AUBURN, MI – A 31-yard field goal may be a chip shot in the NFL.
But it’s far from a can’t-miss situation at the high school level.
But when Bay City Western coach Chris Willertz made the call to go for the field goal from that distance, he did so with full confidence. After all, Owen Folsom had earned the chance to try.
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a kid,” Willertz said. “But we talked about it as a team and everybody said ‘Owen can make this.’”
The first-year kicker was sent on the rain-soaked field in the most intense of situations, needing to send the 31-yarder through the uprights to rescue his team from an 8-7 deficit with just over one minute left in the crosstown showdown with Bay City Central.
With heat coming from all directions, Folsom’s kick didn’t catch enough air and was batted down as Central secured the dramatic win. The junior has been a valuable commodity this season for the Warriors, converting 14 of 17 attempts on PATs.
He got no help from Central on the decisive play as Ben Sporman came flying off the edge and Luke Zanotti came roaring up the middle.
“I thought they might bring the kicker out, and I knew he could make it,” Central coach Kevin Frederick said. “But we were ready for it. We put Luke Zanotti over the guard. He’s our biggest, strongest kid and we thought if he could barrel down the guard, he might get his mitts on it.”
*This marks the second year in a row the Central-Western game came down to a single play – and a single tough decision by Willertz.
A year ago, he decided to go for two after Western scored with 3:54 to play to draw within 27-26. When Central’s Xavior Hoyt made the tackle to deny the conversion, that’s the way the score would remain.
“You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” Willertz said. "Last year it was going for two. This year it’s kicking the field goal. But if we go for it there, everybody would be saying ‘What’s he doing going for it on fourth-and-18?’
“Coaches bear so much responsibility and weight. We feel like we’ve got to make the perfect call. And we feel terrible. You can’t pull out a magic wand and -- ‘Poof!’ – here’s the perfect play.”
*The 8-7 final marks the lowest scoring game in the series since Central’s 3-0 win in 1988. That season, Michael White kicked a field goal for the game-winning points. On Friday, his son, Mike White, caught a two-point conversion for the winning points.
*Central’s lone touchdown came moments after its top two rushers for the night – Jomar Griffin and Jamario Harris – both exited with injuries. In stepped Caiden Ramirez, who caught a short pass from A.J. Kaczanowski then turned it into something special with a 30-yard touchdown jaunt.
“Caiden Ramirez hadn’t gotten a lot of reps, but we had some guys dinged up and he went in and made a huge play,” Frederick said. “We talk with the kids about always being ready when your number is called, and that’s a perfect example right there. He knew what he was doing when he went out there, and he got the job done.”
*The eight-game winning streak in the series is tied for second longest. Central won the first nine meetings between the two schools from 1974-83.
THE STATISTICS
PASSING: Central: A.J. Kaczanowski 5/8 for 39 yards, TD; Western: Jack Fryzel 9/16 for 81 yards, TD.
RUSHING: Central: Jamario Harris 8-62; Jomar Griffin 14-42; A.J. Kaczanowski 13-22; Western: Joe Wiedyk 14-74; Jack Fryzel 13-58; Logan O’Hare 4-30; John Rivet 8-24.
RECEIVING: Central: Caiden Ramirez 1-30; Jamario Harris 2-7; Western: Eric Randall 3-45; Logan O’Hare 3-11.
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