2009 Football: Storybook ending! Dogs pull out 39-33 win on game’s final play

With half a second remaining and the game tied, 33-33, quarterback Brandon Ness took a fourth-down snap out of the spread formation and lofted a long pass down the sideline to senior receiver Tyler Brackett.

With the scoreboard alarm blaring just yards away, signaling that time had elapsed in the game, Brackett leaped with a defender, came down with the ball, kept his feet under him, turned and fought his way into the end zone for a touchdown that lifted Gallatin to a 39-33 Homecoming victory over the Albany Warriors.

"Tyler was having a good night, so I knew with our last passing play exactly who we were going to and told Brandon that he only had one route to throw to," said head coach Jeff White. "Tyler came back to the ball, despite Albany having pretty good coverage on him, and went up and got it, then broke two tackles for the game-winning touchdown," he added.

The Bulldogs were able to avoid overtime by getting a big play that ended the game and choked off the Warrior late-game surge.

"Had we gone to overtime, we would have stuck to our game plan," White advised. "We made adjustments to the defense that finally after a half of football seemed to slow them a bit, but by their last series they seemed to be gaining some momentum," he added. "I didn’t want to get into any more of a shoot-out than it already was, so we threw it long to our fastest guy and hoped for the best."

Brackett’s catch came after three straight incomplete passes from the Warrior 44-yard line, and just 34 seconds after the Warriors tied the game at 33-33 with some heroics of their own.

On fourth and goal, quarterback Bryant Cottrill hit Jordan Davis on a crossing pattern for a touchdown to pull his team within two points. Taking advantage of regained momentum, Cottrill handed off to Davis on a dive play for the successful two-point conversion.

The Bulldogs clung tenaciously to the lead throughout the game. Ness opened scoring, after first seeing his 80-yard kickoff return called back due to a penalty, by rushing for 40 yards on fourth and two.

Brackett’s punting was an important aspect of the game. He pinned the Warriors on their own two-yard line late in the first quarter, but Carter Gillespie somehow wove a path through Gallatin’s defense to score on a 71-yard dash from scrimmage. Terrill Wood blocked the extra point attempt to preserve a 7-6 GHS lead.

With 1:17 left in the opening period, Brackett practiced for his late-game heroics by catching a 28-yard touchdown pass from Wood over his right shoulder. The PAT failed.

Albany responded with two long runs from scrimmage that set up a Cottrill two-yard sneak early in the second quarter. The extra point kick sailed left and Gallatin clung to a 13-12 advantage.

The Bulldogs kept the pressure on with a Chad Ness TD on a sweep with 7:16 showing in the second. A two-point conversion attempt failed.

Ness was one of a number of freshmen forced to step into the limelight due to injuries to senior starters.

"We had four freshmen on the defensive side of the ball for the majority of the night," Coach White said, "which is never a situation you want to be in as a head coach, but those four guys: Chad Ness, Isaac Mattis, Derrick Lin and Trevor Holcomb, gave us their best effort and performed even better than we thought they would," he added.

The Warriors came charging back with an answer to Gallatin’s score. A Cottrill to Justin Beebe eight-yard pass on fourth and goal once again pulled Albany to within a point at 19-18.

An onside kick, one of three tried by the Warriors, paid off and gave Albany the ball back at Gallatin’s 40. With 2:37 left in the first half, Cottrill gave the Warriors their first lead with a three-yard touchdown keeper. The extra point was good and Albany led.

A Matt Atkinson 26-yard TD run and Brackett PAT put Gallatin back in front, 26-25, and capped an exhausting first-half scoring barrage.

The second half emphasis switched to the defensive side of the ball. The Bulldogs held the Warriors inside the red zone on their first series. Early in the fourth quarter, Chad Ness popped Cottrill just as he pitched to a running back and Bo Malo recovered.

Albany stopped the Dogs cold on the Warrior 20 by recovering a fumble. Gallatin made a defensive stand that pinned the Warriors inside their own 10. An attempted pitch and punt on fourth down resulted in the Bulldogs taking over on the Warrior 22.

A face mask penalty, tacked on to the end of a Brandon Ness carry, spotted the ball on the three-yard line, but an illegal procedure call temporarily postponed a Bulldog score.

With 4:28 left to play, Wood dove into the end zone and Brackett added the PAT for what appeared to be a comfortable 33-25 Gallatin lead.

A third down pass completion moved the ball to the Warrior 42. Another third and long, Albany came through on another third and 18 situation with Davis taking the dive handoff and juking outside for a gain to the Bulldog 24. Cottrill kept on the next play and somehow maneuvered down the Warrior sideline to the pylon, where he was ruled out of bounds on the one-yard line.

A stuffed run try and fumble brought on third and goal from the four. Cottrill rolled right trying to hit a receiver on a crossing pattern but Lin was able to break up the play.

Albany would score on the next play as a prelude to Gallatin’s final-series heroics.

Gallatin totaled 335 yards on the ground to go with 101 yards through the air. Brandon Ness rushed for 152, Atkinson contributed 119 and Chad Ness chipped in 55 yards on the ground.

Three Bulldogs notched double digit tackles. Atkinson finished with 19 total stops, followed by Chad Ness with 14. Malo chalked up 13, with Brandon Hunt and Casey Alden chipping in nine stops.

Gallatin travels to Princeton on Friday with fewer healthy bodies than a week ago.

"Selby (Colton) has gone from out till the final game to now possibly playing much earlier," Coach White advised. "Michener (Levi) has to go in today (Tuesday) to see about his shoulder. Alden (Casey) left the game early on Friday with a concussion, but will be ready to play by Friday. Terrill Wood sprained his wrist, but should be okay by Friday. John Corwin and Caleb Hearon are out for the season," White said in wrapping up his infirmary report.

Gallatin 39, Albany 33

GHS Statistics

Rushing: B. Ness 14-152, TD; Atkinson 13-119, TD; C. Ness 6-55, TD; Wood 2-8, TD. Jeffers 1-1. Passing: B. Ness 3-8-86, 2 TD; Wood 1-4-15. Receiving: Brackett 2-65, 2 TD; Moore 1-15, Wood 1-5.

Tackles (T/A): Atkinson 14/5, QB sack; C. Ness 1/3, Forced fumble; Malo 9/4, Mattis 8/0, Alden 6/3, Hunt 6/3, Wood 5/3, Int.; Leeper 5/2, Prentice 2/2, Newberry 2/1, Bott ½, Holcomb 1/1, Lewis 1/0, McLey 0/1.

Punts: Brackett 2-47.5 average.

Grand River Conference Standings — Week 5

Sept. 25 Results

Gallatin 39, Albany 33
Hamilton 34, S. Harrison 9
King City 49, Princeton 28
Braymer 34, Polo 0
Tarkio 12, SJ Christian 6
Milan 21, Maysville 6

Oct. 2 Schedule

Gallatin at Princeton
Polo at Albany
S. Harrison at King City
Tarkio at Maysville
Hamilton is open