Stunned by a last-minute game-winning Brecksville touchdown, an Olmsted Falls Bulldogs player doubles over. (Photo by Larry Bennet)

Bulldogs are stung by Bees in shocker
By Matt Pawlikowski
Sports
Published DOct. 18, 2006

There was no Freddy, but perhaps the only way to describe the ending of Olmsted Falls epic SWC clash with Brecksville, was it could only happen on Friday the 13th.

The Bulldogs led 14-9, with just one second left on the clock, and momentum seemingly in its corner, after posting one of the top defensive stands in the history of the SWC, the impossible happened. Brecksville quarterback Steve Wirkus found Brad Pollack in the corner of the end zone, for a game-winning touchdown.

For a moment the outcome was unclear. But seconds later the officials’ hands went up, and with it, Olmsted Falls watched not only victory escape its grasp, but more than likely, the SWC title as well, as they fell to 7-1, 4-1 in the conference. The Bees, now 7-1, 5-0 hold all the cards.

“ I thought we played well on defense all night,’’ said Olmsted Falls coach Jim Ryan. “The players we have put it on the line all night, and played hard, you can’t fault their effort. Brecksville just played a great game.”

Great may be an understatement, as it may be one of the greatest endings in league history, one that would have Rocco Scotti singing loudly, once that John Madden would have trouble calling.

But no one in the standing room only crowd could have envisioned the outcome, which for Olmsted Falls was like a bad dream a la ‘Freddy Krueger comes to life’, considering what occurred on the previous series.

Having held the high powered Falls offense in check, Brecksville was fired up, and mounted an eight play drive that took them to the 1-yard line, with four minutes to play. On its first play Tim Day was stuffed. Then on the second series, another stuff. The home crowd began to feed off this, and the noise on the cold crisp fall evening could be heard in Detroit.

Another handoff, and yet another hold. That brought up fourth and one, and it was like slow motion. There would be no pass; the writing was on the wall. It was do or die time, and it was up to the Bulldogs vaunted defensive unit to be assertive again. Wirkus handed off the ball to Day once again, and it appeared he had gone over the goal line. Day’s head indeed was over the line, but the ball fell short. A celebration ensued, but there was still time left on the clock.

It was time the Bees would later utilize.

Ryan was proud of his team, but as heartbreaking a loss it was, the failure to capitalize on key turnovers was the key to Brecksville’s win, especially in the second quarter. Twice, the team had chances to put the game out of reach by half. The first came when the Bulldogs recovered a bad snap with 9:10 left in the second quarter and took over on the Bees 20. Three plays later, Tyler Sparks fumbled the ball, and the Bees recovered.

Then, on Brecksville’s next series, the ball was fumbled on a pitchout, and Olmsted Falls was again in scoring position. The Bulldogs seemed poised, and looked primed to score, but on the 11-yard line, the ball popped loose, and it was Brecksville’s ball again with 4:02 left.

“This is pretty emotional now, it’s a very rough loss,’’ said Ryan. “We needed to get points off those turnovers in the second quarter, and we just didn’t take advantage of our chances. You have to come away with points in a game like this.”

For a while, this game looked like a mismatch.

After stopping Brecksville on its own 7-yard line, Falls took over with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter. On its first play, Aaron Schlecter busted loose for a 45-yard run. Not long after, he would score from nine yards out to give Falls the early lead.

It remained that way until the third quarter, when Schlecter once again found daylight, and on a first and ten play from the 35-yard line rambled 65 yards to make it 14-0.

From there, it was as if someone put a hex on the Bulldogs. Although the wind was against them, in the fourth quarter, they were leashed by the Bees, and held without a first down.

Entering the contest, Olmsted Falls had outscored its opponents 296-69.