METRO ATHLETIC CONFERENCE West Branch outlasts Salem in OT, 19-13

The Warriors rallied to win for the second week in a row.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BELOIT -- Friday's West Branch-Salem game was expected to be an offensive shoot-out between two of the area's most explosive passing attacks. Someone forgot to tell the defenses.
In a game that featured six turnovers, a blocked field goal, a blocked extra point, a missed field goal and a blocked punt, the Warriors outscored the Quakers 6-0 in overtime to escape with a 19-13 victory.
It was the Warriors' ninth victory in the last 10 games against the Quakers (1-2). West Branch holds a 19-13 series edge over Salem.
"I have all the respect in the world for Coach [Doug] Phillips and Salem," West Branch coach Steve Saulnier said. "This was a great battle and both teams played hard. It's a shame someone had to lose. Fortunately, we pulled out the victory."
Second straight rally
For the second straight week, the Warriors rallied in the second half to claim victory. West Branch came back last week to beat Canfield and erased a seven-point deficit to Salem in the fourth quarter.
"Our offense was struggling, but our defense and special teams kept us in the game," Saulnier said. "This was supposed to be an offensive battle, but both defenses really played well. Our offense scored when it had to there at the end."
Both offenses looked out of sync in the first half, which featured multiple turnovers and just three points.
Salem's defense held the West Branch offense, led by quarterback Bobby Swallow, in check in the first half.
The Warriors were stopped on fourth down twice in Quakers territory and another drive stalled after a Salem interception.
Couldn't capitalize
Despite those defensive efforts, the Salem offense couldn't take advantage. The biggest reason was the play of the Warriors' special teams, especially J.R. Gibson.
The junior blocked a Salem field goal in the first half and a Quaker punt in the second half.
The only scoring in the opening half came on a Brian Schwartz field goal from 35 yards out.
West Branch began to gain some momentum early in the third quarter, as Griffin Romigh recovered a Salem fumble at the Quakers' 9 yard line. This time, the Warriors took advantage of the miscue as Swallow connected with Jimmy King for a 9-yard TD strike.
The extra-point kick was blocked by Salem for a 6-3 lead with 7:19 left in the third quarter.
Two Salem possessions later, the Quakers tied the game at 6-all on Schwartz's 37-yard field goal.
Regained momentum
The Quakers regained the momentum it once held on their next offensive possession.
Salem quarterback Landon Heath connected with Zac Grey for a 4-yard touchdown pass. The extra-point gave the visitors a 13-6 advantage with eight minutes left in regulation.
But West Branch wasn't ready to concede victory. The Warriors' defense forced another Quakers fumble with 4:59 remaining.
Converting several key third-down conversions along the way, the West Branch offense started clicking.
Mixing the run with the pass, the Warriors drove 32 yards to paydirt. The drive culminated with a two-yard touchdown run from Nolan Swetye. The point-after kick split the uprights, knotting the game at 13-all.
Salem had a chance to avoid overtime and win the game in regulation. Heath and Grey hooked up for a 56-yard pass to give the Quakers first-and-10 at the West Branch 7 with just 9.5 seconds left.
Potential field goal
After three running plays, Salem lined up for a potential 26-yard field goal. But the kick sailed wide left, sending the contest into overtime.
In the extra session, West Branch wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Swallow hit Swetye for a 20-yard touchdown to put the Warriors up 19-13.
One last offensive series for Salem came up empty, as a fourth-down pass from Heath fell incomplete.
Phillips said, "In a big game like this, you can't make the mistakes we did tonight and expect to win."