ICL Late TD keeps Raiders unbeaten

South Range and Mineral Ridge came into the 7-3 game top-scoring offenses.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MINERAL RIDGE -- Ryan Maxwell's 12-yard touchdown run with 2:01 remaining lifted the South Range High football team to 7-3 victory over Mineral Ridge in a key Inter-County League contest Friday at E.Z. Whitaker Field.
The unbeaten Raiders (9-0 on the season, 6-0 in the ICL) clinched a tie for the league title. The Raiders are ranked fourth in the state in this week's Associated Press poll of Division V teams and third in the Region 17 computer ratings.
"Our kids never quit, neither team refused to quit tonight," Raider coach Dan Yeagley said. "Our defense made big plays when they had to.
"In fact, both defenses came up big tonight," Yeagley said. "At halftime, I told our kids that we had to finish the play.
"We were able to move the ball, but I felt that we didn't finish the play like we were capable of doing," Yeagley said.
The loss snapped the Rams' seven-game win streak and dealt a blow to their postseason hopes. The Rams were eighth in the Region 17 ratings.
"This was an excellent defensive battle," first-year Ram head coach Shawn Brown said. "South Range is an excellent football team and they made big plays when they needed to tonight."
Coming into the game both offenses stood atop the ICL in scoring.
The Rams (7-2, 5-1) averaged a league-best 37 points per outing while the Raiders scored at a 31-point per game clip.
However, their defenses, which yielded just 75 and 58 points, respectively, took center stage.
South Range took the opening kick and held the ball for 16 plays, taking 9:26 off the clock.
They came up short, however, when Steve Velte intercepted Maxwell on a fourth-and-goal attempt at the Rams' 15-yard line.
The Raiders' defense also came up big on the Rams' first offensive series.
Drive and fumble
Mineral Ridge held the ball for 10 plays and nearly five minutes, only to lose possession when Brandon Linert fumbled and Tony Darkadakis recovered the ball.
Both teams touched the ball just three times in the scoreless first half.
On the Rams' first possession of the second half, Brian Palmer nailed a 30-yard field goal 2:49 into the third period for a 3-0 lead.
With 3:05 remaining in the game, the Raiders' Matt Novak picked off an errant Chris Ault aerial on third down and South Range took advantage of Mineral Ridge's second miscue of the contest.
On first down, Maxwell hit Matt McGarvey for a 48-yard gain to the Rams' 15-yard line.
Darkadakis gained 3 yards to the Ram 12, paving the way for the Maxwell game-winning scamper.
McGarvey, whose broken finger prior to the season required surgery, was sidelined until the fifth week and returned to action just three games ago.
"In addition to his long gain offensively, he also had an interception on Mineral Ridge's final possession as well," Yeagley said. "He's come a long way the past three weeks. He really stepped it up tonight."
Split defenders
McGarvey said, "I got lucky. I split the defenders and it turned into a nice gain.
"I still don't believe it," McGarvey said. "It wasn't me, just a total team effort tonight."
The Raiders had 281 yards of total offense, 151 on the ground and 130 through the air.
Maxwell completed 9 of 18 aerial attempts while registering a game-high 63 rushing yards on 17 totes.
The Rams had 241 total offensive yards. Ault was 11 of 17 through the air for 135 yards while Greg Dominic had a team-high 62 yards on nine carries.