Wyoming holds on to beat Indian Hill in triple-overtime CHL thriller
· Yahoo Sports
There's was no way a matchup between the Cincinnati Hills League's two heavyweights would end quietly.
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Wyoming and Indian Hill traded blows for four quarters on Friday, Sept. 11, then traded touchdowns through three overtimes before the Cowboys finally found a way to stop one of Ohio's best players with everything on the line.
Wyoming survived Indian Hill, 48-47, in a triple-overtime Week 4 thriller that had everything from big plays, turnovers, missed opportunities and controversy before ultimately a final defensive stand that sent the Cowboys sideline into a frenzy.
"This is the craziest game I've ever been a part of in my entire life," Wyoming two-way standout Tyler Johnson-Huff said.
The early-season stakes only made the madness more fitting. Wyoming and Indian Hill have alternated winning CHL titles over the last four seasons. Indian Hill won at Wyoming last season on its way to a league crown and the first state Final Four appearance in school history.
On Friday, the Cowboys got their revenge and now hold the upper hand to return to the conference summit.
Wyoming quarterback David Dupee led the way, throwing for an unofficial 184 yards and two touchdowns while running for 50 yards and an overtime score. Jonas Whalen was the Cowboys' bell-cow, turning 26 carries into 128 yards and a touchdown. Johnson-Huff ran for three touchdowns, including two in overtime.
But every explosive play Wyoming had was met by Devlan Daniel, who ran for 257 yards and four scores. He repeatedly kept the Braves alive with explosive runs while running back Jacob Alexander ran for 78 yards and a pair of scores.
Daniel had a 41-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-14 in the second quarter. Both teams found the end zone on their first three possessions. Dupee threw touchdowns to Charlie Walker and Donovan Brown in the first half. Johnson-Huff's one-yard plunge put the Cowboys in front at the half, 21-14.
Daniel threw a 47-yard touchdown to Sam Metz to open the second half. The two teams then traded punts before Wyoming got the game's only takeaway early in the fourth quarter when Johnson-Huff recovered a fumble in the end zone. Whalen's six-yard touchdown with four minutes remaining put Wyoming in front 27-21, but the Cowboys missed the extra point.
Daniel's 25-yard score with 1:39 left in the game tied it 27-27, but Wyoming blocked the ensuing extra point as both teams failed to land the knockout punch.
Wyoming had a chance at the end of regulation, reaching field-goal range. But Dupee took a sack from Indian Hill's Metz and Joey Jernigan with the Cowboys out of timeouts. The field-goal unit rushed onto the field, but Wyoming couldn't get the snap off in the final seconds and the game went to overtime.
The drama only intensified in the second overtime, when Dupee's one-yard touchdown run made it 41-40. Wyoming went for the win, and Johnson-Huff made a diving catch in the end zone. However, the Cowboys were called for offensive pass interference, and the game-winner was taken off the board. Instead of celebrating, Wyoming settled for a long extra point that sophomore C.J. Woodslide drilled to send the game into a third extra stanza.
Johnson-Huff's two-yard TD run put Wyoming up 48-41, but Daniel answered on the next play from scrimmage with a 20-yard touchdown run. Indian Hill called a timeout and left the offense on the field for a game-winning two-point try.
"No. 5," Johnson-Huff said about the defensive game plan on the final play. "We know they're going to Devlan and we just gotta stop them."
Indian Hill ran an option to the far side of the field, but junior Manny Brissie, who was playing the pitch, forced Daniel inside and into the waiting arms of Johnson-Huff. Daniel was able to pitch it toward Alexander, but it was off the mark. Eventually, the Braves scooped it up, but the Cowboys converged for the tackle and an emotional victory.
"Our kids just battled all night long, over and over again," Wyoming head coach Aaron Hancock said. "That next-play mentality."
Dupee added: "I was just crying over there, to be honest. I love this team so much... We've built up a lot of momentum over the last couple weeks. We built up more tonight and we can do anything we put our minds to."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Wyoming holds on to beat Indian Hill in triple-overtime CHL thriller