Posted on Sun, Dec. 05, 2004
Tyrone falls in PIAA semifinals
By Todd Ceisner
tceisner@centredaily.com
STATE COLLEGE - Pete Rota looked like he had dropped a contact lens, down on all fours as he was. Five, 10, 15 seconds went by. Rota kept looking.
But it wasn't a contact lens Rota was hunting for. No, sir. He could see just fine, although a couple thousand orange-clad fans would tell you otherwise Saturday afternoon.
Rota was actually trying to determine whether Grove City running back Dan Wise twisted away from Tyrone's Leonard Wilson long enough to gain the three feet he needed for a first down on a pivotal fourth-and-one play with 1 minute, 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' PIAA Class AA state semifinal against Tyrone.
As a packed Memorial Field looked on, the officials pulled the chain taut and placed the yard stick right at the tip of the ball at the Tyrone 17-yard line. Initially, Tyrone's defensive players began celebrating after they believed they had stopped Wise but Rota wasn't so sure. With the ball so close to the yardage stick, Rota, the head referee who regularly officiates Division III college games, had to use an index card to make his final determination, slipping the card between the stick and the tip of the ball. When the card brushed the ball, Rota rose to his feet, turned to his left and motioned a first down for Grove City.
Two plays later, Wise knifed into the end zone on a 10-yard run for the winning touchdown in Grove City's stunning 21-17 victory over District 6 champion Tyrone (12-2).
Before this season, Grove City (11-2) hadn't won a District 10 title since 1961. Now, the town known for its outlet mall has a football team flirting with history. The Eagles will try to become the first District 10 team since Hickory in 1989 to win a state title when they face Lansdale Catholic at noon Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium.
"We beat a great football team today," said Grove City coach Jeff Bell, still grasping the game ball. "Fortunately for us, we were able to hang in there."
Meanwhile, Tyrone, whose fans began lining up outside Memorial Field at 8 a.m. Saturday, has all winter and next spring and summer to digest a loss that may be forever referred to as Papergate.
"It was the width of the paper. That's what (Rota) told me," Tyrone coach John Franco said. "It appeared that it wasn't touching but he said when they put the paper in there, it touched. I asked him, 'Since when did we have a width-of-paper rule?' and he didn't mention anything. But we were there and we should have made the play in the backfield. We had the play, we didn't make it."
It was a recurring theme for Tyrone, which hadn't given up more than 13 points in a game all season.
When Grove City's Adam Rudolph intercepted Wilson's pass intended for Ben Gummo with 28 seconds to play, Tyrone's bid for its third trip to the state finals was halted.
"We were a good matchup for them and their strength was our strength and they made one more play than we did," Franco said.
Grove City moved the ball effectively during the first half, amassing 172 yards and converting six of eight third downs en route to building a 14-10 lead.
Jack Vallely bulled in from 12 yards out, bowling over Wilson at the goal line to give Grove City the early lead. Tyrone's Tyler Gillmen blocked the extra point.
On the ensuing possession, Tyrone committed to its vaunted rushing attack and it paid off as Brice Mertiff, who hit the 2,000-yard mark for the season, broke loose for a 51-yard touchdown to give the Golden Eagles a 7-6 lead. Mertiff finished with 118 yards on 17 carries. He finished the season with 2,021 yards and 33 touchdowns.
After the teams traded punts, Grove City marched 80 yards in 13 plays before quarterback Jim Jaskowak scored on a 8-yard run. Jaskowak, who rushed for a team-high 70 yards, then added the 2-point conversion run, giving Grove City a 14-7 lead.
Tyrone answered with a Gummo 22-yard field goal as time expired on the first half.
Grove City carried a 14-10 lead into the fourth but Tyrone struck quickly after Wilson recovered a Vallely fumble at the Tyrone 31 on the final play of the third quarter.
Tyrone marched 14 plays -- all rushes -- and 69 yards before Wilson plunged in for a 1-yard score with five minutes left.
That gave Grove City plenty of time to go 64 yards in 11 plays for Wise's winning score.
"When they took the lead in the fourth quarter, our kids didn't get down," Bell said. "They believed they could score. We were on our way to hopefully getting some points when we fumbled. And they knew when we got the ball with five minutes left, they had plenty of time to work the ball down field and they didn't panic."
Bell never considered kicking a game-tying field goal on that key fourth down.
"A smart coach probably would have kicked a field goal on that fourth down," he said, "but I told the kids, 'We didn't come here to tie. We came here to win.'"