Indian Creek coach Max Goodin had a difficult time finding the words to describe the heartbreak he and his team were feeling on the bus ride home Friday night.
After battling back from an early deficit to pull ahead in the fourth quarter, the Braves watched host Greencastle tie the game in the final minute of regulation before Ian Williamson’s 19-yard field goal doomed the visitors to a 17-14 overtime defeat.
“We had 300 yards of offense,” Goodin said. “We made a drastic improvement on the back end … against a really good pass offense, which Greencastle is. We won the turnover battle. We just didn’t win the game.”
The Tiger Cubs got on the board first with a 45-yard pass from Cole Stephens to Anthony Adams at the 3:29 mark of the first quarter. Moments later, play was halted by a weather delay as storms passed through the Greencastle area.
Once the game resumed, the Braves (1-4) wasted little time in drawing even, scoring on a 4-yard pass from Evan Clark to Bobby Emberton with 8:02 remaining in the half. The score remained deadlocked at 7-7 heading into the intermission.
Levi Pappas came up with an interception in the third quarter, and Creek went 80 yards in two plays to pull ahead. Clark connected with Emberton for another scoring pass, this one a 43-yard screen to put the visitors on top with 10:16 left in the game.
But the lead didn’t hold. Stephens threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Williamson with 54 seconds to go, forcing extra time, and after the Braves had a field goal attempt blocked, Williamson’s kick sent them home with a loss.
Indian Creek will try to get back in the win column with a Week 6 road trip to Edgewood.
“We’re not far off at all,” Goodin said. “We’ve just got to figure out how to finish a football game and put ourselves over the top.”
