SCAB Report

Championship

Galactic Soup Bowl

Spitters slip up, but slip past Swine

The result of the 2015 season was expected: Kootsville Tech on top for their fifth SCAB championship. But the way it ended wasn't. With everyone else in the league losing at least twice, 2015 was the parade of the conquerors, including the Spitters' 59-10 show of superiority in the Western semifinal. The Spitters were a prohibitive favorite in the championship game despite Porkbelly having the best matchup of anyone they'd faced. But the Swine relayed the turn done them by Northwestsoutheastern in the Eastern semi and did what no one else could come close to doing.

Porkbelly held Kootsville Tech to 24 points, their lowest total of the season and the only time the Spitters scored less than four touchdowns in a game. The Swine led from midway through the first quarter until the middle of the third, then got the lead again with barely two minutes left in the game. Just as Northwestsoutheastern had done to Porkbelly in that semi, and Kootsville had done to Northwestsoutheastern in the championship two years ago, Porkbelly defied the odds, went against the run of play and turned this into a contest. And a thriller for the championship.

But, as in those two previous cases, then the lightning struck. The spectacle of an upset, in this case a huge one, turned into the spectacular fate and ability of the favorite. Two years ago, it was that last drive of the Fighting Pacifists, that Kootsville even anticipated by trying to convert on fourth down rather than kick a field goal leading only 18-17. Last week it was Porkbelly scoring a TD, a 2-point conversion, partially blocking a punt, then getting the winning score.

This time, Kootsville even stole a page from Puke's book, which will now be more famous because it happened in the championship game. As Puke's Mick Muffin had done in the Eucalyptus Leaf Bowl to upset Brimstone, Kootsville TE D.O. Durant turned the game with one play, a long reverse run for the winning score. Durant's was 64 yards, compared to Muffin's 80, but the play was in the championship game, for the Spitters who thus matched Puke's total of league titles, and was by the much more illustrious player who changed the game when he came to Kootsville last season.

Kootsville Tech QB Harlan Daggers still got his 250 yards passing, 258 in this case. But he was picked off -- something else Porkbelly did that, perhaps most incredibly, no one else had done all year. Spitter RB Chester Doggon Minnit was in form, with 50 yards and a TD rushing and 50 yards receiving. But while the Swine rushing game was similarly neutralized, QB Luke Trudy-Kehoe found a way through the Spitter defense with 237 yards and 2 TDs passing, thanks in large part to top recruit and All-SCAB WR Hugh Briss, who opened up others like WR Turner Cameron. Porkbelly used opportunistic defense, minimizing Spitter scoring, getting the intercepting, forcing a Minnit fumble, and blocking a punt that led to what would've been the winning score. No one had scored more than one TD on the Spitters all year, and the Swine scored three.

Porkbelly served notice on their first play from scrimmage, a 23-yard pass from Trudy-Kehoe to Cameron. Then the Spitters forced a three and out. But the Swine did the same to the Spitters. Starting at their own 30 after the punt, the Porkbelly delivered the next stunner, scoring in three plays, all three passes: a 13-yarder to TE Ray Finances, a 19-yarder to Briss, then the 38-yard TD play to Cameron. Trudy-Kehoe was 5 of 5 at that point, and was finding other targets as Briss was drawing coverage.

The teams traded drives to missed field goal attempts. The Spitters were moving the ball, but Porkbelly was holding on to stall drives. In the second quarter they traded scores, but Kootsville had to settle again for a field goal, this time good from 27 yards for kicker Jess Wright. Porkbelly answered with another TD, on a 7-play drive that included a 25-yard pass play to Finances. The Spitters had been behind only once all year, by a field goal, and now Porkbelly had a two-score lead.

Kootsville consumed almost the rest of the half with a 12-play drive, the Swine seeming to slow down the juggernaut until it arrived at the Porkbelly nine-yard line. Then a holding penalty backed Kootsville to the 19. On the next play, Minnit was hit at the line of scrimmage and the ball knocked loose. The Swine recovered at the 12 and held a halftime lead of 14-3.

The Spitters went right back to it on the opening possession of the second half, this time taking ten plays to go 64 yards. Daggers threw to Durant for 18 yards, and three times to Sorbetta, for 12, 13 and 10 yards. Minnit scored from the four.

The inexorable was underway. Kootsville held Porkbelly to a three and out. Sorbetta returned the punt 18 yards to the Swine 37. The Spitters struck in four plays, including a 12-yard run by Sorbetta, and the 15-yard scoring pass to WR Luke Daggers. It wasn't until the middle of the third quarter, but it was on their first two possessions of the second half, and Kootsville had the lead 17-14. It looked like the Swine's surprising effort and bid would end there.

