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CRUNCH: Grand Island drops close decision to Sweet Home

By Nate Beutel
GRAND ISLAND — The gridiron rivalry between Grand Island and Sweet Home is synonymous with hard-hitting slugfests that go down to the wire. Saturday’s CRUNCH Game of the Week between the top two teams in Class A North was no exception.

The host Vikings had the ball deep in Sweet Home territory three times in the second half, but couldn’t punch it in as they dropped a narrow 20-18 decision to the host Panthers at a soggy Masters Field.

“When it’s Sweet Home-Grand Island, it’s anybody’s ballgame,” veteran Panthers coach John Faller said. “It went back and forth the whole way, but I guess we made just enough plays when we needed to.”

The Panthers started the game with a bang, going 70 yards on 12 plays for a quick 7-0 lead after quarterback Casey Kacz found Noah Mwachukwu for a 27-yard TD strike. They quickly tacked on a second score when Deshanrao Morris busted 10 yards up the middle to the end zone. Mikal Coleman’s blocked punt — the first of a number of special teams errors by GI — set up the score.

GI would respond, though, as it took advantage of a short kickoff and scored just before the end of the opening quarter. One play after hitting Lance Robinson for a 28-yard strike, Vikings quarterback Joe Oliverio found his go-to receiver, Alex Neutz, for a 19-yard TD hook-up.

Then midway through the second period, GI fullback Paul Chiaravalle finished off an 11-play drive in style with a bruising 1-yard TD run. For the second consecutive score, though, the extra point failed, allowing Sweet Home to retain the lead, 13-12.

The Panthers’ lead would balloon to eight when Coleman bounced a dive around the right edge for a 24-yard TD midway through the second quarter. The play was set up by a 62-yard kickoff return from Will Reese.

But just over a minute later, the Vikings would respond with a 62-yard double pass for a TD. Oliverio threw the ball to back-up quarterback Joel Klock, who then tossed a bomb downfield to a wide open Matt Krupczyk.

“We had worked on that play a bit in the past and Joel made a great throw,” GI coach Dean Santorio said.

The Vikings would again miss their extra point, this time dropping a potential two-point conversion pass.

After forcing a punt from the Panthers, GI drove down the field with the final few seconds of the first half ticking off the clock. With only a second left, Oliverio (14-of-27, 172 yards, TD) threw a desperation heave to Neutz (seven catches, 115 yards, TD), who drew a pass interference call. That allowed GI an untimed down before halftime, which it used to miss a 28-yard field goal.

“Special teams, by far, were the biggest reason we lost,” Santorio said.

The mistakes would only compound in the second half. Late in the third period, GI running back Eddie Weiser (17 carries, 109 yards) fumbled inside the Sweet Home 20-yard line. On the Vikings’ next possession, tailback Andy Lalonde put the ball on the ground after busting a 33-yard run the play before.

“Those two fumbles absolutely killed us,” Santorio said.

The final straw took place when Oliverio was sacked by Morris on a fourth-down play inside the Panthers’ 20-yard line with just over three minutes left.

“We let one get away,” Santorio said. “We’d love to have another opportunity to play them (in the playoffs).”