By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
CLIMAX — Whenever Mendon and Climax-Scotts face off on a football field, fans expect to see a ton of points on the board.
Just like their last matchup two weeks ago, both teams delivered on that promise. Unlike that matchup two weeks ago, where the Panthers won by just two points, it was Mendon coming out on top by a final of 58-50 in the regional semifinals of the MHSAA Division 1 eight-man football playoffs.
In a game where both teams had explosive play after explosive play on the ground, it was the more methodical drive that sealed it for Mendon late in the game. With just under three minutes to go and some timeouts in their pocket, Mendon got the ball back at their own 27-yard line and took down nearly the entirety of the clock as they marched down the field.
With just four seconds left, Hornet running back Owen Gorham pushed his way into the end zone for a four-yard, game-winning touchdown, and then punched in the two-point conversion to give Mendon the key eight-point lead, 58-50.
However, with some time left on the clock, Climax-Scotts had time for just one more play after recovering Mendon’s ensuing onside kick, but the pass play they ran fell short of the end zone, ending the game.
“What a game. A hard-fought game, as it always is with Climax-Scotts,” Mendon head coach Bobby Kretschman said. “I give a lot of credit to them, it’s tough to see their kids lose in that way, but it came down to the wire. We fell short two weeks ago, we came out on top tonight.”
Both teams combined for 918 yards of offense, with the Hornets getting 527 total, 519 of them coming on the ground.
Mendon would get on the board first in the game with a 29-yard touchdown rush by JT Lux to go up 8-0 after the two-point conversion. On its ensuing drive, Climax-Scotts would answer right back, with running back Luke Lawrence finding the left edge to race around the Hornet defense on the Panthers’ first play from scrimmage for a 60-yard touchdown rush. Their two-point conversion failed, making it 8-6. Mendon would get another touchdown on their next drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge by Gorham to go up 16-6 after the two-point conversion and cap off a seven-minute drive.
The Hornets would stop the Panthers on their ensuing drive to start the second quarter, as Climax-Scotts turned the ball over on downs in Mendon territory. They would capitalize on that, as the Hornets capped off a four-minute drive with a six-yard Lux touchdown to go up 22-6 after the two-point conversion failed.
Lawrence got free around the edge again for Climax-Scotts on their ensuing drive, taking it 49 yards all the way down to Mendon’s 3-yard line, and two plays later punched it in himself for a one-yard TD to make it 22-14. However, Mendon would score with just 11 seconds left in the half, capping off a five-minute drive with a two-yard touchdown rush by Gorham to go into the half up 30-14.
That lead would not last long, however, as Lawrence again exposed the left edge of the Hornets’ defense and scampered for a 45-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half to make it a one-score game, 30-22. Momentum seemed to shift at that point to the Panthers, as they were able to stymie Mendon on their first drive of the second half, ending with a fumble on a direct snap to Lux on fourth down deep in their own territory that was recovered by Climax-Scotts. They would capitalize on that turnover eight plays later, as Lawrence raced into the end zone for his fourth touchdown of the day, this one for two yards, to tie the ballgame at 30-30 with 5:19 to go in the third.
Mendon re-asserted itself on its ensuing drive, driving 58 yards down the field in seven plays, capped off by a Gorham seven-yard touchdown rush to put the Hornets back up 38-30.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Climax-Scotts would find the end zone once again, as Lawrence got his fifth TD of the day on a 16-yard scamper, but the two-point try would fail, keeping it a 38-36 Mendon lead. Three minutes and seven plays later, the Hornets would find the end zone again, with Lux running it in from two yards out, but the two-point try failed again, making it a 44-36 Mendon lead.
After it appeared Mendon had recovered the ensuing onside kick, the Hornets were called for illegal touching and gave the ball to Climax-Scotts at the 50. Lawrence would make them pay with his sixth TD of the day on the first play of the drive, bouncing again to the outside and finding nothing but green grass and the end zone in front of him. However, their two-point try failed, keeping it a 44-42 Hornet lead.
Mendon chewed up a few more minutes of clock on its next drive, with Gorham rushing in for a one-yard score to make it 50-42 after a failed conversion. Climax-Scotts would respond to tie it up, as a six-play drive ended with a Jackson Bagwell seven-yard score and a conversion to tie the game at 50 with 2:55 remaining, setting the stage for Mendon’s final drive and the last-second touchdown plunge.
On the day, Lux had 26 carries for 257 yards and three touchdowns, while Gorham had 40 carries for 231 yards and five touchdowns. The Hornets even broke out the forward pass for one play, an eight-yard pass from Ryder Gorham to tight end Nick Stiver. Ryder Gorham would also add six carries for 31 yards on the ground.
“In the first half, I thought we did a nice job, we were controlling them a little bit. They came out on fire in the second half, so we had to make some adjustments midway through the third quarter. That helped there toward the end to get that stop,” Kretschman said. “Two-point conversions were huge. We came up with a couple of big stops, and for us to get that two-point at the end, I think it helped our kids. I’m excited for these kids.”
With the win, Mendon moves on to face two-time defending state champion Martin, which beat Gobles 52-22 Friday night. The game starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9 at John Schwartz Field in Mendon. Kretschman said he was happy for the home game.
“What I’m most excited about is my seniors get another week of football. That’s something I don’t think we take for granted,” Kretschman said. “To get that much more football for these seniors is awesome.”
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
