Football, seemingly unlike any other sport, has a knack for wild finishes. Plays like “the immaculate reception”, “the music city miracle” and even the Seahawks’ “fail mary” last season are just a few examples of those types of plays.
This past week in Washington high school football, we were treated to a play along similar lines that gave Columbia River a huge 29-24 win over bitter-rival, Skyview.
Let’s set the scene: The Chieftains were lined up to attempt a game-winning field goal, when Skyview burst through the line and blocked the kick. Skyview players sprinted to the sidelines in celebration, fans rushed the field, and River players started to walk off with their heads hanging. Game over.
Except for one problem – the ball never crossed the line of scrimmage, meaning it was still a live ball.
A player for Columbia River, Reese Keller, realized what was happening and picked up the loose ball and headed towards the goal line, and the eventual game-winning score.
“Last year’s motto was for our team was ‘to the end’,” junior WR/DB Holden Fielding told NEI. “This game was truly for last year’s seniors, whistle to whistle, both teams gave it everything we had, it was an incredible game to play in”
A pretty wild finish, no doubt. But here’s the cool part for the Chieftain players, and Northwest football in general – “the play” has gone national.
Video of the play has been all over major news sites today, including the likes of Deadspin.com (where Tumwater QB Jayden Croft appeared last season for a no-look pass).
But the biggest acknowledgement of the play came tonight on the broadcast of Monday Night Football in the popular “C’mon Man” segment. Even more exciting, America was asked to vote for the best play in “C’Mon Man”, and Columbia River won!
Congratulations to the Columbia River program on the rivalry win, and also the national recognition. Way to represent the Pacific Northwest! #NWTakeover
Results were just revealed on MNF halftime: River-Skyview wins ESPN’s C’mon Man! with 48% of the national vote.
— Columbian preps (@360preps) September 17, 2013
