By George Bremer, Herald Bulletin Sports Writer
ANDERSON — The rain never stopped Friday night at Machholtz Stadium.
Neither did the Highland football team.
T.J. Scott’s extra point at the end of the second overtime gave the Scots a 21-20 victory against Mount Vernon and a ticket to next week’s sectional title game at New Palestine.
“I’m so proud of these guys,” Scott said, beaming despite the weather. “This is incredible.”
Scott was a captain on Highland’s boys soccer team this season. He was named to academic all-state team in that sport, and he’s one of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes leaders.
In fact, he was one of the speakers at the FCA’s recent Fields of Faith event in Muncie.
The wet and windy conditions were far from ideal for a kicker Friday night.
Mount Vernon failed to connect on three kick attempts to win or extend the game in the fourth quarter and overtime sessions.
Following Isaiah Johnson’s one-yard touchdown plunge in the second OT -- his second score of the game to go with 109 rushing yards, Scott calmly paced off his attempt.
He put his head down, turned his eyes to the goalposts and kicked the ball high and hard through the middle of the goalposts.
“I had a great hold; I had a great snap,” Scott said. “I’ve got a pretty easy job compared to them. I was just happy to get the opportunity and make the most of it.”
Scott’s point-after try concluded the best football game in Madison County this fall.
Mount Vernon fullback Trey Ross rushed for 206 yards and two scores, and the Marauders led 14-7 when they took possession at their own 18-yard line with 4:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ross put Mount Vernon on the board first with a 17-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
Highland’s Derrick Hill answered just before the half. Quarterback Brad Kindred threw a high pass toward the middle of the field where he thought only Hill could get to it.
Hill leapt, plucked the ball out of the air and spun past one defender as soon as he landed. Turning to sprint upfield, Hill broke another tackle and cruised into the end zone 51 yards later to tie the score with 1:46 remaining in the second quarter.
Neither team scored again until Ross rumbled in from the 1-yard line to hand the Marauders back the lead with 3:56 to play in the third quarter.
“It was a lot of fun,” Segner said of a game that suited his smashmouth outlook. “Their fullback (Ross) is a heck of a player. He’s a big guy, and he’s hard to take down.”
The same can be said of Segner, who gained 74 yards on 12 carries and made several big stops on defense.
Highland’s biggest trouble against Mount Vernon came from turnovers. The Scots coughed the ball up five times, four inside the red zone.
The Scots were driving for what appeared to be a game-tying score when Segner lost the ball on second-and-1 at the Mount Vernon 8-yard line late in the fourth quarter.
The ball squirmed through several arms before the Marauders recovered at their own 18. Mostly running behind Ross, they advanced the ball to the 34 and faced second-and-5. Highland had just two timeouts left, and the game was under the three-minute mark.
Mount Vernon first gave the ball to Ross, who was met and dropped by defensive lineman Sean Dennis at the 36. Third-and-3. Timeout, Scots.
“He looked like he played well,” Highland coach Randy Albano said. “Our regular nose guard was hurt, and we moved Sean in there. He stepped up and made plays.”
On third down, the Marauders tried Corey White around end. He was met and felled by Segner and Ethan Hollingsworth at the line of scrimmage.
After the punt, Highland took over at its own 33 with 2:34 to play.
Runs of 20 and 12 yards by Kindred gave the Scots a first down at the Mount Vernon 35.
Kindred, who finished with 114 passing yards, then found Hill for a 21-yard gain to the 14.
An illegal motion penalty pushed Highland back to the 19, but Segner rumbled 17 yards with a screen pass to the 2.
Johnson finished the drive with a two-yard plunge, and Scott’s extra point tied the score.
Quarterback Austin Parker rushed the Marauders back downfield with a series of quick slants, and Ross broke a 21-yard run to give Mount Vernon a first down at Highland’s 13-yard line with 8.4 seconds to play.
Matt Horton came on to attempt a game-winning field goal, but the snap bounced and the holder was tackled to end regulation.
“We just stepped up and made big plays when we needed them,” Segner said. “This was a huge challenge, and we stepped up to it.”
The momentum didn’t last long for the Scots as Segner fumbled at the 7-yard line on the second snap of Highland’s first overtime possession.
Mount Vernon took over at the 10 needing just a field goal to win. White gained nine yards on first down, setting the Marauders up inside the 1-yard line.
But the Scots defense, led by a redemption-seeking Segner, stuffed Ross on consecutive attempts to force another field-goal try.
This time the snap was high, sailing over Horton’s head and keeping the Scots alive.
“I think (Segner) got a little tired out there,” Albano said. “I think that fumble in overtime really hurt him. That made him a little more aggressive, and he made some big plays for us.”
Mount Vernon got the ball to start the second overtime, and White surged in from the 10 on the first snap to put the Marauders back in front.
But the snap on the extra point was a tad low, and Hill broke through the line to block it.
The Highland sideline erupted, and Johnson took over.
He ran for four, five and one yard on consecutive carries to get into the end zone and give Scott the chance to win it.
“Both teams were evenly matched,” Albano, who picked up the 100th victory of his career, said. “That’s a good football team we beat.”
Highland will travel to New Palestine next week to play for its first sectional crown since 1983.
“That’s big,” Segner said. “Winning two games in the sectional is good, but (winning a title) is bigger. That’s what gets put on the plaques. That’s what you get remembered for.”
