Josh on the spot (09/10/05)

Josh Glessner couldn’t have been in a better place at a better time.

The senior recovered a Steven Castillo fumble in the end zone to score a two-point conversion in overtime Friday, giving the Jay County Patriots a 45-44 victory over the visiting Anderson Highland Scots.

“It’s awesome, very awesome,” said Glessner of the victory, equating it to last year’s win over Connersville on a Ben Freeman touchdown on the final play of regulation. “Conference is ours. Whoever else wants to try to get it, come and get it.”

The victory puts Jay County in control of the Olympic Athletic Conference race as it looks to win just its second title in school history. The Patriots are 1-0 with games at Muncie Southside and Connersville left to play. Both of those teams entered Friday night with winless records.

“We’re putting a trophy in that case,” Glessner said.

Glessner became a shocking hero on the final play of the game after it seemed clear Jay County (2-2) was about to suffer a heartbreaking defeat.

Cory Locke had scored on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to pull the Patriots to within 44-43 in the first overtime. JCHS coach Shane Hill, having done so successfully three other times already, chose to go for two and the win.

He called the same play he had used on the Patriots’ other two fourth-quarter conversions — a power pitch to Castillo around the right end. This time, however, it was stopped.

Castillo was hit at about the 4-yard line and swarmed by at least three Scot defenders. Then, all-of-a-sudden, the ball squirted loose and ended up in Glessner’s hands for the winning score.

“It would have never happened ... if Steven Castillo didn’t keep driving his feet,” said Glessner. “He was stopped in the backfield, and he just kept driving and driving and driving and it popped out. I happened to be the one that got it. If I wouldn’t have got it, Cory Locke would have got it. He was right on top of it too.”

Surrounded by an unhappy coaching staff, Highland coach Randy Albano indicated after the game that he felt Castillo was down on the play and may have intentionally fumbled the ball forward.

Castillo thought otherwise.

“It wasn’t intended,” said the senior running back, who totaled 200 yards on 19 carries. “I was trying to get in, the ball came out. ... I thought I was going to make a final lunge in and the ball came out, and Glessner was right there to pick it up.”

“It was my opinion at the time that our running game was going and they couldn’t stop it,” said Hill of the choice to go for two and the win.

“We did two two-point conversions with Steven with the same play and ran right over them into the end zone. And I’ve always heard you go for the win at home.”

The Patriots had missed on similar short-yardage tries last week at Franklin County. It was something Hill said he and his staff discussed with the players at practice.

He said he told his team, “When its fourth down or a two-point conversion, and we’re going to give the ball back to them if we don’t get it anyway, scrap, claw, fight, whatever it takes to get the ball across. That’s what he did. He never gave up, the ball got knocked loose and Josh Glessner was right there to pick it up and score.”

The play capped what can probably be called the most exciting game in Jay County history, even after a pair of one-point contests last season.

It included five lead changes and more than 800 yards of total offense. There were two kickoff returns for touchdowns leading to more than 300 special teams yards.

Thirty-two points were scored in the final quarter, including two touchdowns in the final 1:31.

The teams were tied at 14 after one half of play, but Justin Gilbert gave Jay County the lead just 14 seconds after the intermission with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He totaled more than 130 kick return yards to go along with 165 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Highland pulled even with 5:11 to go in the third quarter when Anthony Wilson, who scored both first-half touchdowns and finished with 169 yards on 25 carries, ran in from 50 yards out. The Scots grabbed the lead with a 1-yard run from quarterback Chase Carroll early in the first half, and Castillo tied the contest again with a 2-yard run with 5:43 to play.

Castillo scored again with 1:31 left and added a two-point conversion which seemingly put the Patriots in control. The Highland executed a tremendous gadget play.

The Scots (2-2) had a first down at their own 46-yard line, but only 35 seconds remaining. Quarterback Chase Carroll took a short drop, and flipped a backward pass to receiver Jake Millikan on the left side.

The defense ran at Millikan, who stopped and tossed a pass to Sam Gillis, who was left all alone running down the left sideline. Gillis took the ball the rest of the way for a 54-yard touchdown, and Wilson scored the tying two-point conversion on a pass from Carroll.

Jay County still nearly ended the game as it was aided by a late-hit penalty on the ensuing kickoff. With just 13.6 seconds left Locke completed his only pass of the game to Gilbert, who ran 38 yards before being just barely pushed out of bounds by Carroll at the 22-yard line.

Locke’s last-ditch pass on the following play went over Gilbert’s head, and overtime followed.

The game marked just the second overtime affair in Patriot history. The other came in the fourth game of the school’s inaugural season — a 24-21 victory over Bellmont.

Jay County finished with 462 yards of total offense, by far its best total of the season. Castillo became just the fourth back in school history to break the 200-yard barrier joining Robin Finch (1981), Jeff Alberson (1977) and Gilbert, who did it twice in 2004.

“My hat’s off to the kids,” said Hill. “This was a team effort.

“I’m not going to say that we wanted it more than Anderson Highland because their kids played their butts off as well. Fortunately for us the ball bounced our way. We’ll definitely take the win.”[[In-content Ad]]