Indians outlast Tigers for Rotary Bowl win WATCH THE VIDEO
Lead Summary

By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
GREENFIELD — The '11 Rotary Bowl came down to a 2-point conversion.
One simple play was the difference between a win or loss for both teams, but this time a missed two-point conversion in the fourth quarter by the McClain Tigers not only sent the Hillsboro Indians home with a 28-27 victory Friday night, but they regained possession of the coveted Rotary Bowl.
"We kept telling the kids to stay with it," Hillsboro coach Brian Spicer said. "In a rivalry like this … we had a lot of fans come over for this game, and it was nice. I looked into the stands, and I saw future players watching. This was just a good win, and I'm proud of our team."
The stage was set for a wild finish as the Tigers went 56 yards on eight plays to reach the end zone on a 6-yard run by senior quarterback by Camron Cooper with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter.
A timeout was called, and the decision was made … there would be no overtime in the Rotary Bowl this season … the Tigers were going for two points and the win.
Following the timeout, both teams lined up for the play, but an orange flag was tossed in the air, and with that the Tigers were sent to the 8-yard line for their two-point attempt, as they went for the win.
As the ball was snapped to Cooper, the Indians' defense put pressure, forcing Cooper to scramble, and as the ball sailed in the air, the diving receiver was unable to stretch out far enough to catch the pass.
The incompletion gave the Indians a one-point lead with just over 1:00 left in regulation.
McClain had one final hope, but they grabbed the onside kick a yard too early, scooping up the ball after nine yards, not allowing it to bounce the designated 10 yards needed for it to be a free ball.
That sequence of events was the difference of not only having overtime, but with the Indians celebrating on their rival's field with the Rotary Bowl trophy.
"It's disappointing … it's heartbreaking," McClain coach Randy Closson said. "Our guys fought so hard. They fought so hard all year. They fought through adversity, disappointment and heartbreak. For them to go out in the last game and to fight the way they fought, I'm proud of them for that.
"I'm sick over how the game turned out tonight. It was close … we put ourselves in a position to win the ballgame at the end. Should have, could have, would have … I don't know what else to say."
Getting to that point, where the Tigers put themselves in a position to win their second game of the season, could be described as a roller coaster of sorts.
Hillsboro scored on their first possession, on the game's fifth play, with senior Chase Gilliland catching a pass from senior Christian Cundiff, taking it 56 yards to the end zone with 9:38 left in the opening quarter. The PAT by Jarrod Hart put the Indians up 7-0. Cundiff went 9-of-13 for 139 yards passing with two touchdowns and one interception.
The Tigers regrouped and in the second quarter went even with their cross-county rival with 10:39 left in the first half as Cooper ran the ball four yards on third-and-goal. The PAT by Ryan Faulconer tied the score at 7-7. Cooper rushed for 90 yards on 17 carries.
McClain's scoring drive went 55 yards with runs from Gary Ryan, Cooper and Dillon East, along with a catch from Jordan Goble. East ended the game with 40 yards on nine carries, and Ryan finished with 80 yards on 24 carries.
The tied score didn't last long with the Indians scoring on the ensuing possession with Christian Wildey catching a pass wide-open for a 16-yard touchdown with 5:32 left in the second. The score came on a third-and-goal from the 16-yard line with HHS being sent there on a penalty during the previous play.
Hillsboro's scoring drive had four plays of 10 or more yards with Gilliland catching a screen pass for 12 yards midway through the drive.
With a 14-7 lead, it was Gilliland, a four-year varsity starter for the Indians, making his mark … this time on defense with an interception on the 43-yard line of McClain with 5:35 still left in the first half. The pass was tipped as senior Casey Woodyard pressured Cooper on the pass attempt.
One play later, again it was Gilliland putting his stamp on the game with Cundiff tossing the ball to Gilliland behind the line of scrimmage, and with Gilliland (the backup quarterback) throwing a perfect pass to Michael Stuckey in stride for a 57-yard touchdown with 5:05 left in the second quarter. Hart's PAT put HHS ahead 21-7 at halftime.
The Tigers were first to score in the third quarter going 51 yards on 10 plays. The drive began with a 12-yard run by Cooper, followed by a 15-yard personal foul by Hillsboro added on to the run, putting the ball on the Indians' 23-yard line.
