Sep 4, 2015 3 min read

CLAYSVILLE – The McGuffey football team was just a few seconds away from a thrilling victory to usher in a new era of a fast-paced attack under head coach Ed Dalton.

A few moments later, someone hit the brakes on the Highlanders’ start and instead dealt them a heartbreaking defeat.

Following a go-ahead score in overtime, Jake Adamrovich intercepted Marcus Czulewicz in the end zone, and Mt. Pleasant stunned McGuffey, 30-23, Friday night as the high school football season began in the Interstate Conference.

“It was a win. We turned a win into a loss,” said a frustrated Dalton. “Disappointing.”

Everything seemed to be going McGuffey’s way as time wound down in regulation. The Highlanders had forced a fumble with under three minutes to play, setting up shop at midfield of a 23-23 game. They drove to the Vikings’ 13-yard line and set up a 30-yard field goal attempt with 5.8 seconds remaining.

A missed assignment on the offensive line and Kyle Halterman got into the backfield to block the kick and force overtime. On the first possession of overtime, the Vikings went ahead when Chris Wagner (141 yards, 23 carries) scored his third touchdown of the game, then came Adamrovich’s interception.

For Adamrovich, the game-ending interception was a form of redemption as he committed two penalties, including a dead-ball personal foul, on one play that helped derail a Mt. Pleasant drive deep in McGuffey territory.

“That’s why you just keep playing the game,” said Vikings coach Bo Ruffner. “He was disappointed he got the penalties called on him back-to-back, but it’s very ironic he makes the final play of the game.”

Halterman played another big role in the Vikings’ victory. After the Highlanders battled back from a 16-0 deficit to tie the score, Halterman scampered 87 yards for a touchdown on a McGuffey kickoff that put Mt. Pleasant ahead, 23-16.

“First games of the year are tough,” said Ruffner. “Obviously a lot of momentum going into overtime. That little pick-me-up that you need, and we were able to punch in a score to start overtime.”

Conversely, the interception was a bitter end to an otherwise solid game by Czulewicz. The junior completed 17 of 29 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns, gaining another 43 yards on the ground. He had no blemishes on his ledger until overtime.

After making a pledge to run 80 to 90 plays a game, the Highlanders ran 59 plays before overtime. Part of that was the running game of Mt. Pleasant behind Wagner and McGuffey’s inability to maintain a ground attack. The Highlanders rushed for 128 yards on 32 attempts, but 23 came on one run by Shaun Sanders, who provided a spark for McGuffey several times.

“We’ll block somebody next week,” Dalton vowed. “I’ve never in my life had a running game taken away from me. It is not going to be taken away from us. We were not nearly balanced enough.”

Sanders caught seven passes for 91 yards, rushed for another 46 on five attempts, and had a 61-yard kickoff return to set up McGuffey’s first score.