FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS Warren pulls out win over St. Ed

A field goal with 5 seconds remaining lifted the Raiders into the regional final against Mentor on Saturday.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PARMA -- The Warren Harding High football team did it again.
For the second straight season, the Raiders ousted Lakewood St. Edward from the playoffs in the Division I, Region 1 semifinals.
Only this time, Harding's fate rested on the leg of kicker Joe Spain.
The junior made a 39-yard field goal with 5.2 seconds remaining to give Harding an 18-16 victory Saturday at Byers Field.
"I was just trying to keep my head clear," Spain said. "I was trying to stay calm. I ended up being calmer than I thought I'd be."
Spain's kick, which came with a strong wind at his back, gave the Raiders (12-0) a berth in next Saturday's regional final against Mentor.
"I get to coach another week," Raiders coach Thom McDaniels said. "I don't have much of a life if I'm not coaching football, so I'm happy."
Closing minutes
St. Edward seemed to have its own victory secured when it intercepted Harding senior quarterback Mike Phillips with 2:32 remaining. But the Eagles were forced to punt, leaving the game in the hands of Harding's dangerous offense.
"It wasn't meant to be, I guess. It wasn't meant to be," St. Edward coach John Gibbons said. "We did everything in our power. We fought and scratched."
With 18 seconds remaining and Harding on its own 25, senior quarterback Mike Kokal threw a perfect spiral to a streaking Mario Manningham for a 52-yard gain. The pass play put the ball on St. Edward's 23, where Kokal spiked it with 9.5 seconds left to set up Spain's game-winning kick.
"With the wind behind us, I didn't have to throw it that far," Kokal said. "If he [Mario] is in the vicinity, he's going to make the catch."
St. Edward pressured Kokal on the play, but the senior stood strong in the pocket, made a smart read of the defense and delivered.
"Kokal was about to get tackled," Gibbons said. "He flew the ball and the kid [Manningham] made a great catch."
Sideline erupts
After the kick sailed through the uprights, Harding's sideline erupted into mass hysteria, players and fans scattering on the field. The Raiders' defense bottled up St. Edward in the final seconds to end the game.
"I told our kids that when you do things the right way and work hard, sometimes the man upstairs shines on you," McDaniels said. "And he shined on us tonight."
After taking a 15-9 halftime lead, the Raiders struggled in the second half and would have been shut out if not for Spain's heroics. Harding fumbled twice in the third quarter.
"In the second half, turnovers and penalties handcuffed us offensively," McDaniels said.
Clock control
Using a no-huddle attack directed by the elusive Shaun Carney, St. Edward was able to control the game and clock on its first possession of the game.
The Eagles used a 16-play drive that took 7 minutes off the clock to take a 6-0 lead on Carney's 5-yard run. Standout kicker Brian Pierce, however, missed the extra point low.
On the Raiders' first possession, junior Richard Davis, who ran for 125 yards on 16 carries, took a pitch to his right and raced 41 yards for the touchdown. With Spain's extra-point kick, the Raiders led 7-6.
Pierce made up for his missed extra point by connecting on a 33-yard field goal, with the wind at his back, that put St. Edward ahead 9-7 in the second quarter.
Harding takes 15-9 lead
Harding answered again. After completing key passes to Treymayne Warfield, Stefon Alexander and Davis, Kokal ran 7 yards for a touchdown. His pass to Warfield for the two-point conversion put Harding up 15-9 with four minutes remaining in the half.
Carney's 2-yard run with 18.9 seconds left in the third quarter put St. Edward ahead until Spain's final kick.
"Joe Spain is not just a kicker. He's a golfer, he's a baseball player, he's an athlete," McDaniels said. "If you're a competitor like he is, you lie awake at night waiting for opportunities like that."
richesson@vindy.com