The Rams overcame a 7-point deficit in the final minute to beat Springfield.

By STEVE RUMAN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

MINERAL RIDGE — On paper, Friday’s game between winless Springfield and unbeaten Mineral Ridge looked like a lopsided win for the Rams.

On the playing field, the Inter Tri-County League Tier One contest proved to be a game for the ages.

Trailing 20-13 with less than a minute to play, the Rams (4-0, 1-0) rallied for a pair of touchdowns to pull out a 27-20 victory at Joe Lane Sports Complex.

Mineral Ridge cashed in on two huge plays to snatch the victory.

With 53 seconds remaining in the contest, the Rams faced a fourth-and-10 on the Springfield 34-yard-line.

Rams senior quarterback Joey Miller rolled out to his left, and facing pressure, he hurled a strike to Ken Mazurkiewics in the far corner of the end zone.

A Phil Ciavarella extra-point tied the game at 20-20.

“Wow ... that’s a heck of a play by both young men,” said Rams coach Dom Leone. “We thought that by rolling Joey out, he might be able to run for a first down if nothing else. It turned out to be a great throw and catch.”

The Tigers (0-4, 0-1) took the ensuing kickoff and advanced to the Mineral Ridge 49-yard-line.

Taking the lead

However, on a second-and-15 play, Jon McRoberts intercepted a tipped pass, shook several tackles, then raced 67-yards down the sidelines to put Mineral Ridge in front 27-20 with 16 seconds remaining in the contest.

“As soon as I picked off the pass, I looked upfield and saw all of my guys forming a wall,” McRoberts said “This is one I’ll remember for a long time. We didn’t play our best game of the year tonight, but it feels great to pull out a win like that.”

McRoberts’ late interception put a damper on an otherwise impressive performance turned in by Springfield quarterback Nate Schuler. The senior completed 20 of 35 passes for 261 yards.

“That’s two great quarterbacks we faced in two weeks,” Leone said. “The truth is, Springfield outplayed us tonight. We were fortunate to make some big plays at the end.”

First win in sight

Early on, it looked as though Springfield might pick up its first win of the season.

The Tigers scored on their first two possessions of the night to grab a 10-0 lead.

The first score came less than three minutes into the game when Schuler capped a 40-yard drive with a one-yard TD run.

The Tigers’ second possession ended with a Bryan Visingardi 21-yard field goal.

However, on Mineral Ridge’s next possession, it needed just three plays to cut its deficit to 10-7.

Following a pair of A.J. Zitello (27 carries, 161 yards) runs, Kyle Skiba broke loose on a 66-yard scamper.

Ciavarella booted a pair of second period field goals to give the Rams a 13-10 lead at intermission.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Springfield cashed in on a pair of third quarter turnovers to take a 20-13 advantage.

A fumble recovery by Dylon DeJute led to a 22-yard Schuler-to-Brandon Goist touchdown strike. Two plays later, Adam Moody recovered a fumble, which led to a Visingardi field goal.

“Our kids never quit,” Springfield coach Sean Guerriero said. “It’s tough losing a game like this, but I can’t help but be proud of the way our kids battled.”

Though pleased with the win, Leone said his team must improve as it moves through the ITCL schedule.

“We got a little lucky along the way, and we were lucky that the cards fell the way they did,” Leone said. “We have to take our game to a higher level, that’s for sure.”

“But at the same time, our kids never gave up when they were down. They put themselves in position to make the big plays,” Leone said.