By ERIC FORTUNE

sports@vindy.com

GIRARD

Pat Pearson has preached unity all year.

His Girard Indians stared down defeat with 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but once again they found a way to win, rallying to beat Jefferson, 34-27, in overtime.

“It’s what we’ve done all year,” Pearson said. “We find a way to win. It’s because we stay together.”

Christian Bello’s 1-yard run in overtime gave the Indians the victory. The Falcons got to the Girard 16, but the game — and Jefferson’s season — ended with three consecutive incomplete passes.

“Great high school game,” Jefferson coach Jim Henson said. “Nothing to it, other than that. Both teams were 7-2 coming into it and you could tell. I thought they came out and gave us a big shot early the way they went down the field. Our kids responded and got the lead and then they responded. In the end, they made one more play.”

The Falcons drove 67 yards in 11 plays to take a 27-21 lead with 32 seconds left when Lucas Hitchcock found his brother Sam for a 10-yard touchdown pass.

“We were trying,” Henson said. “It was a great drive. That was our NASCAR series. We’ve been practicing since our 10 days in the summer. That is how we do our conditioning is running that up and down the field. The kids know it by heart. We just call out different things and run it.”

Jefferson went for two, but didn’t make it.

Girard’s Kenny Walters took the ensuing kickoff past midfield a 15-yard Jefferson penalty moved the Indians to the Falcons’ 27.

“Kenny had a great return, but there were 10 other guys blocking their tail off,” Pearson said. “We believed we were going to put the offense in a position to score and that’s what we did.”

Jacob Ryser’s 2-yard run on the last play of regulation tied the game at 27, but Jefferson blocked the extra point.

“Nothing worthwhile comes easy and no different tonight,” Pearson said. “It was every once of what we had. That is what this season has been.”

Bello rallied Girard with fourth-quarter TD passes to Ryser and Walters.

The Indians were in ninth place in Division V, Region 15. They will play the waiting game to see if their season continues. Projections late Friday had Girard making the playoffs.

“No matter what happens, our boys left everything out on this field,” Pearson said. “These guys should be so proud. These kids deserve to play on.”

On their opening drive, the Indians (8-2, 6-1 All-American Conference, National Division) found the end zone less then two minutes in after Bello found Chaston Williams from 20 yards away.

On their ensuing possession, the Falcons (7-3, 4-3) moved the ball consistently only to see the drive end on Walters’ interception at the Indians’ 32-yard line. It was one of two interceptions for Walters.

Jefferson led 21-7 after Jeremiah Knight’s 24-yard TD run with 6:45 to play, but Bello threw a 20-yard TD strike to Ryser with 5:31 to play and a 4-yard TD pass to Walters with 3:02 remaining to tie the game at 21.