Tide tunes up Donegal

Friday’s regular season finale had all the makings of a shoot out through the first 12 minutes. The two teams combined for 27 first quarter points, with the Indians leading the 14-13.


After forcing the Tide on a three and out on their first series, the Indians kicked their Wing-T offense in high gear. Starting at their own 25, Donegal needed just five plays to find the end zone on a 59-yard sprint to daylight by Drake Brumfield. Matt Foltz’ PAT gave the Indians a 7-0 lead with 8:29 left in the first quarter.

The Tide has a high powered offense and on their second offensive series of the game, they got ot going. Behind the running of Johnny Vazquez and Keenan Edmond and a couple of Tyler Harrison pass completions, the Tide needed 10 plays to score as Harrison teamed for the first time in the game with Michel Burke for a 26-yard score. Seth Lefever easily booted the PAT and the game was tied 7-7 with four minutes left in the first quarter.

On this night, at least early, the Tide had no answer for Donegal’s Wing-T. Right after the Tide’s score, the Indians need just four plays to complete a scoring drive. Johnnie Martin rushed in from 23 yards out. Foltz added the PAT and the Indians were back on top, 14-7 with 2:31 left in the first quarter.

In their first two drives of the game, Donegal ran nine plays, scored twice and 132 yards total offense. They only had 167 the rest of the way. It would also be the Indians’ last lead..

On a chilly night in Mount Joy, the defenses weren’t warming up.

As easy as Donegal moved down field to score to take the lead., the Tide was having no trouble either.

The next scoring drive belonged to Edmond. He carried the ball three times for 25 yards and completed the drive catching a 36-yard pass from Harrison, scoring to pull the Tide within a point, 14-13 as the Tide botched the PAT with 2.9 seconds left in the first quarter.

That’s when the game took a decided turn for the better if you are a Columbia fan, not so good if you were a Donegal fan.

Needing to get something going, the Indians decided to throw the football. Michael Robinson was picked off at the 30 by Edmond, giving the ball back to a “red hot” Tide offensive unit. They capitalized as Burke and Harrison combined for a 25-yard score and with 7:38 left, the Tide, who missed the two-point PAT, led 19-14.

The Tide’s defense stepped up again on Donegal’s next offensive series. With Martin carrying the football, the Donegal runner was stripped. Tide defensive lineman Roger Walton came out of the pack with the football and rumbled, bumbled and stumbled into the end zone for a 23-yard return and all the sudden with 4:41 left in the first half, the Tide was rolling, 25-14.

After forcing Donegal to punt (Donegal on three straight offensive series had 26 yards and two turnovers), the Tide went back to work on offense. With 95 seconds left in the first half, Columbia scored again. This time Harrison found Lefever for a 5-yard score. A two-point PAT from Harrison to Burke gave the Tide a commanding 33-14 lead.

Donegal was forced to punt again and the Tide went on the clock with less than a minute left in the first half. This time, the clock, not Donegal’s defense turned the Tide back at the Indian 27.

Donegal continued its offensive struggles as the second half opened. They punt to the Tide, but the Tide turned the ball right back to the Indians, who marched 54 yards in 10 plays, scoring on a 5-yard pass from Robinson to Caleb Pardun with 4:53 left. At that point, the Tide led 33-21.

The Indians slowed the Tide down a bit on their next offensive series. Columbia drove to the Donegal 17 before running out of downs.

The two teams then traded punts before the Tide’s Vazquez picked off Robinson setting the Tide up at the Indian 35. Three plays later, Burke and Harrison combined on an 8-yard pass. Lefever’s two-point PAT on a pass from Harrison gave the Tide a 41-21 lead with 7:39 left in the game.

With the game no longer in doubt, the Tide added another score with 1:43 left as DJ Wells sprinted in from the seven. Donegal then scored on the game’s final play ona 20-yard pass from Robinson to Brumfield.