TRUMBULL COUNTY Howland stuns JFK at the end

Chris Settlemire found Steve Boyle with just seven seconds remaining.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WARREN -- In a game destined for overtime because of the conditions of the field and the physical playing styles of Howland and Warren John F. Kennedy, a desperation pass with seven seconds remaining gave the Tigers a stunning 7-0 win.
Howland quarterback Chris Settlemire found Steve Boyle breaking open and tossed a perfect 36-yard pass to the wide receiver, who bulled into the end zone to pull out the victory.
The win secures a playoff berth for Howland (7-3) in Division II, while Kennedy (5-5) will likely miss out on a postseason appearance.
After the teams battled evenly through three and a half quarters, overtime looked certain until Kennedy gambled and tried to block a Howland punt.
With the Tigers pinned back on their own 14, Kennedy missed the block and roughed the kicker to give Howland new life.
Go for the win
Howland still had 63 yards to travel in less than two minutes before coach Dick Angle decided to go for the win.
"We thought about overtime," Angle said, "but when Maurice [Smith] sparked us with that 17-yard run, he said, 'Let's not play for overtime. Let's play for a win,' and that's what we did."
With the ball on the Kennedy 40, Howland's first attempt to score resulted in a Settlemire-to-Boyle completion down to the 10-yard line. But the play was negated by a clipping penalty.
On the very next play, the two hooked up again for the game-winning score.
"We were in cover-4, a four-deep zone, and we get beat," Kennedy coach Tony Napolet said. "What do you say about that? It was luck for someone and it sure wasn't our luck."
Smash-mouth
Before the late heroics by the Tigers, the teams played smash-mouth football in the middle of muddy Mollenkopf Stadium.
Kennedy had a chance to score early in the second quarter when it drove from its own 18 to the Howland 6 in 11 plays. A 23-yard field goal attempt was wide right by the Eagles.
Howland's longest drive covered 34 yards, just before halftime, but the Tigers ran out of downs on the Kennedy 36.
Howland had 198 total yards to Kennedy's 186 in a game that included 13 punts.
Smith had 78 yards on 16 carries, and tailback James Justice had 69 yards on 17 carries for Howland. Kennedy was led by Shane Golden, who had 75 yards on five carries and caught two passes for 20 yards.
"This was a well-played game between two great teams," Angle said. "They [Kennedy] are a class program. I hate to see them lose that way, but I sure love to see us win that way."