Southern Cal
captures 3rd title
in thrilling fashion
with overtime heroics
By DOUGLAS BURNS Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS - In what is undoubtedly one of the more spectacular contests in the history of the UNI Dome - at any level of football - Southern Cal Friday captured the Iowa Class A High School Football title in Cedar Falls in an overtime win with twists and turns that would have escaped the most caffeinated of screenwriters.
The Mustangs walked off University of Northern Iowa's Sheriff Field with a 22-21 victory and the champion's trophy after throwing the last punch in what was an epic fight with the North Tama Redhawks.
This is Southern Cal's third state title. The Mustangs captured top honors in 1990 and 2000 under former coach Don Boulware.
Trailing 21-14 in the first overtime, and facing a 4th and 10, Mustang senior quarterback Greg Meyer made enough defenders miss on a roll out run to find the endzone.
"As soon as we made that touchdown I held up two fingers," Southern Cal head coach Bryan Case said of what may very well go down as the call of his career.
The Mustangs, which made their name in the game through the punishing run-ning of Kelan Richardson and some hard-knocks defense, won the game with their heads, using a brainy 2-point conversion play Case calls "Polecat."
Southern Cal lined Meyer and three other skill players in the middle of the field, and set up the linemen on the far right, in a gaggle with running Kelan Richardson.
With several passing op-tions, Meyer took the ball, juked to the left and cut right to the endzone for the two-point conversion and the win.
"It's something that we've done throughout the year as far as running our polecat and these kids executed it to a tee," Case said. "You get Greg back off the ball, he has great feet, great vision. He just did a nice job of locating the open area and took it to the endzone."
Added Meyer, "I found a hole and took it."
Case said he knew going into the game that there may be a situation in which he would make the call to go for two. Earlier in the second half, facing a 4th and 1 at the Mustangs own 29, Case went for it and successfully drew North Tama offsides.
"Those are things that I go over in my mind all the time," Case said. "It just depends on the situation and the feel that I am having in the game."
Case said he thought the team was "geared up" enough to go for two during overtime.
The Polecat is Case's brainchild.
"That's something that I drew up about three years ago and we've used that here and there throughout different seasons and it's really worked out well for us," Meyer said. "We're going to keep it in our playbook. That's for sure."
It's not the first time the Mustangs have used the play.
"I think we've run it about 20 times to be honest with you," Meyer said. "I'm not sure if they (North Tama) had it on film or not."
Redhawks head coach Brandon Krusey said his team had worked in practice on defending two-point con-version attempts like the Polecat each week for the last couple of years.
"We were prepared," he said.
North Tama had it covered but just didn't make the play, Krusey said.
Far from choking, his squad showed a remarkable resilience, scoring their own touchdown in overtime on a 4th and 7 play. Redhawks quarterback Wyatt Hanus, an elusive scrambler, frustrated the Mustangs defense re-peatedly during the game. He threw seemingly improbable passes that converted third and fourth downs.
"Our kids have done a good job not panicking and just continuing to move on and have the confidence in each other to make a play," Krusey said.
The pain of the loss was clear on Krusey's face as he talked with the media in the UNI Dome following the game.
"It's a really tough way to go down, that's for sure," Krusey.
North Tama struck first as Hanus threaded a brilliant pass 33 yards to the endzone to wide receiver Lucas Hefty with 5:13 left in the first quarter.
On another fourth-down call, this one with 30 seconds left in the first half, Kelan Richardson scored the Mus-tangs first touchdown on a 1-yard plunge.
The teams went scoreless in the third stanza, with Richardson scoring again early in the fourth on a 14-yard run.
Taking advantage of a major pass interference call against the Mustangs on a 3rd and 7 at midfield with 5 minutes left in the game, North Tama put together a tying drive, capped off by a Hanus pass to wide receiver Justin Meggers.
The outstanding Hanus was 26 of 44 passing for North Tama for 243 yards.
Southern Cal's Richardson ground out 128 yards rushing.
For his part, Mustang quarterback Meyer said he'll never forget the celebration in the endzone as the winning Southern Cal players and coaches rushed the field.
"I couldn't breathe," Meyer said. "I couldn't see. My head was hurting already and all of a sudden there were just people diving on me."
Richardson, who is recov-ering from a broken angle, gave credit to the offensive line for allowing the team to be in a position to win the game. Southern Cal had 224 yards rushing and ate up a lot of clock.
"I just read holes and go," Richardson said. "That's all I do. I don't make anything on my own."
Richardson credited his coach for developing the game-changing Polecat play.
"We've been running it all year," Richardson said. "We run it everyday in practice. There's been maybe one time where we haven't scored on it. There are just so many options."
Richardson's football days won't end in Lake City. He already has an offer from University of South Dakota and is being pursued by other schools, including Northwest Missouri State.
"A college coach once told me that if you win state you can fail the rest of your life and you'll always be a champion," Richardson said. "You know what, I'm a champion for the rest of my life. Hopefully I don't fail the rest of my life."
