By By STEVE MORRISON / Niles Daily Star
NILES – With a minute and one half remaining on the clock, clinging for life to a 21-10 lead the Niles Vikings needed to advance the ball eight yards in two plays to retain possession, and run out the clock for a victory at Niles High School Friday night.
On second down Ben Brandstatter gained his final five of a game-leading 159 yards. Then, on third and three, the Vikes went to their sophomore quarterback, Cameron Sly, who had started in place of the injured Seth Jordan.
"They told us upstairs that the middle was open, "explained Niles head coach Dan Brawley. "So, we went with the sneak."
The keeper by Sly netted just barely over three yards to enable the home team to slip away with the victory over visiting Mattawan's Wildcats.
For the entire first half, Niles appeared to be in complete command, acquiring a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, set up by two huge plays. After David Davis had run a reverse for 36 yards to the visiting Wildcats 18, two plays before the end of the opening period, Niles scored when Ben Brandstatter burst in off right tackle, four plays into the second stanza, to put the hosts up 6-0, 7-0 with the point-after was successfully kicked by Colin Freas.
Niles' Sly made his only completion of the night after the Vikes had stopped the Mattawan offense in the ensuing possession and forced a punt, which sailed into the end zone for a touchback. Beginning on the 20, Sly took the snap, rolled left, and rifled the ball to receiver D.J. Wolnik, who raced away with an 80 yard score.
"He threw it on a dime, and D.J. made a heck of a play!" celebrated Brawley.
Niles had seemed to turn the game into a yawner, building up a 21-0 lead after Aaron Davis, in only his second varsity game since being called up from the junior varsity squad, made a sharp cutback to his left, after sliding off right tackle, and scampered in to end zone at 8:49 of the fourth quarter.
Then the 'yawner' turned into a 'wake-up call' that almost proved to be a fatal nightmare.
Aaron Lawrence of Mattawan took Freas' kickoff and sailed for 35 yards beyond mid-field. If not for the stout-hearted Freas, who as the last defender between the ball carrier and the goal line, made a stand-up flattening tackle of Lawrence, the guests probably would have returned the ball for a touchdown.
Wildcats running back Jason Douglas then took an option pitch from quarterback Nick Wallace and rolled around the right side for a 27-yard ramble. Two plays later, Douglas carried for 11 more yards, and Mattawan dented the scoreboard on a 1-yard keeper by Wallace. With the successful kick by Tyler Payne, the Wildcats had struck quickly with 6:57 remaining in the game.
Then Mattawan got really creative. An onside kick by Payne bounced off of an up receiver for Niles and Mattawan had the ball right back on Niles 48 yard line when the Wildcats Nick Ballard recovered. After an exchange of possessions, Wallace rushed 11 yards for a first down, and sailed around right end on an option keeper for a 50-yard jaunt to make it 21-13. The kick by Payne was good, and suddenly things looked scary in the old hometown with Niles ahead, 21-14 with 2:53 left on the clock.
After Niles stalled following the kickoff, Sly punted on fourth down, but the punt was blocked by Mattawan's Ben Bedeck and returned all the way for a score by Jacob Purins, who gobbled up the ball and streaked away. Faced with a 21-20 deficit, Mattawan's head coach Doug Paran elected to go for the two-point conversion. The Niles defense strung out the sweeping attempt to convert, by Wallace, to hold off the thirsty Wildcats.
Another attempted onside kick by Mattawan went out of bounds, Niles held on for dear life, and the clock expired.
"How about the play he (Freas) made out there on the kickoff to make the stop," crowed Brawley after the game." He's supposed to run off the field after the kick because he's a soccer player, but he stayed there."
"We tried to clock-manage the game in the last six minutes. When we needed ten yards, we did it. I told the kids if you want a win, you've got to get a first down. We got eight yards that we needed in two plays."
Great defense from Wolnik, Brandstatter, Alex Bertschy, Kenyon Ellison, Jason Duis, Trevor Ernsberger, and Alec Taylor helped the Vikings, now 3-4 on the season.
Mattawan 0 0 0 20 – 20
Niles 0 14 0 7 – 21
N – Ben Brandstatter ;7 run (Freas kick) 7-0 10:08 (!st)
N – D.J. Wolnik; 80 pass from Cameron Sly ( Freas kick) 14-0 5:51 (2nd)
N – Aaron Davis; 41 run (Freas kick) 21-0 8:49 (4th)
M – Nick Wallace 1 run; (Tyler Payne kick) 21-7 6:57 (4th)
M – Wallace 50 run ;(Payne kick) 21-14 2:53 (4th)
M – Jacob Purins 35 blocked punt return ( 2 point conversion failed)