Mediapolis falls two yards short in overtime playoff loss to Sigourney-Keota
SIGOURNEY -- The Mediapolis High School football team dominated every statistical category in Friday's Class 1A second-round playoff game against Sigourney-Keota.
All except the one that mattered most.
Despite holding the ball for a whopping 37 minutes, the No. 9 Bulldogs came up two yards short in a heartbreaking 20-14 loss to the 10th-ranked Cobras in overtime at the Snake Pit.
Sigourney-Keota (8-2) advances to the quarterfinals to face top-ranked Van Meter at 7 p.m. on Friday. Mediapolis ends its season with an 8-2 record.
The Bulldogs will forever look back on this one and wonder what might have been if they made the key plays in crucial moments.
"We had plenty of opportunities. We didn't make the plays we needed to make," Mediapolis head coach Brian Borrison said. "We'll be able to look back and see plenty of times where we were close to making plays that could have had a major effect on this game. But we didn't do it. It's unfortunate."
After a scoreless second half, the Cobras got the ball first in overtime. On a third-and-three play, Cole Clarahan barreled in to give the Cobras their first lead of the game. But Chase Sieren missed the extra point, leaving the door open for the Bulldogs.
Mediapolis faced a fourth-and-three and was down to its final play. Borrison called timeout to talk over the call.
The Bulldogs opted for a direct snap to senior tailback Anthony Isley, who burst up the middle. But he was met by three Cobras and stopped two yards short of the goal line.
Game, and season, over.
"That's what the kids wanted to run. That's what our O-line wanted. That's what our backs wanted. We went with what they wanted. They made a play. We didn't," Borrison said. "That's why we took a timeout to talk about it. That's exactly what they wanted to do. Unfortunately, we didn't make the play we needed to make at that point in time."
A game of missed opportunities
Mediapolis drove 72 yards in 13 plays, chewing nearly five minutes off the clock to score on its first possession of the game.
The Bulldogs drove to the Cobras' 27 on their next possession and faced a third-and-one. But the Cobras dropped fullback Josh Glendening for a three-yard loss, and Ben Egan's pass to Aidin Nelson on the next play fell incomplete.
On the ensuing play, Sawyer Stout connected with Clay Morse for a 70-yard touchdown pass to pull the Cobras within one point at 7-6. The Mediapolis defensive back slipped on the play and the Bulldogs missed a tackle that would have prevented the touchdown.
Mediapolis countered with a 16-play, 71-yard drive, culminating in a three-yard scoring run by Glendening to give the Bulldogs a 14-6 lead and ate 6:49 of clock.
Sigourney-Keota put together its only drive of the game, marching 82 yards on nine plays before Clarahan scored from three yards out. He also scored on the two-point conversion to knot the game at 14.
"I thought we executed a lot of things well. Unfortunately, there were many times where, for whatever reason, we didn't make the plays we needed to make," Borrison said. "You have to give them credit. They did. They were able to make that drive right before half that got them back into it."
Mediapolis dominates, but can't finish
Mediapolis held the ball for 20:04 of the second half, but three times saw drives stall deep in Sigourney-Keota territory.
The Bulldogs drove to the Cobras' 39 late in the third quarter before a fumble ended that threat.
Then, in the fourth quarter, Mediapolis drove to the Cobras' 24. Egan appeared to keep the drive alive with a 12-yard run up the middle to the 12, but the Bulldogs were whistled for a facemask call, nullifying the run.
Instead, the Bulldogs were forced to try a 47-yard field goal with 1:54 left. But all-state kicker Drew Miller's attempt fell just short.
"He thought he had it. It looked good. It just came up a few yards short," Borrison said. "There's a lot of woulda, coulda, shouldas with that, but ultimately we were just a hair short on that one."
Egan intercepted a Stout pass on the next play, giving the Bulldogs one last opportunity at the Cobras' 45.
But Mediapolis mustered just five yards, sending the game to overtime.
"Give them credit. They were able to bend, but not break," Borrison said of the Cobras. "You look at it and you honestly feel like you let one get away. You hurt for all the kids involved, especially the seniors. But they can hold their heads high knowing they game a great effort. They are a big part of the success of our football program."
M. S-K
First downs. 18. 7
Rushes-yards 64-268. 25-99
Passing yards 25. 106
Comp-Att-Int. 2-14-1. 3-9-1
Total offense. 293. 205
Fumbles-lost. 1-1. 0-0
Punts-average. .2-43.5. 6-31.0
Penalties-yards. 7-52. 2-15
3rd Down Efficiency. 9-17. 1-7
4th Down Efficiency. 2-5. 0-0
Time of possession. 37:10. 10:50
Scoring by quarters
Mediapolis 7 7 0 0 0 — 14
Sigourney-Keota 6 8 0 0 6 — 20
Scoring
M—Anthony Isley 3 run (Drew Miller kick)
S-K—Clay Morse 70 pass from Sawyer Stout (kick failed)
M—Josh Glendening 3 run (Miller kick)
S-K—Cole Clarahan 3 run (Clarahan run)
S-K—Clarahan 3 run (kick failed)
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Mediapolis — Isley 39-153, Ben Egan 14-76, Glendening 11-26, Noah Schmidgall 2-9, Aidin Nelson 2-6, Jackson Hutchison 1-(-2). Sigourney-Keota — Cole Kindred 3-37, Stout 6-22, Isaac Bruns 3-21, Clarahan 12-20, Brayden Wood 1-(-1).
PASSING: Mediapolis — Egan 2-13-1-25, Isley 0-1-0-0. Sigourney-Keota — Stout 3-9-1-106.
RECEIVING: Mediapolis — Cole Lipper 2-25. Sigourney-Keota — Morse 1-70, Aidan Anderson 1-20, Bruns 1-16.
Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Mediapolis stopped at two-yard line in overtime loss to Sigourney-Keota
