The Kenston football team called timeout before the play that would decide the game. The Bombers faced fourth and goal from three with 31 seconds left in the game trailing Akron Buchtel, 18-13.
The Kenston football team called timeout before the play that would decide the game. The Bombers faced fourth and goal from three with 31 seconds left in the game trailing Akron Buchtel, 18-13.
Senior fullback Toran Savransky was in the huddle on the sideline when he heard the play call of a fullback dive. Savransky is a mainstay on the Bomber defensive line, but hadn’t carried the ball this season yet.
That made Savransky’s game-winning touchdown run even more sweet as he powered into the end zone to lift the Bombers to a 21-18 victory over the Griffins on Friday night at Bomber Stadium at Kenston High School.
“It was one of the best feelings of my life,” Savransky said. “It’s my first handoff in two years. My mindset was to just treat it like another play. It was beautiful work by the offensive line.”
Kenston coach Jeff Grubich talked about the play call.
“Our offensive linemen asked for the fullback wedge,” Grubich said. “We looked at their defense and we thought we could win with our center and two guards. And Toran’s built like a brick house.”
The victory lifted the Bombers to 2-2 while dropping the Griffins to 0-4.
The game-winning drive started at the Kenston 36 with 3:05 left to play as they trailed, 18-13.
The game looked to be in hand for the Bombers when they reached the Griffin 4, but things got a little whacky. The next play Kenston was flagged for holding, which pushed the ball back to the Griffin 13 for a third-down play. Quarterback Adam Barr scrambled and made it to the 6, but another penalty, this time on the Griffins, moved the ball to the 3. That set up the fourth down plunge by Savransky.
Barr and Will Hamm stepped up big for Kenston as they started in place of quarterback Jack Bryner and Ethan Burge. Barr completed 7-of-13 passes for 54 yards with a touchdown and an interception and a few key scrambles. Hamm had a big game as he rushed 27 times for 160 yards. Grubich said Bryner and Burge are week to week with their injuries and will hopefully be back soon.
“We had to dig deep and trust our offensive line,” Hamm said. “We have to trust the coaches. They know what to do.
“Our offensive line gave the best blocking we could ask for. I can’t thank them enough.”
Grubich talked about the importance of the victory for Kenston.
“This is a good football team that is learning how to win,” Grubich said. “The last two losses we had the opportunity to win. They keep fighting and working hard.
“We took a big step today.”
It was a close game throughout as the Griffins scored first on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Arthur Thomas to Terrell Hall with 2:28 left in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead. The Griffins attempt two-point conversions mainly and failed on their run attempt. Thomas had a good game as he completed 18-of-29 passes for 204 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Bombers answered early in the second quarter as Barr connected with Kahlil Hinton on a 5-yard touchdown pass for a 7-6 lead with 8:17 left in the first half.
The Griffins retook the lead when Thomas threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Daurean Johnson for a 12-7 lead with 2:12 left in the first half.
Kenston closed out the first half scoring as Grady Kucharson kicked a 28-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the half. The Griffins took a 12-10 lead into the break.
The Griffins got the ball to start the second half and had an impressive 14-play drive covering 70 yards as Thomas connected with Johnson again for a 20-yard touchdown and an 18-10 lead with 4:31 left in the third quarter. Johnson had a big game with eight catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns. He also intercepted a pass on defense and nearly had a second interception on a diving attempt.
The Bombers pulled within 18-13 when Kucharson hit a 39-yard field goal with 5:26 left in the game. The Kenston defense stood strong and got the ball back for the Bombers, which set up the late heroics of Savransky, Hamm and Barr among others.
