56-yard Fillhart-Boyd walk-off puts Port Allegany over Brockway, extends season
By HUNTER O. LYLE
DUBOIS, PA – With just 7.8 seconds left on the clock, the Port Allegany football team faced pure, unfiltered desperation.
After dominating for the majority of three quarters, at one point holding a 20-point advantage, everything had turned against them in the fourth. An interception, a controversial onsides kick call and three consecutive Brockway touchdowns had put the Gators’ season at a brink. Lining up 56 yards away from the endzone, with less than ten seconds remaining and a one-point deficit on the scoreboard, everything rested on whatever happened next.
Taking what would be the last snap of the game, win or lose, quarterback Brennan Fillhart stepped up into the pocket and spotted Chase Boyd darting downrange Tossing up a high-arching Hail Mary, Brennan Fillhart found Boyd just beyond his defender with nothing but open turf in front of him. As he crossed the endzone, the sidelines erupted.
Claiming a walk-off 40-35 victory, Port earned a spot in their fifth-consecutive District 9 Class A title game.
“I’m baffled right now. We’ve been doubted all year, counted out, (people have) picked against us. We weren’t supposed to be here,” said first-year Port Allegany head coach Cliff Fillhart. “Everyone doubted us all year and we just preached that. We knew what we could do.”
Taking to Mansell Stadium, the Gators had more motivation than just a shot at a title. They were after redemption.
Seeing the Rovers in Week Four of the regular season, Brockway handed Port their first loss of the season in what Cliff Fillhart referred to as “the worst game we played as a staff and a team.” With that stinging memory still circulating, the Gators looked to set the tone early, a mission accomplished by their defense.
Although they were unable to find traction on their first offensive possession, being put out in three, Port’s defense made up for the early stumble. Just as Brockway began to make their way down the field, the Gators snapped their momentum, seeing Boyd pick off a pass one-handed to give the ball back to the Black and Orange. Three plays later, Kellen Veilleux broke away from the pack, streaking 73-yards to put Port on top early.
Despite seeing the Rovers quickly retaliate, with D9-rushing leader Collin Weir reaching the endzone on a 55-yard carry, that would be the last time Port allowed them to score for the next 17 minutes.
In the meantime, the Gators began to roll. With Veilleux at the tip of the spear, Port scored on both of their final two first-half drives. A 38-yard screen pass saw Veilleux tally his second touchdown while a 17-yard rush late in the second quarter tacked on his third.
Once again, Brockway ripped off an early score to start the second half, with quarterback Aiden Patton finding an opening on a scramble that carried him 53-yards to the house. However, the bump in the road failed to rattle Port’s chassis. Leaning on their undersized yet overpowering offensive line, the Gators saw their ground game continuously strike deep gains into the Rovers’ territory.
“Up front today was amazing. We ran two plays throughout the whole quarter, lead left and lead right. That’s all we ran,” said Cliff Fillhart. “Hats off to those guys up front. I know the guys in back get all the credit but Cooper Bliss, Gavin Moses, Jackson Young, Ryan Carlson and Garrin Wright, they deserve all the credit.”
Constantly burning their defensive matchups across the line of scrimmage, as well as plenty of time off the clock, Port reached the endzone on back-to-back drives, holding a 34-14 advantage with 9:17 left in the final quarter of play.
However, then the worm turned, and turned quickly.
After starting on their own 27-yard-line, the Rovers’ first drive of the fourth seemed to stall out just before midfield. Staring down a fourth-and-four scenario, Brockway was forced to gamble and saw the chips fall their way as Weir broke through the trenches for a 52-yard touchdown, his third of the night.
Pushed into crunch time, Brockway again gambled on an onside kick, one that bounced early and rattled between players. After much deliberation, it was rewarded to the Rovers on the 50-yard line. With the help of a 34-yard pass from Patton to Caleb Daugherty, as well as a personal foul call against Port, Brockway again broke the plane, cutting the deficit on the scoreboard to just six with 5:40 remaining.
Still holding a lead, Port looked to continue emphasizing their run game, but, after being stumped into a third-and-eleven, went to the air and ultimately suffered their first turnover of the game via interception.
As Brockway again began marching down the field, it was clear who held the momentum. Finding incremental gains, as well as their third fourth-down conversion, the Rovers reached the goal line. With just 21 seconds remaining, Weir punched in his fourth score of the game, giving Brockway their first lead since the first quarter.
“I was just telling the guys to calm down and take a breath. We just needed to empty the tank,” said Cliff Fillhart. “We still had a chance so let’s take the chance. We still had a one percent chance to win the game and that’s all we needed.”
Port’s first two plays yielded just eight yards, and parked on their own 43-yard-line with 7.8 seconds remaining, they had no other choice than to go big. Launching a dot 35-yards through the air, the Gators’ boldness paid off. The shot was perfectly placed, reaching Boyd’s hands before Boyd reached the endzone.
Port had survived.
Brennan Fillhart came away with five completed passes on seven attempts, recording 135 yards through the air and a pair of scores. Veilleux ended with 156 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground and another through the air, while his backfield counterpart, Isaac Postlewait, finished with 118 rushing yards and one touchdown. Postlewait also tallied a team-high 12 total tackles.
Returning once again to the championship stage, the Gators will next see No. 1 Keystone next Friday at a time and place yet to be announced. Coming off a do-or-die win, their confidence might be their biggest weapon.
“We’re region killers. We beat Region 4 (Smethport) last week, we beat Region 2 (Brockway) this week, and now we’re going after Region 3 (Keystone) next week,” said Cliff Fillhart. “We’ll be ready. We’re going to enjoy this tonight and get back at it tomorrow.”
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