Photo by Will Cornelius

By Will Cornelius

The Surveyor

Berthoud High School’s football playoff hopes ended in Craig on Saturday as the Spartans fell 14-13 against the Moffat County High School Bulldogs in a wild and heart-breaking ending.

The final two minutes of the game were filled with stoppages and penalties in a controversial finish. Clinging to a one-point lead, Moffat County had the ball late in the fourth quarter and was attempting to run out the clock. Several times the referees were forced to call their own huddle and put time back on the clock and at one point it appeared they had forgotten how many timeouts each team had left.

With 39 seconds left on the clock, the Berthoud defense forced a punt. Jayce Newbill attempted a sweeping return down the sideline but was caught by Moffat County defenders. With 28 seconds left and no timeouts, the Spartan offense took the field looking for a miracle. Senior quarterback Darin Davidson fired a pass on an out to junior wide receiver Weston Peatrowsky who ran out of bounds. Another pass was caught by fellow junior Cade Anderson who was tackled in the field of play.

Hurrying to the line, Berthoud hiked the ball with 10 seconds left. Davidson found sophomore Justin Mills this time who streaked across the field trying to run out of bounds to stop the clock. As he was being tackled out of bounds, it was difficult to tell if there was still any time left on the clock or not.

Pandemonium ensued next. Bulldog fans emptied the stands and rushed towards the field to celebrate what they thought was the end of the game. Fireworks shot off from a nearby hill, Moffat County players thought the game was over and began celebrating, hundreds of fans were on the field and coaches were screaming. However, there was still one second left on the clock.

After coaches and referees cleared the field, the Spartans came out for one final field goal attempt from the Moffat County’s 25-yard line. Junior Ben Schroeder lined up for a career-long kick to decide the game. But mere moments before the ball was snapped a referee’s whistle was heard before the play that some players thought was a timeout. It was a clean Berthoud snap, but the field goal attempt fell short.

Chaos erupted again as Moffat County fans stormed the field while Spartan coaches were bewildered by what had just happened. After yet another referee conference, it was decided that the game was over and there was no timeout whistle. Berthoud fans were incensed about how the game ended, arguing that it was dictated by the referees.

“There was a lot going on at that end. It was chaotic. It was kind of an out-of-body experience as a coach,” said Head Football Coach Cory Ticnor.

“When you don’t get the job done on all three phases like we did today it’s hard to blame the referees. You got to take your hats off to Moffat County. That team played really hard, they played really well.”

The Spartans managed two rushing touchdowns on the ground from Ben and Alex Larson, but a blocked extra point put them at a one-point disadvantage against the Bulldogs late in the game. They fell behind early in the first quarter after two long touchdowns from Moffat County’s Evan Beaver. While Berthoud would stop them from scoring again, the Spartan offense was never able to find its groove. Combined with some miscues at crucial times on defense and special teams, it was too much for Berthoud to overcome.

It was a devastating way to end a great season as many of the Berthoud players remained on the field in disbelief. Players cried, consoled and hugged each other after the brutal loss.

Despite the emotional loss, senior lineman Donovan Mann wanted his team to know how much they meant to him.

“After I transferred here to play in my junior year. You guys have given me the best team I could ever imagine and you boys treated me like family. Thank you so much for everything! I love all of you!”