By Cassie Kickert
In a game that featured two championship teams, it might
have come down to one critical possession.
The scoreboard clock at Greendale High School in Greendale,
Wisconsin, said there was 9:06 to go in the third quarter. The score was 19-9
Pioneers after the Spartans blocked kicker John Ostertag’s punt in the end zone
for a safety.

The Spartans chose a mix of Bobby Windom runs and passes to
confuse the Pioneers defense. Indeed, it seems they did for a time. A Pioneers
offsides penalty helped move the Spartans to the Pioneers 4.
The Spartans knew this was their chance to score and take
the momentum from the Pioneers.

The Spartans did answer with a score of their own when
running back Trevor York ran 44 yards to cut the Pioneers lead to 6, 13-7.
McCoy and the offense weren’t fazed. They came right back,
turning to the ever-reliable Riza Mahmoud. Catching a McCoy pitch on the run,
he wound his way through the Spartans defense for another Pioneers touchdown.
The extra point was blocked, though. The score at halftime: 19-7 Pioneers.
That Spartans safety in the third quarter brings us back to
the critical drive. The Pioneers 4 is the line of scrimmage. Would the Spartans
score a touchdown and take some of the momentum from the Pioneers?
No.

That three points was a major break for the Pioneers.
Safety Jake Lindsey said keeping the Spartans out of the end
zone had a huge impact on the game.
“If our defense doesn't make that stop they would have been
right back in the game with a lot of momentum,” he said.
Had the Spartans scored a touchdown, they would have trailed
by just three points. A field goal would have tied the game. As it was, though,
they were still down by seven. They would not score again.
The Pioneers did, though, when McCoy threw to Woods again,
who marvelously kept his feet in bounds to give the Pioneers a two touchdown
lead, 26-12.
Woods says it’s all about instinct, when he was asked how he
kept his feet in bounds.
“It’s [all about] spacing. You have to know your
surroundings. You have to have that instinct [where you think] ok, I have to
know where I’m at and make sure I’m in bounds when I catch the ball,” he said.
That would be the final margin of victory, as the 2012 NEFL
champion and National champion Pioneers beat the 2012 IFL (Ironman Football
League) champion Wauwatosa Spartans 26-12. The Pioneers would slam the door in the fourth quarter, thanks to interceptions by Brock Keaton and Lindsey.
The Pioneers have a bye week for the 4th of July. Then, the team travels to Duluth to take on the always tough Lake Superior Rage.
The Pioneers have a bye week for the 4th of July. Then, the team travels to Duluth to take on the always tough Lake Superior Rage.
Their next, and final, regular season home game is July 20th
against the North Bank Bulls. It is also Military Appreciation Day at Concordia
University-St. Paul’s Sea Foam Stadium. All current and former military
personnel will be honored and admitted for free.
Photos above courtesy of George Hall and Chuck Sanger.
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