Miracle final play lifts Ravens over Falcons in thriller

Ravenna senior quarterback Tate Bennett did not have a pretty night under center.

Bennett finished 9-for-19 for 88 yards and was intercepted twice by the Field Falcons defense.

None of that matters.

What does matter was perhaps the ugliest pass of the night won it all as Bennett tossed the ball backwards over his head while being sacked with 39 seconds left to go in regulation and it found sophomore Warren Bradley in the end zone to give Ravenna a 15-14 road victory

Bennett’s pass to Bradley capped off a 17-play, 99-yard drive that began with 7:11 left on the clock. The Ravens converted on fourth-and-10 and third-and-12 at different points in the drive before Bennett’s game-winning pass.

And according to Bennett, what unfolded obviously wasn’t diagrammed in the playbook.

“I just threw the ball into the end zone — I had no idea where it was going to go,” Bennett said of his sack-avoiding and game-winning pass. “I just really was hoping that someone would make a play.”

When Bennett took the snap on fourth-and-4 at the Falcons’ 7-yard line, he initially looked to sprint towards the left side of the line. When the Falcons sniffed the play out, Bennett cut towards the middle of the line before getting wrapped up and heaving the desperation pass over his head before his body hit the grass.

Bradley hauled in the pass for his second touchdown of the evening. The sophomore back scored Ravenna’s first TD of the evening in the third quarter, a 5-yard run that capped off a 20-yard drive.

Bradley finished with 65 yards on 12 carries for the Ravens.

But no one play the sophomore made Friday night left a bigger impression than his game-winning catch.

“I’m just happy to be able to make a play to win the game,” an excited Bradley said. “I just wanted to be able to make a play to help this team win — that’s all I wanted.”

Ravenna coach Jim Lunardi was nearly speechless following the game as he praised the effort Field put forward in a losing effort.

“It’s a real shame that someone had to win this game because both teams played extremely hard,” Lunardi said. “I feel so bad for (Field coach Matt Furino) because I really like him and his kids and they do a really great job every week.”

Field gave Ravenna everything it could handle on the evening, forcing three turnovers and bottling up the Ravenna offense — despite the over-300 total yards the Ravens racked up on the ground and through the air.

The Falcons were opportunistic as well, scoring both of their touchdowns on the first snap following a Ravenna turnover.

Despite totaling just 152 yards of offense, the Falcons scored on a 24-yard reverse pass from backup QB Caleb Wohlwend to senior Joey Simpson as well as a 43-yard touchdown run from Simpson.

Simpson finished the evening with both of Field’s scores to go along with 74 yards rushing on nine carries.

Furino was drained following the game, but had nothing but praise for the effort his team put forward.

“I just can’t say enough good things for how our team played on defense tonight and the job (defensive coordinator) George Wetzel did coaching these kids,” Furino said. “Even on that last play, they made the perfect call and the kids played perfectly and brought the QB down — you just can’t plan for what ended up happening.”

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Original Article can be found at: http://recordpub.com/news/sports_article/5220503