Eighth grade Bluejays stop Rams with no time remaining

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The Perry eighth grade football team not only snapped a seven-year losing streak this season, but went on to finish 3-2 overall. Photo courtesy Jodi Schuttler.

There was, literally, no time left on the clock.

Trailing, 14-6, at Dewey Field, Greene County scored to close the gap to 14-12. The eighth grade football contest would therefore come down to a two-point conversion, which would either tie the contest or result in a Perry victory.

The Rams converted, but the points were taken off the board because of a holding penalty.

Now facing a two-point try from beyond the 12-yard line, the Rams attempted to pass for the tying points, only to have Bluejay defender Jacob Cerna-Gomez intercept the aerial in the end zone to preserve the victory.

The win created a final record of 3-2 for the Perry eighth graders, who earlier in the season had snapped a seven-year losing streak.

Perry opened the scoring when Cerna-Gomez scored on a five-yard run on the second play of the second quarter.

Leading 6-0, the Jays came up big on defense when Wyitt Belgarde jarred the ball loose from a Ram runner on the first play of the next possession, with Perry’s Zavier Field falling on the pigskin.

Cerna-Gomez took the next snap and burst 25 yards for a touchdown, with Field catching a screen pass for the two-point conversion and a 14-0 Perry lead.

The second half was radically different, with Perry running only seven offensive plays in what became a scoreless third quarter.

Greene County then ran every snap in the fourth quarter. They scored midway through the frame to close to within 14-6, then recovered the onside kick, preventing Perry from a single snap of the ball in the final 12 minutes of play.

The Rams ended the game with a TD, setting in motion the good-erased-by-penalty-not-good two-point conversion attempts with no time on the clock.

Cerna-Gomez ran 11 times for 76 yards and Field 10 times for 48 yards. Cerna-Gomez was 1-of-5 for seven yards, with Roberto Gomez catching the pass.

Andy Schuttler led the defense with seven tackles, with Anthony Sanchez making four. Field and Cerna-Gomez both had 3-1/2 stops and Gomez three while Belgarde forced two fumbles. Cerna-Gomez and Field each recovered a fumble, with Gomez, Sanchez and Ty Brokaw each credited with deflecting a pass while Cerna-Gomez had an interception.

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