Warsaw loses playoff by inches

WARSAW —   The Warsaw Wildcats overcame a nine-point halftime deficit Saturday but fell short as Ray Hoover’s 31-yard field goal attempt sailed just right as time expired.

The seventh-ranked and undefeated Fair Grove Eagles defeated the Wildcats 26-25 to advance to the semifinals in the Class 2 state football playoffs.

“I’ve been in this situation before,” said Warsaw coach Randy Morrow. “We have won state championships before because the ball went that way. I know how those kids feel and it just wasn’t in the cards today.”

The Wildcats trailed by a single point with 5:32 remaining in the game.

Warsaw quarterback Logan Smith led a drive consisting of 14 plays and a fourth-down conversion. With Warsaw on the 15-yard line, Fair Grove broke the offensive line and sacked Smith on back-to-back plays.

With no timeouts, the Wildcats scrambled to get the field goal team on the field.

With 4 seconds left, Warsaw was flagged for an illegal substitution penalty, backing up the special teams another 5 yards, and Fair Grove escaped with the victory.

The Wildcats made their stand early as they held Fair Grove on its opening possession on fourth down and a yard.

The Wildcats took advantage of the good field position, and Hoover made a 31-yard field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, Caleb Schaffitzel returned it 80 yards for a touchdown, silencing the Wildcats’ cheering section.

Schaffitzel remained a thorn in the Wildcats’ side throughout the contest.

The Eagles could not convert the two-point conversion, and they took a 6-3 lead with 5 minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Smith, just like he did throughout the game, came up big for Warsaw on the following series.

Smith returned the Eagles’ kickoff 55 yards and was finally wrangled down at the 35 of Fair Grove. Smith rushed four more times during the drive, which was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Allen Painter. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful but Warsaw took a 9-6 lead.

Warsaw’s defense went back to work against Fair Grove on the following possession.

Quarterback Cam Bruffett was flushed from the pocket and threw an interception to an airborne Smith.  

However, Warsaw could not cash in the turnover and was forced to punt three plays later.

Deviating from its comfort zone, Fair Grove opened up its passing game.

Bruffett hooked up with Schaffitzel twice on Fair Grove’s next possession — once for a 30-yard gain and again for 9 yards that was good for a touchdown.

The Eagles missed the extra point and they led 12-9.

The turning point of the first half came on the following Warsaw possession.

With 5 minutes left before halftime and the ball at midfield, Warsaw began piecing together a drive.

Johnny Eierman broke free for a 20-yard gain and was finally corralled by a pack of Eagles at the 28. The Eagles wrapped Eierman up but the wide receiver did not fall to the ground.

Finally, after a 6-second window of no forward movement, Fair Grove stripped the ball out of Eierman’s hands and recovered it. The official call was a fumble, and the Eagles made the most of their opportunity.

On the second play after the turnover, Schaffitzel broke two tackles and ran 72 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was unsuccessful, and Fair Grove took an 18-9 lead.

“We played well enough to win the ballgame,” said Morrow. “The kids came back every time. It’s just one of those things. ... We played with a lot of heart.”

The Wildcats mounted a comeback in the second half.

On Warsaw’s first snap of the third quarter, Painter hauled in a 16-yard pass from Smith. Two plays later, Smith broke loose for a 32-yard touchdown run, his 19th of the season.

The Wildcats’ fans erupted and after a successful two-point conversion, Warsaw trailed 18-17.

Morrow reached into his bag of trick plays on the next Warsaw possession.

On fourth down, Smith took the punt snap and rushed up the middle for 48 yards. He scored three plays later on a 2-yard run.

Smith found Eierman in the corner of the end zone for a two-point conversion, and in less than nine minutes, Warsaw took a 25-18 lead.

Fair Grove was forced into a punting situation as the third quarter came to a close, and Warsaw had the ball and the lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Warsaw took possession at the Eagles’ 32.

Just as the Wildcats seemed to be taking control and had a good opportunity to score, Warsaw mishandled a handoff on the 9, and Jeremiah Hicks recovered the loose ball for the Eagles.

With 9 minutes remaining, Fair Grove pieced together a 10-play, 90-yard drive and struck a crushing blow when Bruffett found Justin Cleeton for a touchdown on fourth down.

The Eagles decided to take their chances on the two-point conversion, and Schaffitzel found the end zone on a toss sweep play to give Fair Grove a one-point lead.