RIDGWAY- In a game that saw two touchdowns in the final 1:50, it was a blocked field goal as time expired that sealed a 21-20 Ridgway victory over visiting Otto-Eldred Friday night.

“When they lined up for that field goal, our kids were excited,” said Ridgway head coach Mark Heindl.  “I give a lot of credit to coach (Brian) Hinton.  We work on that all the time in practice and showed here once again that special teams are really important in a football game.”

Jake Knapp’s potential game-winning kick never had a chance, as a host of Elkers broke through the line to block the 23-yard attempt as time expired.

“It wasn’t a tough decision because I knew we could make it,” Otto-Eldred head coach Luke Breese said.  “We’ll have to take a look on film and see where that penetration came from.”

Ridgway (2-1 overall, 2-1 AML) couldn’t have possibly imagined it would need to come up with a play like that after its offensive heroics on the previous possession.

With the ball at their own 42-yard line and no timeouts left, things looked grim for the Elkers.  They had just 1:50 remaining in the game and had only managed 47 yards of total offense since the first quarter.

Enter freshman quarterback Josh Mitchell.  After an incomplete pass on first down, the young signal caller had a request for his coach.

“He came out after that first down incompletion and said he wanted to run that same play again,” Heindl said. 

Heindl obliged, and Mitchell delivered, connecting with Ben Jacques along the left sideline.  Jacques took care of the rest, racing down the field untouched for a 58-yard touchdown with 1:31 to go.

“That kid has grown leaps and bounds as a freshman,” said Heindl of Mitchell.

Trailing 20-19, Heindl had another decision to make:  Go for the two-point conversion and the lead or try an extra point for the tie.

“That was a no brainier,” Heindl said.  “Our kids were out there and they wanted to go for it, and that’s a credit to them.  They really learned a lot about themselves tonight.”

Cory Eshbach, who accounted for the Elkers two first half touchdowns, made the decision look smart.  He took the hand-off from Mitchell and bulled his way across the goal line for the conversion and a 21-20 lead.

After a bad snap for Otto on the ensuing possession resulted in a 15-yard loss, the Elkers appeared to have the game in hand.  But the Terrors would not go away quietly, as quarterback Noah Colbert hooked up with Justin Bird on a 54-yard pass play down the middle to the Ridgway 21-yard line with 45 seconds remaining.

With no timeouts, the Terrors were able to gain 18 yards on successive plays to set-up a first-and-goal from the three.

The Ridgway defense stepped up, stopping Otto’s Drew Coscia for a 2-yard loss on the next play.  The Terrors then quickly got up to the line and spiked the ball with five seconds remaining, setting up the field goal attempt.

The late comeback from Mitchell and company was the result of a fierce Otto-Eldred rushing attack that led them to a 20-13 lead after trailing 13-0 at halftime.

“I basically told them how I felt at halftime,” said Otto head coach Luke Breese.  “I think they see what they can do now when they put together four full quarters.”

Coscia scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, his third of the half, with 1:55 remaining in the game.  The extra point attempt was no good, and giving the Terrors a short lived 20-13 lead.

Otto-Eldred (0-3, 0-3) came out on their second drive of the second half and went on a 9-play 58 yard drive that ended with a highlight reel worthy 19-yard touchdown run by Coscia.

A 3-yard touchdown run by Coscia two possessions later, coupled by a successful two-point conversion gave the Terrors a 14-13 lead with 10:02 left in the game.

“The line was outstanding,” said Breese.  “Our senior running backs just make people miss and they were outstanding tonight.”

Early on, it looked as if the Elkers were going to run away with this one. Eshbach scored on a 6-yard run early in the first quarter to put Ridgway up 7-0.

Later in the quarter, a Sam Skraba interception of Otto quarterback Noah Colbert set up the Ridgway offense at the Terrors 27-yard line.

For the game, Mitchell completed 4 of 6 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown.  Skraba led the way on the ground for the Elkers, rushing for 80 yards on 17 carries.

Coscia was the leading rusher in the game, accounting for 153 yards on 24 carries, while Bird had 4 catches for 72 yards.

It doesn’t get any easier for Ridgway, as they travel to perennial AML contender Coudersport next Friday.  Otto-Eldred will also face a stiff test next week, as they travel to Brockway to take on the high-powered Rovers. 

Ridgway 21, Otto Eldred 20

Score By Quarters

Ridgway         7  6  0  8- 21

Otto-Eldred    0  0  6  14- 20

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

R- Eshbach 6 run (Lundin kick)         8:31

Second Quarter

R- Eshbach 1 run (Kick failed)           11:59

Third Quarter

O- Coscia 10 run (kick failed)            4:24

Fourth Quarter

O- Coscia 3 run (Bird run)                  10:02

O- Coscia 1 run (Kick failed)             1:55

R- Jacques 58 pass from Mitchell (Eshbach run) 1:31

Team Stats

                                    R                     O

First Downs                11                    11

Rushes-Yards              37- 116            37-207

Pass Yards                  90                    102

Total Yards                 200                  309

Comp-Att-Int              5-9-0                8-15-2

Penalties-Yards           2-17                 7-58

Fumbles-Lost              2-0                   2-0

Punts-Avg                   6-36.5              3-38.5

Individual Stats

Rushing: Ridgway: Sam Skraba 17-80, Cory Eshbach 12-48, Ben Jacques 2-(-)2, Josh Mitchell 3-(-)15, Jordan Lundin 1-5.  Otto-Eldred: Drew Coscia 24-153, Noah Colbert 3-(-)6, Justin Bird 9-58, # 40 1-2.

Passing: Ridgway: Josh Mitchell 4-6, 81 yards, 1td, Jordan Lundin 1-3, 9 yards

               Otto Eldred: Noah Colbert 8-15, 102 yards, 2ints

Receiveing:  Ridgway: Ben Jacques 2-67, Zack Zelcs 2-21, Steve Mitchell 1-2

                      Otto-Eldred:  Justin Bird 4-72, Drew Coscia 3-13, # 83 1-17