TC Comes up One Yard Short in a Devastating 32-25 Loss to Mount Vernon
Hunter Langley
Football is a game of inches. This was echoed throughout the matchup between Mount Vernon High School and the Titans. On October 27 T.C. was in a fight to keep their playoff hopes alive and move one step closer to a winning record for the season.
T.C. started off strong with two straight rushing touchdowns by juniors Robert Longerbeam and Anthony Eaton to make it a 12-0 ballgame early. The visiting Majors scored a rushing touchdown of their own to make it a 12-6 game before the end of the first quarter. Mount Vernon booted a 35 yard field goal to start off the second quarter and make the score 12-9.
After failing to convert on third down the Titans reached deep into the playbook and pulled out a fake punt play on fourth down. The play was a direct snap to senior safety Tavarus Brown who then proceeded to throw the football deep down the middle of the field to junior corner Mohamed Aly. Aly ran the pass into the endzone for a 53 yard touchdown giving T.C. an 18-9 lead. The Majors fought back putting seven more points on the board to make the score 18-16 going into halftime.
The third quarter began with Eaton bursting for a 33 yard touchdown run. The Titans’ defensive effort stopped Mount Vernon from scoring even a single point in the third quarter. At the outset of the fourth, the score was 25-16.
The final 12 minutes were intense for both teams. After scoring a field goal, Mount Vernon recovered a kickoff and was able to get great field advantage, which culminated in a Majors touchdown. Despite strong rushing plays by the T.C. offense the ball was turned back over to Mount Vernon. The Mount Vernon quarterback, junior Fonnae Webb, threw an interception to T.C. senior Ibrahim Bangura, giving T.C. possession with the score tied at 25.
After multiple runs by T.C. late in the fourth quarter it was third and four from their six yard line. Longerbeam sprinted left off the snap but was stopped one yard short to make it fourth and one at the T.C. two yard line.
Coach Longerbeam called on his senior kicker Josue Gomez to put the Titans in the lead in the final seconds. Gomez who in the first time in his career attempted a game winning field goal stepped up, planted and kicked the ball which banged off the up-right and missed. Heartbroken after the game Gomez said, “The kick was on me and it’s crazy. I have never been in a situation where I had to win the game [on] a field goal kick.”
With that the game went into overtime. In overtime the ball starts at first and goal from the 10 for each team. The Majors got the ball first. They quickly scored on a seven yard run to make the game 32-25.
The Titans on third down gave the ball to junior Donovan Eason, who was stopped on the one yard line to make it fourth and one. With the game on the line and everyone in the crowd on their feet Coach James Longerbeam and Offensive Coordinator Jeff Cave made the call to hand it off to their star running back Eaton. Eaton got hit, but kept pushing. He and the offensive line tried their hardest to churn one yard out, but were unable to move forward and the play got blown dead. Mount Vernon won and their team stormed the field in celebration.
Longerbeam said, “[I] had a good first half, just didn’t get it done in the second half. The team needed me to get four yards and I only got three. That led to fourth down and a tough spot for our kicker so you can say it’s my fault we lost to game. [I] just got to keep building and working.”
Eaton ran with power, gaining 156 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and 31 yards through the air. Eaton said, “It was a tough loss, I thought I played hard along with the team. We just have to bounce back next week.”
The “soul crushers” on the offensive line only allowed two sacks for the entire game. Sophomore guard and center Telly Knox said, “We played good as a unit. [I have] love for the offensive line brothers and coach Cave. Once a soul crusher always a soul crusher.”
The defense was aggressive throughout the entire game. Bangura said, “I believe that both me and the rest of the defense showed more than enough effort to stop them we just need to work on some things.” Brown said, “We couldn’t capitalize on their mistakes and [get] the ball back to our offense.”
The Titans will look to rebound against Annandale, a team T.C. beat 40-7 last year, in their final game of the season. Senior left tackle Dillon Miranda said, “I feel like we could have accomplished more, but I am still proud of the work we have done here.”
