BELOIT — The downside of playing Beloit Memorial’s first truly meaningful season finale since 1999 was how easily the tears flowed afterward Friday night.
The Purple Knights gave everything they had and nearly pulled off the biggest victory in over two decades before falling 29-28 in overtime to visiting Waterford at Jacobson Field.
The disappointment showed on everyone wearing purple, but particularly the faces of the seniors.
“It’s hard, but we fought the whole time,” said Jaedyn Coleman, the disappointment causing the 6-foot-3, 290-pound two-way senior tackle’s voice to break. “We gave it 110 percent. You can’t win them all.
“We set a tone this season. Now they just need to get in the weight room and build on it.”
Assistant coach Henry Kremnitzer tried to comfort the Knights in his postgame comments to them.
“You’re the best team this school has fielded in over 20 years,” he said. “You’re the beginning of a change in this school. You should be joyous. You’re awesome.”
They just didn’t feel too awesome after losing a back-and-forth thriller they had led in both the fourth quarter and briefly in overtime. The loss cost the Knights (4-5, 2-5 Southern Lakes Conference) a chance of becoming eligible for the WIAA playoffs. With the win, Waterford (5-4, 5-2) advances to play at Stoughton in a Level 1 playoff game on Friday.
Beloit head coach Brad Dement preferred to praise his team’s effort rather than dwell on where it fell short.
“Our seniors were the heart and soul of our team and I’m so proud of them,” Dement said. “They were hard workers. The reason we were even in this situation of playing for a chance to be in the playoffs was because of them. Now it’s the responsibility of our younger guys to keep that going.”
The Knights put together a 90-yard drive at the start of the fourth quarter, going a perfect 4-for-4 on third down plays along the way. James Ford III, who rushed 26 times for 107 yards, did most of the heavy lifting
“James came back from his shoulder injury and battled his butt off,” Dement said. “So did Brannon Hatchett. He had the same sort of injury and we just padded them up and they played really well.”
Ford’s 1-yard touchdown dive gave Beloit a 19-14 lead with 3:38 remaining. After missing an earlier extra-point kick, the Knights went for a two-point conversion and got it when backup QB Braylen Huebbe took a pitch, forgoed a pass play and scrambled into the end zone for a 21-14 lead.
The Wolverines needed only seven plays to travel 62 yards and tie the game with 1:23 remaining.
Beloit then went three-and-out, putting Waterford right back on offense. But three plays later, the Knights’ Tucker Sherrod knocked the ball out of quarterback Caiden Dessart’s hands and recovered the fumble at the Wolverines’ 24 with 36 seconds left.
Waterford stuffed Beloit’s one running attempt before the Knights let the clock run down to six seconds and tried a 40-yard field goal by sophomore Noah Fry. The attempt came up short.
The Knights had the first possession in overtime, starting with a first-and-goal from the Wolverines’ 10-yard line. Ford got the ball three straight downs, gaining 4 yards, 5 and then a 1-yard dive for the score. Fry’s PAT made it 28-21.
Waterford needed just two plays to score. Weston Hotepp ran for 8 yards on first down and Jax Pesch scored on the next play. Going for two and the win, Pesch slipped out of a tackle and scored the winning points.
“There’s never one play that wins or one play that loses a game,” Dement said. “We have to be able to sustain drives and get two-score leads. We have to make our extra points and field goals when we have those opportunities. There were a lot of things that could have gone differently, but I’m just proud of their effort. They fought the whole dang game and never gave up.
“This is a building process for us and we’re going to keep pushing forward. We’ll lose some terrific seniors and now it’s up to the younger guys.”
The Knights took a 7-0 lead on their first possession, driving 53 yards in six plays and Owen West ripping off a 27-yard run for a touchdown. Fry booted the extra point.
Waterford tied it late in the first quarter after a short punt gave them the ball at the Beloit 34. Dessart scored on a 21-yard scamper and Beau Veit booted the go-ahead extra point.
The Wolvierines went on top with a 58-yard drive with Dessart hitting three straight passes to set up Pesch’s 2-yard TD run. Veit made it 14-7.
The Knights answered with a gutsy 66-yard drive, converting on two fourth down plays as well as a third-and-11 when Adyn Potter connected with Dontavious Thomas for 14 yards. Potter eventually scored on a 2-yard dive, but the extra-point try was wide again to leave Waterford with a 14-13 lead at the half.
The Knights took the second-half kickoff and drove to the Waterford 12 and a 30-yard field goal try by Fry was wide.
Beloit opened the fourth quarter with its 90-yard drive that gave them the lead — briefly.
• BOXSCORE:
WATERFORD 29, BELOIT 28 OT
Waterford…..7 7 0 7 8 — 29
B. Memorial..7 6 0 7 7 — 28
BM — West, 27, run (Fry kick)
W — Dessert, 21, run (Veit kick)
W — Dessert, 1, run (Veit kick)
BM — Potter, 2, run (kick failed)
BM — Ford, 2, run (Huebbe run)
W — Pesch, 8, run (Veit kick)
BM — Ford, 2, run (Fry kick)
W — Pesch, 2, run (Pesch run)
TEAM STATS: First downs — W 11, BM 15. Rushing — W 20-106, BM 45-183. Passing — W 112, B 108. Passes — W 20-11-0, BM 15-8-0.
INDIVIDUAL STATS: Rushing — W, Dessert 10-61, Pesch 8-34. BM, Ford 25-95, Potter 9-33, Hatchett 7-12, West 2-28. Passing — W, Dessert 20-11-0, 112. BM, Potter 15-8-0, 112. Receiving — W, Music 5-71, Thompson 3-31. BM, Thomas 4-43, Ford 3-29, Crawford 2-40.
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