Another run by Cooper, followed with runs by East, Ryan and Cooper put the ball on the 1-yard line. This time it was Ryan who pounded his way to the end zone as his offense line pushed the HHS defense out of the way for a 1-yard touchdown with 4:21 left in the third. Faulconer's line-drive PAT made the score 21-14.
As the Tigers gained the momentum in the third quarter, they tied the game in the fourth with East recovering a fumble in the end zone with 7:46 left in the game. The fumble occurred on a high snap to Cundiff on a second-and-16 from the 11-yard line.
The 21-21 score didn't last long on the scoreboard as the Indians took a 28-21 lead five plays later when Wildey went through the Tigers' defense, breaking tackles at the end of the play for a 40-yard touchdown with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter.
It was Wildey who helped keep the aforementioned drive alive when he caught a 29-yard pass on third-and-9. Wildey finished with 103 yards receiving on three catches, along with 49 rushing yards on 12 carries.
The Tigers took over with 4:55 left in the fourth from their own 44-yard line. The first play was a pitch to Ryan for 5 yards. Two plays later it was Goble, leaping in the air, catching a pass for 14 yards and a first down. Goble then gained eight yards on a pitch play, followed with runs by East and Ryan. Cooper finished the drive with a 6-yard run on a third-and-goal play. From the 8-yard line, the Tigers were unable to convert the 2-point conversion opportunity.
McClain ends the season at 1-9 overall, 0-6 in the SCOL. Hillsboro finishes at 2-8 overall, 2-4 in the SCOL.
GAME NOTES: McClain had 51 rushes for 218 yards, finishing the game with 244 offensive yards … HHS had 196 yards passing, finishing the game with 265 total offensive yards … HHS had 15 penalties for 130 yards … MHS had nine penalties for 70 yards … MHS had 17 first downs (12 rush, 1 pass, 4 penalty) … HHS had nine first downs (4 pass, 4 rush, 1 penalty) … Before the game, the Tigers celebrated Senior Night … Brandon Davis and Cain Crouse were part of a -21 yard tackle in the second quarter … Goble had an interception with 11.8 left in the second quarter … Dillon Hunick forced a turnover on downs with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter.[[In-content Ad]]
One simple play was the difference between a win or loss for both teams, but this time a missed two-point conversion in the fourth quarter by the McClain Tigers not only sent the Hillsboro Indians home with a 28-27 victory Friday night, but they regained possession of the coveted Rotary Bowl.
"We kept telling the kids to stay with it," Hillsboro coach Brian Spicer said. "In a rivalry like this … we had a lot of fans come over for this game, and it was nice. I looked into the stands, and I saw future players watching. This was just a good win, and I'm proud of our team."
The stage was set for a wild finish as the Tigers went 56 yards on eight plays to reach the end zone on a 6-yard run by senior quarterback by Camron Cooper with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter.
A timeout was called, and the decision was made … there would be no overtime in the Rotary Bowl this season … the Tigers were going for two points and the win.
Following the timeout, both teams lined up for the play, but an orange flag was tossed in the air, and with that the Tigers were sent to the 8-yard line for their two-point attempt, as they went for the win.
As the ball was snapped to Cooper, the Indians' defense put pressure, forcing Cooper to scramble, and as the ball sailed in the air, the diving receiver was unable to stretch out far enough to catch the pass.
The incompletion gave the Indians a one-point lead with just over 1:00 left in regulation.
McClain had one final hope, but they grabbed the onside kick a yard too early, scooping up the ball after nine yards, not allowing it to bounce the designated 10 yards needed for it to be a free ball.
That sequence of events was the difference of not only having overtime, but with the Indians celebrating on their rival's field with the Rotary Bowl trophy.
"It's disappointing … it's heartbreaking," McClain coach Randy Closson said. "Our guys fought so hard. They fought so hard all year. They fought through adversity, disappointment and heartbreak. For them to go out in the last game and to fight the way they fought, I'm proud of them for that.
"I'm sick over how the game turned out tonight. It was close … we put ourselves in a position to win the ballgame at the end. Should have, could have, would have … I don't know what else to say."
Getting to that point, where the Tigers put themselves in a position to win their second game of the season, could be described as a roller coaster of sorts.
