Going for Two Keeps Holland Undefeated

It was a battle between two unexpected zero-loss teams when the Northview Wildcats played host to the Holland Dutch tonight, and it really was a shame that only one team would remain that way, as both teams put on a spirited effort.  The Wildcat faithful arrived in droves and packed the home-side bleachers early, as clouds of smoke and the smell of grilled meat wafted over the field from a nearby concourse.  By kickoff, a noisy group of Dutch fans filled most of the visitor’s bleachers, too, helping to fill the chilly air with even more passionate cheering.

Northview took the opening kickoff, driving the ball inside the Holland red zone.  However, a fourth and one attempt fell just inches short, allowing Holland to take over on downs.  The Dutch weren’t able to do anything with their first possession, though, as a strong Wildcat defense prevented Holland from advancing the ball beyond the initial line of scrimmage, forcing a three and out.

The Wildcats‘ next possession wound up putting the first points of the game on the board, as a 59 yard drive was capped off with a ten yard touchdown pass by Darren Kapustka, with Kevin Rich on the receiving end.  Extra point was good, and Northview had an early 7-0 lead with 10:59 left in the second quarter.  Holland’s response was immediate, as they drove down the field eating seven minutes off the clock.  The 74 yard drive was finished with Joey Seiler pounding the ball in from one yard out for a touchdown.  Following the point-after kick, the score was knotted up, 7-7.  Northview began a drive down the field on their next possession, but Holland’s defense held strong, stalling the drive and forcing the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs, as a fourth-and-two attempt fell short.  With under a minute remaining in the half, the Dutch ran the ball once, allowing the clock to run dry, sending both teams to the locker room.

Northview opened up the second half with some trickery, as they successfully executed what can only be described as a bloop onside kick.  The Wildcats were unable to capitalize on this “extra” possession, though, as for a third time in the game, a fourth down attempt fell short, giving the ball over on downs.  Holland looked to strike quickly, with quarterback Corey Willis heaving the ball deep down the field, but solid pass coverage led to a Leo Dalrymple interception.  The Wildcats again pulled some tricks out of the bag, when Caleb Marek completed a 21 yard pass on a fake punt play, saving what appeared to be a stalled drive.  A few plays later Northview took their second lead of the evening, as Taylor Roberts ran for a two yard touchdown.  Point-after kick sailed through the uprights, and the Wildcats were up 14-7.  Just as before, Holland came back with an immediate response to a Northview touchdown, driving the ball 64 yards for a touchdown.  Joey Seiler scored his second touchdown of the game, this time with a nine yard scamper.  Andrew Israels successfully hit the extra point, and once again fans had a tie game, 14-14, with 1:12 left in the third.

As the fourth quarter of play began, Northview was in midst of an 80 yard march down the field.  The exclamation point to this drive was found when quarterback Darren Kapustka dove to the left corner of the end zone, scoring a go-ahead touchdown from ten yards out.  Point-after was good, and Northview found themselves with another seven point lead, 21-14.  The Dutch took over possession with six minutes remaining and needing a touchdown to draw even.  Just as they had all night long, Holland immediately began a long drive following a Northview touchdown.  The hero of this drive was Corey Willis, racing down the left sideline 37 yards for a touchdown.  With the successful extra point the game was tied for the third time, 21-21.  Northview fans thought they had sealed victory on their next possession, when Darren Kapustka appeared to nail one of his wideouts for a 72 yard touchdown pass, but the play was called back due to offensive pass interference.  With new life given, the Holland defense held strong, forcing a punt, and the Dutch now had a chance to put the game away.  Holland drove down to the Northview 23 yard line.  With a running clock, the offense stalled, letting time slowly tick away, calling a timeout with 9.4 seconds left.  The kicking crew came out, and Northview’s coach Zeitman called his last three timeouts right away, attempting to ice the kicker.  The gamesmanship must have worked, as the potential game-willing field goal sailed wide left.  Four seconds remained on the clock, but the Wildcats took a knee, content going to overtime.

Following the overtime coin toss, Northview had possession first.  Darren Kapustka hit paydirt, running the ball in from two yards out, for a touchdown.  The extra point kick was good and the Wildcats were up 28-21, with the Dutch now getting their chance to respond.  On their second play from scrimmage Corey Willis ran for a touchdown.  In a gutsy call, Holland’s coach McManus kept the special teams on the sidelines, sending his offense out to go for victory.  Corey Willis took the snap and with the Northview defense rushing in, broke out to the right, spring toward the corner of the end zone.  Diving, Willis manged to stay in bounds, scoring the two point conversion and giving his Dutch the victory, 28-27, Holland’s first lead of the night.

Holland ups their record to an impressive 4-0.  They will open up OK Black conference play next week when they host Kenowa Hills.  Northview fell to 3-1 with the loss.  Their next game will be their first OK White game of the year, when they host Creston next week.

Kevin Rich hauls in a touchdown pass from Darren Kapustka.

Corey Willis hands the ball off to Alec Haas.

Brian Killinger tries to find a hole in the defense.

Jordan Reid wraps up the ball-carrier for a tackle.

Darren Kapustka lunges for a touchdown.

Corey Willis makes a break downfield.

Max Carpenter tries to power through the defender.

Joey Seiler ran for two scores in a victory.

Darren Kapustka passed for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Corey Willis ran for 170 yards, including the game-winning two point conversion.

Matt Philpott Photography was happy to bring you coverage of tonight’s thrilling action.  Please be sure to visit his website to see how you can order prints of 2011 football action!