BEVERLY — For the first 46 minutes and 54 seconds of the Clark/Francis Bowl against Brooks school on Saturday, the Pingree offense looked sloppy and confused.
For the final 1:04, it looked anything but.
After posting a goose egg on the scoreboard through the opening three quarters, Highlanders signal caller Brendan Oliver orchestrated a seven-play, 32-yard drive capped off by a fourth down, 8-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Jamerson with only 40 seconds remaining in the game to help Pingree to a monumental 7-6 win over Brooks at Endicott College.
Oliver's TD pass only tied things up at 6-6. Jack Williamson calmly booted the extra point to give Pingree its first NEPSAC championship, a mere four years after playing in its first game as a varsity squad.
"Coach called an all-hitch knowing they (Brooks) were running a cover 2," explained Oliver. "Their (Brooks') kid fell and I knew Kyle (Jamerson) would be open at the pylon."
"We all ran the same route," noted Jamerson. "I guess I ended up being open. I was the lucky one."
But Pingree coach Chris Powers felt he could not take credit for the play call. His two senior wide receivers, recalling an incomplete pass on a fourth and goal play in the third quarter, told Powers the all-hitch would work.
"Both Ehab (Hamdan) and John (St. Pierre) came up to me (during the timeout) and told me they could get to the corner (of the end zone) and make the catch," noted Powers. "So I went with their call."
It was a play not found in the Pingree playbook that got things going for the Highlanders on their final drive of the game as Powers dialed up the old "hook and ladder" to get Pingree down to the Green and White's 13-yard line. After catching a quick slant Jamerson pitched the ball back to fellow receiver Ehab Hamdan who rumbled his way for 14 yards.
"We have an array of trick plays that we do practice," explained Powers. "We got the opportunity to use one with the season on the line, and it worked out great."
As impressive as the offense looked on the game-winning drive, it was a big play from a big senior, that gave the offense the chance to make Highlander history.
Trailing 6-0 and forced to punt with just over four minutes remaining in the game, things were looking rather bleak for the Highlanders.
But senior captain John St. Pierre came away with the big play for the Pingree defense recovering an Andrew Coke fumble and returning it to the Brooks 32, setting up the last minute heroics for Rogers and Jamerson.
"John is a great player and a true leader for us," explained Powers. "(After the fumble recovery) it was John who gathered the whole team and told them the game wasn't over and it was still ours to win. I think it was that kind of 'team stuff' that made the difference."
The fumble recovery wasn't St. Pierre's only momentum-changing play of the game.
After the Green and White offense opened with 64-yard drive resulting in a 36-yard touchdown pass from BYU-bound Jordan Johnson to big-play receiver Jason Buco (the resulting PAT came up short of the goal posts), Brooks was threatening again with a first and 15 on the Pingree 18-yard line. To that point, the Green and White had amassed 104 yards on 10 plays.
But when Johnson dropped back to pass on the very next play, St. Pierre intercepted the Division 1 recruit to keep the Highlander deficit at just six points. From that point on, the Pingree defense was able to counter everything the Brooks offense could throw at them. The Highlanders even came away with two big fourth down stops in the first half.
"Bend but don't break." St. Pierre said about the defense. "That's all it was."
The Pingree defense, led by hard-hitting linebacker Brian Rogers, forced Brooks to fumble six times — five coming from Johnson — although Pingree was only able to recover one. The Highlanders held the speedy, big play Brooks' offense to just 155 yards in the final three-and-a-half quarters.
"We threw different things at them and once we found a chink in their armor we exploited it," said Powers. "I think once we got back to our base defense the kids got more comfortable. And when your comfortable its easier to make plays going full speed."
Now that the Highlanders have won the NEPSAC championship, Powers hopes people will start realize that North Shore football exists beyond the Northeast Conference and the Cape Ann League.
"I think our team gives people another chance to see good North Shore football, but a lot of the time we fly under the radar. But putting a championship up there, now I think people will start to notice."
Pingree 7, Brooks 6
at Endicott Stadium, Beverly
Pingree0007 — 7
Brooks6000 — 6
B- Jason Buco 36 pass from Jordan Johnson (kick failed)
P- Kyle Jamerson 8 pass from Brendan Oliver (Jack Williamson kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Pingree — Kenny Adinkra 1-6, Will Walfield 3-5, Jack Williamson 1-(-4), Brendan Oliver 8-(-8), Brian Rogers 2-(-11) ; Brooks — Jordan Johnson 26-101, Brian Charlebois 10-50, Andrew Coke 6-13.
PASSING: Pingree — Oliver 18-38-213-1-2; Brooks — Johnson 4-8-92-1-1, Coke 0-1-0-0-0.
RECEIVING: Pingree — Brandon Parker 6-66, Kyle Jamerson 5-61, Walfield 2-32, Colin Rossano 1-30, Ehab Hamdan 2-16, John St. Pierre 1-8, Brian Rogers 1-0; Brooks — Andrew Coke 3-56, Jason Buco 1-36.