Hillsboro scored on their first possession, on the game's fifth play, with senior Chase Gilliland catching a pass from senior Christian Cundiff, taking it 56 yards to the end zone with 9:38 left in the opening quarter. The PAT by Jarrod Hart put the Indians up 7-0. Cundiff went 9-of-13 for 139 yards passing with two touchdowns and one interception.
The Tigers regrouped and in the second quarter went even with their cross-county rival with 10:39 left in the first half as Cooper ran the ball four yards on third-and-goal. The PAT by Ryan Faulconer tied the score at 7-7. Cooper rushed for 90 yards on 17 carries.
McClain's scoring drive went 55 yards with runs from Gary Ryan, Cooper and Dillon East, along with a catch from Jordan Goble. East ended the game with 40 yards on nine carries, and Ryan finished with 80 yards on 24 carries.
The tied score didn't last long with the Indians scoring on the ensuing possession with Christian Wildey catching a pass wide-open for a 16-yard touchdown with 5:32 left in the second. The score came on a third-and-goal from the 16-yard line with HHS being sent there on a penalty during the previous play.
Hillsboro's scoring drive had four plays of 10 or more yards with Gilliland catching a screen pass for 12 yards midway through the drive.
With a 14-7 lead, it was Gilliland, a four-year varsity starter for the Indians, making his mark … this time on defense with an interception on the 43-yard line of McClain with 5:35 still left in the first half. The pass was tipped as senior Casey Woodyard pressured Cooper on the pass attempt.
One play later, again it was Gilliland putting his stamp on the game with Cundiff tossing the ball to Gilliland behind the line of scrimmage, and with Gilliland (the backup quarterback) throwing a perfect pass to Michael Stuckey in stride for a 57-yard touchdown with 5:05 left in the second quarter. Hart's PAT put HHS ahead 21-7 at halftime.
The Tigers were first to score in the third quarter going 51 yards on 10 plays. The drive began with a 12-yard run by Cooper, followed by a 15-yard personal foul by Hillsboro added on to the run, putting the ball on the Indians' 23-yard line.
Another run by Cooper, followed with runs by East, Ryan and Cooper put the ball on the 1-yard line. This time it was Ryan who pounded his way to the end zone as his offense line pushed the HHS defense out of the way for a 1-yard touchdown with 4:21 left in the third. Faulconer's line-drive PAT made the score 21-14.
As the Tigers gained the momentum in the third quarter, they tied the game in the fourth with East recovering a fumble in the end zone with 7:46 left in the game. The fumble occurred on a high snap to Cundiff on a second-and-16 from the 11-yard line.
The 21-21 score didn't last long on the scoreboard as the Indians took a 28-21 lead five plays later when Wildey went through the Tigers' defense, breaking tackles at the end of the play for a 40-yard touchdown with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter.
It was Wildey who helped keep the aforementioned drive alive when he caught a 29-yard pass on third-and-9. Wildey finished with 103 yards receiving on three catches, along with 49 rushing yards on 12 carries.
The Tigers took over with 4:55 left in the fourth from their own 44-yard line. The first play was a pitch to Ryan for 5 yards. Two plays later it was Goble, leaping in the air, catching a pass for 14 yards and a first down. Goble then gained eight yards on a pitch play, followed with runs by East and Ryan. Cooper finished the drive with a 6-yard run on a third-and-goal play. From the 8-yard line, the Tigers were unable to convert the 2-point conversion opportunity.
McClain ends the season at 1-9 overall, 0-6 in the SCOL. Hillsboro finishes at 2-8 overall, 2-4 in the SCOL.
GAME NOTES: McClain had 51 rushes for 218 yards, finishing the game with 244 offensive yards … HHS had 196 yards passing, finishing the game with 265 total offensive yards … HHS had 15 penalties for 130 yards … MHS had nine penalties for 70 yards … MHS had 17 first downs (12 rush, 1 pass, 4 penalty) … HHS had nine first downs (4 pass, 4 rush, 1 penalty) … Before the game, the Tigers celebrated Senior Night … Brandon Davis and Cain Crouse were part of a -21 yard tackle in the second quarter … Goble had an interception with 11.8 left in the second quarter … Dillon Hunick forced a turnover on downs with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter.[[In-content Ad]]