D.C. Everest football vs Chippewa Falls
WAUSAU, WI (EVERYTHING EVERGREENS-93.9 THE GAME) – The Evergreens has just scored a touchdown with 10-seconds left in the game. And they still trailed, 10-9.
Instead of kicking a game-tying extra point, coach Tim Strehlow went for a 2-point conversion that would have won the game.
It didn’t work out.
But it was the right call.
I can think of three reasons why the 2-point try was the right decision.
First, Everest’s kicking game has been inconsistent. Earlier in the game a low snap caused a field goal try to fail. Another low snap a week ago against Green Bay Preble led to a failed extra point. The point-after-touchdown, which would have tied the game, wasn’t a sure thing.
Second, Chippewa Falls’ defense had been on the field a lot in the second half. Kicking the PAT and perhaps sending the game to overtime would have allowed them the three-minute break at the end of regulation to regroup. My sense of the game is that overtime would have favored ChiHi. The old sports adage of playing for the win at home and the tie on the road certainly applied.
And third, you want to put your team in a position to win. And there it was, three yards and one play away from victory. In overtime there’s no guarantee you’d ever be as close to winning the game as Everest was in the closing moments. You could lose the coin toss, have your opponent score on their position, and you could be stymied 20-yards away from the goal line trying to stay in a tie. When the moment exists to deliver a knockout blow, I can’t fault taking it.
It was a riverboat gambler’s move, but it was right.
The execution on the two-point-try left a lot to be desired. Quarterback Beau Svoke, while rolling out to pass, bumped into one of his running backs. It disrupted the timing of his throw to Ty Strehlow. The pass was too wide and fell incomplete, leaving Everest 1-point short.
There are many good take-aways from a tough-luck loss. Everest was resilient; Chippewa Falls took their first lead with 4:45 left in the game. The Evergreens rallied and drove down the field. It took them four plays from inside the 1-yard-line to score their final touchdown, and the team was gritty and confident to score against a big Chippewa Falls defensive line. And Everest got better as the game went along. The offense, which put together only short drives on its first 4 possessions, figured things out late in the 1st half. They didn’t regress for the rest of the game. The defense didn’t dominate the line of scrimmage like they did a week ago. They still managed to make big plays at big moments in the game.
Chippewa Falls might be the toughest team on Everest’s schedule, and the game came down to the final moments. It’s rare that a team serves notice while losing. Everest did that on Thursday night. Their coach showed confidence in his team. They just might win all of their remaining games.
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