WATERVLIET — For the players, coaches and fans of the Brandywine Bobcats’ football program, Halloween must’ve seemed like a cruel trick perpetrated by Mother Nature, the football gods, fate and the Watervliet Panthers.

In an extremely cold and windy MHSAA playoff game, in which the Bobcats thoroughly manhandled their opponents for the better part of three quarters, a strange strategic decision, an ill-fated pass, a busted coverage and an incredibly gutsy call from an opposing coach, colluded to surprisingly bring about the end of Brandywine’s record-setting season.

The result was a heartbreaking 22-21 Watervliet victory that brought to an end one of the most successful eras of football in the Brandywine history history.

Midway through the fourth quarter, leading 21-14, the Bobcats found themselves deep in enemy territory with an opportunity to apply the finishing strike on the Panthers’ postseason campaign.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, that’s when the winds of change blew in and carried their season to the nearest exit.

On a third-and-seven play from the Panthers’ 27-yard line, Brandywine quarterback Andrew Duckett had a pass that was destined to find his teammate Vinny Peel in the back of the end zone, get caught up in the wind and fall into the waiting hands of Watervliet’s Cameron Rogers.

On the very next play, from their own 2-yard line, Panthers’ quarterback Blake Kiekenapp found his brother Kyler Kiekenapp wide open on a go route and burned the Bobcats’ defense for a 92-yard gain.

Three plays later, Kiekenapp hit Cameron Rendo for a 3-yard touchdown pass.

Watervliet head coach Jeremy Andrews then made the dramatic decision to go for two, and the win, and saw his gutsiness rewarded tenfold when Kiekenapp connected with Tyler Loomis for the 2-point conversion that gave the Panthers’ a decisive 22-21 lead with just under six minutes to play.

After a quick three-and-out, Brandywine punted to the Panthers who killed the clock and the Brandywine seniors’ aspirations of delivering the school its first ever playoff victory were dashed.

“That was an awful way to end the season,” Bobcat head coach Mike Nate said. “I feel terrible for the seniors who worked their butts off for four years to give us a playoff victory. We came up short and it hurts.”

Brandywine’s all-time leading rusher Marty Ward Jr. finished his final game with 143 yards on 29 carries. He also scored a touchdown on a 7-yard run. Duckett finished 3-for-11 in the passing game for 65 yards and a score. He added another 19 yards and a TD with his legs.

The Bobcats will now enter a long off-season where it will have to figure out how to replace 14 seniors from their roster.

“There will be no replacing these guys (seniors), I can tell you that. But come next season, we’ll be ready to go without a doubt,” Nate said.

 

Watervliet                  7          0          7          8 – 22

Brandywine               7          7          7          0 – 21

B – Andrew Duckett 11 run (Zachary Schmidt kick)

W – Blake Kiekenapp 36 pass to Garrison Muth (Jon Blunt kick)

B – Ward 7 run (Schmidt kick)

W – Kiekenapp 20 pass to Tyler Loomis (Blunt kick)

B – Duckett 21 pass to Austin Knapp (Schmidt kick)

W – Kiekenapp 3 pass to Cameron Rendo (Kiekenapp pass to Loomis)