NEW MARKET — Southmont’s football team found out just how cruel the game can be Saturday when it dropped a heart-breaking 32-27 decision to North Putnam.
After the game was postponed due to lightning Friday, the two teams battled Saturday and played to a 13-13 tie in the first half. The Mounties (1-1) took control of the game in the third quarter and posted scores on both of its possessions to take a 27-13 lead into the final 12 minutes of action.
On the very first play of the fourth quarter, North Putnam junior quarterback Christian Kramer scored on an 8-yard run to pull the Cougars to 27-20.
Southmont went on another long time-consuming drive and drove to the Cougars’ 32-yard line and faced a fourth-and-8 play when a quarterback sack gave the ball back to the Cougars with 6:16to play. Kramer led the Cougars on a nine-play drive which ended with him carrying it in from 11 yards out and cut the Southmont lead to 27-26 with 2:27 to play.
Following a timeout, the Cougars opted to go for the two-point conversion.
Everyone knew who was going to get the call and this time the Mountie defense stopped Kramer at the goal line to deny the conversion. The Southmont sideline and stands erupted as the Mounties appeared to have secured a victory. All it needed to do was to run out the clock.
Following an onside kick the Mounties took over with 2:16 to play at its own 48. A first down run netted five yards and then disaster hit.
On the second down play, the Mounties fumbled the ball and North Putnam recovered on the Southmont 48. Four plays later the Cougars had a first-and-10 from the 11 when it appeared bad luck had hit the Cougars as the snap from center got away from Kramer and went back to the 25 with just 1:10 to play. However, Kramer completed a 14-yard pass on the next play and then two plays later he walked into the end zone for his third score of the half to put the Cougars up 32-27 with just 23 seconds to play.
“Football is a game that has to be played with emotion, but you can’t play emotionally,” Southmont coach Desson Hannum said. “You can’t let your emotions carry over from one play to the next and allow things to steamroll and that’s what happened to us. We did a lot of good things, but give them (North Putnam) credit they just kept coming at us and we didn’t respond with the plays we needed to make. This one hurts. I can’t think of many times we have had a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and not come out on top. We have to learn from this.”
The Mounties piled up 323 yards in offense and were led once again by junior running back Avery Stadler who had 132 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns. Senior wideout Aaron McMaster scored for the second game in a row as he hauled in a 77-yard touchdown reception and also was big on defense with a pair of interceptions. The final score for the Mounties came from Cale Chadd on a 17-yard run.
Southmont’s defense had no answer for Kramer who ended the game with a game-high 162 yards rushing (132 in the second half) and also threw for 268 yards and a score.
Southmont will entertain North Montgomery on Friday.
