Box Score ADRIAN, MICH. -- Lake Erie College head football coach Mark
McNellie made the gutsiest call of his coaching career taking the
tying point off the board in overtime, but his team rewarded his
decision. Sophomore quarterback Sean Bedevelsky (Brunswick,
Ohio/Brunswick) ran in the two point conversion to cap an
improbable comeback with a 29-28 victory over Adrian College on
Saturday night (Sept. 26) in Adrian.
Lake Erie (3-2) rallied from a 21-0 third quarter deficit to
move above .500 for the first time in school history.
After Adrian scored on the opening possession of overtime, Lake
Erie answered back when Bedevelsky scampered in from 20 yards
out. Freshman Sam Marcotte (Chardon, Ohio/Chardon) came on and
booted the extra point through the uprights to tie the
game. But a running into the kicker penalty gave the Storm the
option to keep the point or move the ball to the one-and-a-half
yard line and go for the win.
McNellie chose the latter. And it was Bedevelsky who made
it the right choice, even if it was a little dicey. On a
busted play in which he bobbled the snap a bit, Bedevelsky scooted
around the left end and beat a defender to the front corner of the
end zone for the winning points.
The two-point play capped off a wild finish.
Down 21-7, senior running back Tony Howard (Garfield Heights,
Ohio/Garfield Heights/Kent State) scored on a two-yard run to cut
the deficit to seven.
After the Storm defense forced a three-and-out, the offense was
driving for what appeared to be the tying score, but Bedevelsky's
pass ricocheted off Nick Yeager's (Madison, Ohio/Madison) pads and
was intercepted by Sederick Dunbar at the 10.
But the Storm defense did its job and got the offense the ball
back with just over a minute remaining and with just over 30
seconds remaining and facing third-and-13, Bedevelsky connected
over the middle with sophomore Dave Romeo (Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake
North) for a 45-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Aided by a pass interference call and a 32-yard pass from Mike
McGee to Eric Suttie, Adrian had a chance to win it in regulation,
but Zach Scoville's 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked by
sophomore defensive lineman Josh Freeman (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) to
force the extra session.
The final minutes marked a remarkable turnaround for the
Storm. Lake Erie committed a couple miscues and failed to
capitalize on some opportunities early in falling behind 21-0.
McGee threw a pair of touchdowns in the first half to give
the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead.
The lead went to 21-0 on a controversial play in the
third. McGee flipped a shovel pass to Jackson Hanks on
fourth-and-one and it appeared he had been stopped short of the
first down marker. But Hanks broke through the middle of the
defense and raced 31 yards for the score.
On the ensuing possession, Lake Erie drove 82 yards on 14 plays
with Bedevelsky hitting Demetrius Gray (Cleveland, Ohio/South) over
the middle for a 12-yard touchdown to start the comeback.
Bedevelsky completed 20-of-39 passes for 296 and two touchdowns
with an interception. He also added 53 yards on the ground on
10 attempts.
Howard led the way with 62 on the Storm's 170 rushing
yards. Gray led the receiving corps with six catches for 71
yards.
McGee completed 21-of-28 passes for 279 yards and three
touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Back-up Justin Hemm completed a
pass for 31 yards and led the ground game with 68 yards on 11
carries.
Lake Erie posted a season-high 466 yards of offense and
outgained Adrian overall 466-452. It marked the first time all
season the Storm has outgained its opponents.
Sophomore linebacker Kevin Chapman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson),
whose interception last week helped set up the clinching points,
led the defense with 10 total tackles, including six solo
stops. Converted running back Steve Bensinger (Poland,
Ohio/South Range) made eight solo tackles from his new safety
position.
The Storm will look to extend its winning streak to three games
next week when it returns home to Jack Britt Memorial Stadium to
take on Ohio Dominican University on Homecoming/Alumni
Weekend. Kickoff s set for 1 p.m.
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