But the Swine then kept up in a defensive battle. They kept the Spitters from taking off, and mired them in a field position contest, trading drives that started deep and went half the field to put the other team deep. Then after Kootsville forced a three and out at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Porkbelly got the interception, and it turned a big play. Daggers on his own 36 heaved a bomb for Sorbetta, who had broken free. But Briss closed fast and made the jump with Sorbetta, grabbing the ball from him in the air at the last second at the Porkbelly 16.

Behind by only three, the Swine had the ball in the middle of the fourth quarter. RB Ewen Bigg busted a 12-yard run Briss caught a 16-yard pass to move them to the 46. Then the Spitters defense rose up and sacked Trudy-Kehoe for a 12-yard loss. On the next play, another near sack turned into a busted play screen attempt and Briss lost another 12 yards. Briss ran for 16 on a reverse on the next play, but Porkbelly had to punt.

After a 17-yard pass from Harlan Daggers to his brother Luke, the Spitters again went three and out. Then came the next incredible turn: the blocked punt. Porkbelly was set up on the Spitter 23. Trudy-Kehoe scrambled for 6 yards, threw to Cameron for 12 to the five. After a throw to the end zone that was incomplete, Trudy-Kehoe dropped back to pass again, but gave the ball to Bigg on a draw, who scored. Porkbelly took the lead 21-17 with 2:24 left in the game! One of the greatest seasons in SCAB history was on the verge of ending in futility.

The Swine executed a bouncing ground kick on the kickoff, gambling on field position to try to prevent a return, with the clock in their favor. The Spitters pulled the kick down at their 32 and returned it four yards, to set up at the 36. On the first play from scrimmage with under two minutes, Harlan Daggers went back for a pass but threw it away after good coverage forced him to run away from the rush.

On second down and 10, Durant lined up in more of a slot, backed up from his tight end position on the line. Daggers took the snap, and the entire team swept to Durant's side, including RB Minnit who was behind Daggers. Daggers handed the ball to Durant. It was like a counterplay, a slot reverse, and developed much more quickly than the usual reverse to a wideout. Durant beat one defender on the trailing corner and then went untouched down the sideline, 64 yards. There was the lightning bolt. Spitters took the lead 24-21.

Porkbelly still had some time left, and ran three plays, one an incomplete pass, to move to their 36. On the last play, Trudy-Kehoe found Briss for a 29-yard pass, but the Spitters kept well enough behind him and time expired on the play before they tackled him.

What the Swine may have done is serve notice that they will be the rival of Kootsville Tech next season and in the foreseeable future. For now, despite the nailbiting way they concluded it, the Kootsville Tech Spitters on top of the SCAB again. The school with the most wins and the most championship appearances now matches Puke with five championship and takes aim at Northwestsoutheastern's seven. Sorbetta, Durant and Harlan Daggers, this year Minnit and Luke Daggers, have all come together to give legendary Kootsville perhaps their finest season.

10 Clan:
UF 9 0 0 10 3 0
Bu 7 2 0 9 5 0
MV 6 3 0 8 5 0
HP 4 5 0 7 5 0
Ca 4 5 0 6 6 0
IO 4 5 0 5 7 0
LB 4 5 0 4 8 0
Fl 3 6 0 4 8 0
Bf 3 6 0 3 9 0
Gr 1 8 0 2 10 0

Little 10:
KT 9 0 0 15 0 0
Br 7 2 0 10 3 0
SS 7 2 0 9 4 0
MS 6 3 0 8 4 0
GJ 6 3 0 8 4 0
SP 4 5 0 4 8 0
PU 3 6 0 4 8 0
Bd 2 7 0 4 8 0
CU 1 8 0 2 10 0
Wh 0 9 0 0 12 0

10 Pack:
Pb 8 1 0 12 3 0
Nw 7 2 0 11 4 0
Cr 7 2 0 7 5 0
DS 6 3 0 8 4 0
HG 4 5 0 6 6 0
SB 4 5 0 5 7 0
Fm 3 6 0 6 6 0
MO 3 6 0 5 7 0
DG 2 7 0 4 8 0
AT 1 8 0 2 10 0

Non-Conference:
BH 8 1 0 10 3 0
OD 7 2 0 11 3 0
St 7 2 0 9 4 0
Pk 7 2 0 11 4 0
Ox 4 5 0 7 5 0
LW 4 5 0 5 7 0
So 3 5 1 4 7 1
OL 2 7 0 3 9 0
UP 1 7 1 1 10 1
Pe 0 9 0 0 12 0