 28-21 with 6:02 left in the game, Oak Harbor took possession of the ball on its own 22 following a Mariner punt. With time running out on their season, the Wildcats did what they do best: move the football.
They marched 78 yards on 12 plays, with Lobbestael scoring on a 1-yard run with just 1:16 showing on the clock to tie the score.
Both teams scored in the first overtime, with Oak Harbor’s Chris Valencia, who rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns, scoring from 1 yard out and Jones countering with a 6-yard score for Mariner.
In the second OT, Mariner scored first, on a 4-yard run by Jones. Oak Harbor responded with a 10-yard scoring run by Tony Thulin.
Oak Harbor faked the first extra-point attempt and Lobbestael threw a pass to Jeff Lamont for the apparent game-winner. But Mariner was offsides on the play, a dead-ball foul, and the Wildcats had to try again.
Aftyer a procedure penalty set the Wildcats back 5 yards, backup QB Johnny Encinas threw a conversion pass to Bennett Richter, but that too was called back, this time by a penalty for an illegal man downfield.
That set the stage for the game-winning play.
And the Oak Harbor celebration that actually counted.
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