By Michael D. Doyle
For The Herald Bulletin
MIDDLETOWN, Ind. —
Down 13-12 and buried deep in their own territory as the fourth quarter ticked away, Shenandoah appeared to be in big trouble against visiting Centerville Friday night.
It seemed only fitting that the game’s hero would be Jared Bromagem.
With the Raiders driving, the senior running back took a handoff near midfield, shook a couple of tackles, and saw nothing but 49 yards of green grass between him and victory.
“I saw that open lane and thought ‘This is it, this is the game,’” he said.
Seconds later, Bromagem, who had fumbled twice earlier in the night, stood in the end zone being mobbed by his teammates, as the Raiders survived with an 18-13 win.
“We were down in a big hole, and we finished,” head coach Scott Widner would later tell his squad. “That was a great win. That’s why we do this.”
But it wasn’t easy.
After a strong first half, the Raiders went into the locker room with a 12-6 lead, but were dominated by Centerville for most of the second. Until Bromagem’s big run, Shenandoah had only managed 46 offensive yards in the second half as the Bulldogs played keep-away with the ball, dominating the clock.
When most needed, though, the Shenandoah defense came up big, forcing a Centerville punt with five minutes remaining.
“I don’t know what the time of possession was but we hardly ever had the ball,” Widner said. “We certainly didn’t help the defense much. We put them in bad spots all game long.”
But not this time.
Quarterback Zach York hit a quick swing pass to Zach Cole for a first down to start the drive. On the next play, three things hit the ground: the ball, the intended receiver, and a yellow flag signaling pass interference.
After the 15-yard penalty, Shenandoah suddenly found itself at midfield, which Bromagem finished with one fell swoop.
“I’m so proud of these kids, this was big for them,” Widner said. “They battled through a lot of stuff tonight. They really deserved this win.”
Cole hauled in four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown, while York completed all five of his pass attempts for 49 yards through the air.
Bromagem finished with 11 carries for 154 yards and two scores, but after the game the only thing on his mind was his teammates’ collective faith in him.
“My team kept me up after the fumbles,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about - staying positive and lifting each other up. So when I got that opening, I knew I was going to get this win for them. In this game, sometimes, you just have to keep on truckin’.”
