For The Daily Reporter
NEW CASTLE — As time ticked down in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Greenfield-Central Cougars faced a situation they have grown familiar with: seeing a game slip away.
However, on this night, the Cougars finished the job in a wild 28-22 victory against the New Castle Trojans.
New Castle received the opening kickoff and proceeded to drive straight down the field to score on a 2-yard run by its quarterback Dalton Engle.
With New Castle’s two kickers serving a one-game suspension, the Trojans pulled off a fake field goal two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead before the Cougars even touched the ball.
Greenfield answered right away with a dominating drive which resulted in a 15-yard pass from senior quarterback Jeremiah Fields to running back Michael Sosnowski, who had split out wide as a receiver on the play.
The Cougars would take the lead in the second quarter on another touchdown pass from Fields, this time a 26-yarder to Bryce Ratliff. Fields finished the game with 87 yards passing, two touchdowns in the air and one on the ground.
New Castle would tie the game on Greenfield’s next drive when a linebacker in zone coverage intercepted a Fields pass and returned it for a touchdown.
The Trojans took a 16-14 lead after the touchdown when another fake field goal PAT fooled the Cougars.
On Greenfield’s first drive of the second half, a 61-yard sweep by Michael Sosnowski set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Fields to put the Cougars up 22-16 after a two point conversion.
New Castle finished a nine-minute scoring drive with a touchdown pass on fourth-and-17 from the Greenfield 18-yard line to tie the game at 22-22.
With no more trick plays up their sleeve, New Castle missed the extra point.
Greenfield still had 1:56 to attempt to win the game, and seniors Fields and Andy Kim came through.
On second-and-10 from the 50-yard line, Fields somehow escaped the grasp of defenders, shoveled the ball to Kim, who took the ball down to the 11-yard line after a personal foul penalty on New Castle.
Five plays later, the Cougars were ahead 28-22 for good.
With a victory to end the regular season, the Cougars now shift their attention to the state tournament, when they will face the Delta Eagles at home next Friday at 7 p.m.
