PAC Westminster wins on final bounce

Thiel's last-second field goal attempt bounced off the crossbar.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- Sometimes a football can take a funny bounce. On Saturday, the final bounce of the game was just fine with Westminster, while for Thiel, it was anything but funny as the Titans held on for a 14-13 win over the Tomcats.
With Westminster (3-3, 2-1 President's Athletic Conference) clinging to the one-point advantage and seven seconds remaining, Thiel (1-5, 0-4) coach Jack Leipheimer called on Paul Stibich to attempt a 47-yard field goal.
Stibich drilled a line drive that hit the crossbar and bounced back onto the field of play to preserve the Titans' win.
"When I first saw it, I thought it was going below," Westminster coach Jerry Schmitt said. "But it just stayed up there and finally hit the post. I asked Jack, 'can our games get any closer?' After the last three years, I don't know how they can get much closer."
Leipheimer is no stranger to close games.
"We just couldn't get over the hump again," Leipheimer said. "Someway, somehow, we have to find a way to do that. It is not a confidence thing with us because we played with great confidence out there today.
"We didn't take advantage of some of the opportunities we had early in the game. An example of that is when we had a first-and-10 on the 19 and after a holding call and a sack, we wound up punting from the 40. When we get down there [the red zone], we just have to find a way to get it in [the end zone]."
Hopes dashed
On the final play Leipheimer was hoping for a better bounce.
"To be honest with you, I thought it was going to skim across the top of the crossbar," he said. "I just thought it was our time to get the break, but then it hit the thing flush."
The Titans' Kevin Kresinski made a big play early in the game.
With Thiel moving toward the Titans' end zone, Kresinski picked off a Mike Lindenfelser pass and returned it 99 yards to the Tomcats' 1. One play later, tailback Scott Froelich leaped into the end zone and Jason Montgomery's kick gave the Titans a 7-0 lead.
"I think an earthworm jumped up out of the ground and tripped me up," Kresinski said. "Jerry [Bonenberger] made a nice play on the ball and batted it out of the tight end's hands and fortunately, I was right there."
The Tomcats evened the score in the final two minutes of the first half when Lindenfelser passed to Tom McEntire from 5 yards. Chris Trauger's conversion deadlocked the score.
At halftime, Thiel held a distinct advantage in total yards (179-26), first downs (10-2) and time of possession (22 minutes to 8).
"They [Thiel] definitely controlled the ball and tempo of the game," Schmitt said. "We weren't happy with that, we were a little bit frustrated as a team, but the key for us is that we made plays when we had to."
On their first possession following the intermission, the Titans scored what would prove to be the game-winner.
They marched 69 yards on six plays, with Froelich breaking tackles and dragging defenders into the end zone from 24 yards out.
"We challenged each other to make a big play and that was my chance to do that," Froelich said.
Setting up Froelich's TD was a sensational catch by Brian Ekis of Boardman from quarterback Joe Getsy (Lowellville), covering 44 yards.
"At halftime we all challenged each other to come out and make plays," Ekis said. "Someone had to step up."
Thiel drew to within a point when Joe Dziurzynski capped a 10-play, 70-yard march with a 1-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter, but Tom Froelich blocked the conversion kick to keep the score at 14-13.
"Kevin [Kresinski] did as much as I did on that play," Froelich said. "I had that whole end to myself and the defender never even touched me."