Sault football wins in overtime to close out season

SAULT STE. MARIE – The Sault High Blue Devils went on an emotional roller coaster ride Friday night and took their coaches and fans with them.

Senior night always brings a certain amount of emotion with it, but to throw in a double come from behind, overtime victory brought the emotions to a different level. At the end of the night, most of the tears were happy ones as the Blue Devils sent their seniors off with a 20-14 win over the Huskies of Benzie Central.

“I actually thought we came out a little flat,” said Sault coach Scott Menard. “It's always a little different on senior night and with us knowing that we probably weren't going to make the playoffs, along with the fact that this was the last game for these guys, kind of made it hard to get up for the game.”

Defense dominated the first quarter as both teams failed to find the end zone

Benzie changed that on its first possession of the second quarter as the Huskies embarked on a 12-play, 70-yard scoring drive that included one fourth down conversion along the way. The Huskies took a 7-0 lead at the 7:14 mark of the quarter.

The teams traded punches throughout the rest of the first half and throughout the third quarter.

Then the roller coaster ride really began.

Sebastian Compton picked off Benzie quarterback Dan Wallington on a 4th-and-5 play, giving the Sault the ball on its own 24-yard line. Five plays later, the Sault got on the board as quarterback Callen Campbell rolled to his left and found Max Scott all by himself down the left sideline for a 56-yard touchdown pass with 11 minutes left in the game. The Sault missed the point after kick, but kicker Ethan McDonald was roughed on the play, setting the Sault up to go for two. The try was stopped, however, leaving the Devils trailing 7-6.

The bottom then dropped out on the roller coaster as Cael Katt took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 70-yards for a touchdown, even as fans were still cheering over the Sault TD just a moment before.

“We were definitely at our lowest emotionally after the kickoff return,” Menard said. “You could just see it on our sideline and it was like all the excitement from our touchdown was gone.”

Knowing what they had in front of them, the Sault went back to work, moving the ball down the field and getting all the way to the six-yard line before the roller coaster corkscrewed once again. Ryver Ryckeghem, normally as sure-handed as it gets, put the ball on the ground and Benzie recovered at the 8:40 mark of the fourth, setting Benzie up first and 10 on its own five.

The Sault defense stood tall however, and forced a punt after just six plays, breathing life back into Van Citters Field.

The Sault needed six plays to tie the game as the Devils went 61 yards, most of which came on a screen pass to Cale Bell that went for 33 yards. Campbell cashed the check on the possession, running to the left side for a six-yard TD. The roller coaster continued to climb as Campbell hit Carter Oshelski for the all-important two-point conversion pass, tying the game at 14-14 with 2:45 left.

“I felt like when we got that touchdown and two-point conversion, that our kids believed that we were going to win the game,” Menard said. “Even if we ended up going into overtime.”

The Sault had a chance to win at the end of regulation but a Campbell pass was picked off at the goal line.

In the overtime session, the Sault won the toss and elected to play defense first. Benzie's first play was blown by Tim Garland, who brought down Husky running back Jaxon Childers for a six-yard loss.

“That's when I started to feel like we were in good shape,” Menard said. “That play really got momentum back on our side and made a field goal much more difficult.”

Three plays later, the field goal attempt was short, putting the Sault in very good position.

The Sault needed exactly one play to end the game. Ryckeghem, who fumbled near the goal line earlier in the game, fittingly took a handoff and sprinted to the right sideline before turning it upfield and getting in the end zone for the game-winner.

“That was the best feeling ever,” Ryckeghem said after the game. “After the fumble, I was just happy to get another chance and to be able to do it for my guys.”

Ryckeghem led the Sault with 130 yards on 26 carries, while Campbell ran for 86 yards on nine tries. He also threw for 163 yards on 8-of-17 passing. Scott led the receiving corps with two catches for 63 yards, while Bell caught two balls for 50 yards, and Oshelski caught two for 12 yards.

Defensively, the Sault was led by Kaydin Lujan, who had 11 tackles, while Bell, Garland and Compton had nine stops each.

The Sault finishes the season at 6-3, and will say goodbye to 17 seniors.

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sault football beats Benzie Central in overtime to close out season