Northern Illinois Sports Beat: History vs. Heart

By Jon Lewis, Northern Illinois Sports Beat writer

WYOMING - The Stark County Rebels have made it to the playoffs for thirteen years in a row. They have the luxury of being able to develop players at the junior varsity level because of the numbers on their team (56 this year). Then when it comes to be their time they plug them in.

On the other hand there is Orangeville a program that hasn�t seen the playoffs since 2001. If they get 40 players out on the gridiron at the high school level it is a miracle. The Broncos are forced to play freshman and sophomores at the varsity level in order to field a team. This was the year for the Broncos to capitalize and the band of brothers was determined to do so. Realizing this the Broncos brought a herd of fans with them.

Delivering three fan busses and a bunch more Orangeville had Stark County outnumbered easily in the fan department. The Rebels didn�t care in a game that started out slow and had a wild finish it was Stark County coming out on top 22-16, sending Orangeville and the convoy of fans back home disappointed. After all this was the first loss of the year on the road for the Broncos.

Orangeville won the coin toss and deferred until the second half. Stark County started out with the football. The Broncos forced a three-and-out on the first two Rebel drives. Likewise the Rebels did the same holding the Broncos to three-and-outs on there first two drives.

A first down was not achieved until late in the first quarter when Stark County connected on a pass play. Orangeville then held, got the ball back on got their first, first down of the game before kicking it back to the Rebels.

Stark County then fumbled deep in their own territory. Then the Bronco offense went to work getting the Broncos down to the two-yard line where they were held on downs.

After a three-and-out the Rebels were forced to put from their own end zone. That gave Trace Hanson and the Orangeville offense great field position. This time the Broncos took advantage when Hanson hit Steve Snider on an eleven-yard touchdown pass with 2:26 left in the second quarter. Riley Kubazke then rumbled in for the two-point conversion to make the score 8-0, Orangeville.

On the subsequent drive Stark County marched right down the field behind the arm of the senior quarterback Greg Daum. Capping a scoring drive by hitting his 6'5", 238-pound sophomore tight end Calvin Lewis with an eleven-yard touchdown pass with 1:22 left in the half. Stark County them tied it up at eight when Daum connected with Ky Paxon for the two-point conversion.

That would remain the score heading into the fourth quarter. Then with 11:28 left in the contest Daum punched it in from one-yard out on a quarterback sneak. Orangeville held on the two-point conversion, so Stark County lead 14-8.

Then the Rebels pulled a trick out of the hat and bounced the kickoff off of a player in the front row for Orangeville and recovered the loose ball. But the Broncos would have none of it they forced Stark County to put after three plays.

The Broncos didn�t drive 116 miles to lie down. They came out with a passion and executed perfectly on the following drive. Mixing it up between the run and pass until Orangeville ran a sweep to right with Kubatzke who then found a wide-open cut back lane for a thirty-yard touchdown run. Kubatzke then took the two-point conversion in with 6:48 left in the game Orangeville lead 16-14.

�I thought we had after that,� a teary eyed Hanson said.

The drama began on Stark County�s next possession when Daum bobbled a shotgun snap and Orangeville recovered with 6:27 left. All the Broncos had to was hold onto to the ball and run the clock. The Broncos were in control Kubatzke picked up a first-down on the first play of the drive. But with 5:06 left Kubatzke got lambasted by a bunch of Rebels and fumbled.

The Rebels had a chance but the Broncos would have none of it and Stark County was held on downs. Orangeville got the ball back in the same situation as the prior drive, hold onto the ball and melt the clock. Once again the Broncos fumbled it away this time it was Snider.

�We had a good season but we should have gone farther and I made some mistakes that cost us big,� Snider said, fighting back tears. �I can�t explain how it feels right now.�

Stark County was done fooling around they were going to get it to the big guy, Lewis, and that they did. First over the middle on a crossing route for a first down, then on an out route coupled with a facemask. That put the Rebels in scoring position and Lewis stepped up again on a fade route that was ruled a catch for the game-winning touchdown. With 59 seconds left Stark County ran the same play for the two-point conversion to make the score 22-16.

�It is the worst feeling ever to have,� Hanson said. �We didn�t deserve to win because we didn�t finish the game.�

�You can�t turn the ball over that many times at this level of play and expect to win," Orangeville head coach Toby Golembiewski explained with a tear in his eye. "That is training camp stuff happening in week eleven and it can�t happen. (When talking about Calvin Lewis) You saw it a foot taller and seventy pound heavier, he�s nice looking kid. Who knows maybe we can be thankful it was a forty-mile an hour wind with the way they pass we might have lost 42-0. Hats off to them they could pass at will, did a good job of managing the game and played solid defense. They haven�t been in the playoffs for thirteen years straight for no reason.�

Northern Illinois Sports Beat - Nov. 15, 2008

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