Monticello’s sports teams are called the Magic. Monticello used some magic in the final 74 seconds of the game to tie Annandale and send it to overtime. In the extra stanza, Magic scored and the Cardinals lost a fumble on their offensive possession to seal the 27-20 comeback victory. This game showcased the running of Monticello against the varied passing attack of Annandale. Power and size versus speed. Though outgained on the ground 233-89, the Cards held a 244-160 edge on the 22 of 38 passing of Matt Lashinski. A number of passes were near completions that would have added to that completion total. The game started with Annandale going three plays and out, forcing the Cards to punt. Two of those plays were passes that were incomplete by the smallest of margins. Monticello began their first offensive drive from the Cardinal 40, and they showed early on that they were confident with their running attack. Twice, in this first series, they went for it on fourth down, and converted each time. But the Cardinal defense stiffened, and a field goal attempt by the Magic was wide left. After taking over on the 20 and recording a first down pass to Tim Queck, Monticello recovered a fumble on Annandale’s 31-yard-line, and scored on the second play from scrimmage. The Magic touchdown was a 28-yard pass from Dave Swartwood to Mitch Swanson. The point after was good, and Monticello led 7-0. The Cardinals came right back on their next series, which included pass completions to Queck, Brian Karg and a 15-yard- penalty. Annandale moved the ball down the field, and Karg scored from two yards out. The PAT failed, and it was now a 7-6 game with 2:15 left in the first quarter. The teams traded punts on the next two series. Monticello again went for it on fourth down, but the pass attempt fell incomplete. In that series, Tyler Murphy and Tim Queck came up with sterling defensive plays. At the 4:22 mark of the second quarter, Queck raced 31 yards around the right side to make the score 12-7. An unsportsmanlike penalty was called after the run, and the point after attempt failed. 12-7 remained the score going into halftime.
Defense doesn’t break Monticello came out in the third quarter with a 12-play drive, but the defense stiffened again and forced a punt. In that drive, the Magic fumbled the on the Annandale 45, but recovered for a first down. That fumble was one of the 5 the Magic put on the ground with none being turned over to the Cardinals. Annandale had just three offensive plays in the third quarter. At 2:24 left in the third quarter, Monticello started their drive on the Annandale 43, ran four plays to end the quarter, and completed the job with another six plays in the fourth quarter. The final one was a 2-yard run by Monticello’s workhorse, Derek Pogatchnik, a 5’8", 200-pound running back. The snap for the PAT was fumbled, and the Magic held a 13-12 lead. Showing no signs of panic, Karg took the ensuing kickoff, started to his left and handed the ball to Queck on a reverse, who took it to midfield. From there, the Cards moved the ball to the Monticello 19. A quarterback sack, followed by a near-sensational catch by Queck brought up fourth down. The pass to Kloeppner came up just short, and the Magic got the ball back on downs. Monticello could do nothing on the next series and punted at 2:28 remaining in the game. The punt appeared to be short, but a huge roll allowed them to down it on the Annandale 41. Two long pass attempts to Queck and Kloeppner again just missed, but a 20-yard-pass to Charlie Geldert put the ball on the Monti 39. With a third down and three from the 33, Lashinski hooked up with Queck, who turned on the afterburners and sped into the end zone for the score. On the point after, the pass was incomplete, but the Magic were called for roughing the passer, allowing the Cards another chance. Karg delivered, and with 1:24 left in the game, Annandale led 20-13. On the ensuing kickoff, the Cards’ kick was short, and Monticello’s receiver signalled for a fair catch. Intent on getting good downfield coverage, not all the Cardinals saw the signal and ran into the receiver. The 15-yard-penalty put the ball deep in Annandale territory, and led to the eventual touchdown by Tom Sawatzke with 24 seconds left on the clock. With the point after, the score was tied 20-20. High school overtime is played from the 10-yard-line. Each team is allowed a four-down series. The coin toss was won by the Cards, who elected to go on defense first. "By doing so, we see what we have to do when we get the ball, " head coach Matt Walter said. "We knew they were going to run it, and we were determined to make a stop." Pogatchnik carried the mail, and on his third carry into the line, he rumbled into the end-zone. The kick was good. Now it was Annandale’s turn from the 10. Lashinski completed a short pass to Queck, but on the next play, a Statue of Liberty, the ball was fumbled at the point of the handoff, recovered by the Magic, allowing them to escape with the victory. The handoff and eventual drop was caused by a tremendous Monticello rush at just the right time for them. "That was as good as a high school football game can be," Walter said. "Both teams played hard … we got great games from any number of players. I was proud of all our kids. We were disappointed that, after Monticello fumbled five times, we couldn’t come up with any of them. " Walter added, "Our defense kept us in it in the third quarter. We ran only three plays in the whole quarter, which shocked me. (Mitch) Logeais kicked the ball well, (Mike) Kloeppner made a couple of nice catches, (Wyatt) Merrill and (Travis) Eid both did a real good job, and all and all I was satisfied I told the kids we won everything but the score. They all played hard." Tim Queck had an exceptional evening, rushing for 64 yards, receiving for another 110, and breaking up several passes while on defense. It is always difficult to say that a loss was an exceptional game, but in this case, it applies. Geldert caught four passes for 50 yards, and Karg had 28 rushing yards.
Delano home opener On Friday night, Sept. 7, the Cardinals play host to Delano. "We expect them to try to run the ball down our throats next week. We’ll need to score and do more ball control than this game, because they (Delano) are a big, physical team. And we’ll have to run the ball better to keep them off balance, " Walter said. Everyone came through this game injury free, although nearly all the players were stiff and sore after such a physical contest. Along with everyone being healthy, the Cards will welcome Isaiah Atkinson’s return to the lineup after being sidelined this week. Friday’s game is the home opener. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
