By: Joe Blystone
PIONEER (October 20, 2023) – Reading gave North Central all they wanted, but Cam Laney made a big stop on a late two-point conversion attempt, then Joe Burt ran for a game clinching first down, making one of the most intelligent plays of the year in the process, as the Eagles survived a late Ranger rally to post a 16-14 win.
The triumph gave North Central a 9-1 regular season mark as they ready themselves for the Division VII playoffs this coming Friday.
“They have tremendous tradition,” North Central coach Scott Thompson said of the win over the Rangers.
“We looked at their record for the last six years prior to this and they were in the playoffs every year and won two state championships in Division VIII. That is a real solid football program.
Early on both teams used long time-consuming drives to eat up much of the first half only to come up empty.
Lukas Strine’s 40-yard romp and two Tayshawn Bester bursts on the edge of 14 and 16 helped Reading to a first and goal at the North Central 10 late in the first quarter.
At that point the Eagle defense stiffened, allowing Strine and Bester only seven yards on four plays to stone the Ranger march at the 3.
The Eagles mounted a 13-play drive as Laney converted one third down to first, then bolted 21 yards for another fresh set.
Connor Gendron ran for two more first and 10’s to get inside the Reading 40 where a holding penalty hindered the drive, and Gage Kidston’s fourth down pass fell incomplete to force a turnover on downs.
On their next possession, the Eagles broke through with 2:16 left in the half. Taking the ball after a Ranger punt, a roughing the passer penalty and Gendron’s 10-yard run moved the ball out to the Eagle 45.
Laney was stopped for a five-yard loss but on the next play, Kidston slipped a screen to Sam Moore who eluded one tackler, got a pair of good blocks, and went 60 yards for the first score of the night.
Gendron’s two-point run put the Eagles on top 8-0, a count that stayed until the 4:12 mark of the third.
The second play after Reading gambled and lost on a fourth down try from their own 36, Burt pulled a magical disappearing act that went for North Central’s next touchdown.
Going to the right side, the senior running back was surrounded by no less than six Ranger defenders…. then suddenly he escaped the hoard without being touched, leaving that same bevy of tacklers empty-handed, going 34 yards for a score that extended the Eagle margin to 16-0.
Anton Hegler stopped one Reading drive with a sack, but Strine had runs of 16 and 30 to help get the Rangers into Eagle territory with four minutes left.
Strine’s 15-yard slash from the 30 set up Bradly King’s 15-yard run to the end zone and the ensuing two pointer made it 16-8 with 2:47 left.
Reading recovered the following onside kick and on the second play Caiden Baker rolled 45 yards to the Eagle 4. Bester covered the last section of ground to bring Reading to within a deuce with 2:03 left.
Going for the tying score, Reading sent Strine off right tackle, but Laney came up with the big play getting Strine to the ground before he reached out to break the plane for the tying points.
“We knew they weren’t going to just drop down and play dead,” Thompson said. “We knew they were going to come back, we had to hang in there. That play is what our team is all about…hustle.”
“We have some kids that hustle and we had a kid run him down and take him down and we had to have that stop.”
One more time Reading tried to onside but in this case the ball never got close to the 10 yards needed, giving the Eagles the rock back at their own 39.
Using their timeouts, Reading forced North Central into a fourth-and-four with 57 ticks left.
The one analytic in football is when you have possession of the ball with under a minute left and the other team has no timeouts, your chance of winning…unless you hand off… is near 100%.
Burt made sure of that game lock when he broke free, as he used his high football IQ and slid down at the 2 rather than scoring and giving the ball back to Reading.
“We put the ball into a playmaker’s hands and Joe is a playmaker,” Thompson explained of the fourth down play.
“He is a senior, he is a leader and when there is an opportunity to make a play, that kid is going to get it done for you.”
From that point the Eagles knelt twice to secure the victory. Burt carried 14 times for 95 yards to spearhead the Eagle offense.
Strine ran for 136 yards on 17 totes for Reading. Reading slipped to 2-7 on the season.
North Central advances to a date Friday night, more than likely with Patrick Henry in the opening round of the playoffs.
READING 0 0 0 14 – 14
N. CENTRAL 0 8 8 0 – 16
NC – Moore 60-yard pass from Kidston (Gendron run)
NC – Burt 34-yard run (Burt run)
R – King 15-yard run (conversion good)
R – Bester 4-yard run (conversion failed)
Joe can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com