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5 minutes ago, Miner_Pride said:

anyone got a clue on the weather scenario this Friday Night.  Rain and a muddy field definitely affected play in the Linton-MD game.  Was is rainy as well in Poseyville in their win?  

Best of luck to both. 

All clear in the Ville Friday night, high of 55 and a low of 29

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11 minutes ago, jets said:

I asked this earlier in the thread, but not sure I received a real clear answer. (I think some people took it as trying to drum up “recruit” talk- which I wasn’t) ...genuinely curious as to how common the MD QB situation is with kiddos in the same household?? (One brothere at NP, the other at MD) 

I just can’t wrap my head around what that household must be like this week

It happens from time to time, we’ve had sister went to one school and brother to the other. We have had parent gets upset about something and sends younger sibling years later to other school. I’m sure it has gone both ways thru the years. May be the only time I remember the siblings on opposite sides of the field but i expect it to happen again in a few years. Unfortunately the QBs brother has been injured I don’t expect him to play much if at all. Great kid, great family! 

 MD QB had an older brother who started his high school career at Mater Dei and then transferred. He played a key role in a basketball victory in the sectional over mater dei his senior year. 

More common is kids going to a MD feeder school (like St. Wendel) thru 8th grade and then coming to NP. I’d say we have 5-10 kids that did that on our roster, a few key starters.

21 minutes ago, Miner_Pride said:

anyone got a clue on the weather scenario this Friday Night.  Rain and a muddy field definitely affected play in the Linton-MD game.  Was is rainy as well in Poseyville in their win?  

Best of luck to both. 

Weather was good last week at North Posey.

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18 hours ago, jets said:

I asked this earlier in the thread, but not sure I received a real clear answer. (I think some people took it as trying to drum up “recruit” talk- which I wasn’t) ...genuinely curious as to how common the MD QB situation is with kiddos in the same household?? (One brothere at NP, the other at MD) 

I just can’t wrap my head around what that household must be like this week

Jets - I am not the subject matter expert but, in my experience, this is not a common situation.  However, I don't know for certain if the two in question are truly brothers or possibly just cousins. While it is not a common last name, given the teachings of the catholic faith, family trees tend to have many branches, especially on the West Side.  Family "shrub" would be more apropos for some ; - )  I would defer to Cappy, or another NP follower to confirm the family ties/not. 

One reason I would cite as to why this is uncommon is the tuition discount for families with more than one child in school at the same time. It used to be nearly 50% for 2nd child but may have changed.  Not to say half the MD tuition isn't still a hefty amount though @ ~ $3,700. If they are indeed brothers, there must be a good reason in the parents eyes why they sent them to different schools.

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1 hour ago, MDAlum82 said:

Jets - I am not the subject matter expert but, in my experience, this is not a common situation.  However, I don't know for certain if the two in question are truly brothers or possibly just cousins. While it is not a common last name, given the teachings of the catholic faith, family trees tend to have many branches, especially on the West Side.  Family "shrub" would be more apropos for some ; - )  I would defer to Cappy, or another NP follower to confirm the family ties/not. 

One reason I would cite as to why this is uncommon is the tuition discount for families with more than one child in school at the same time. It used to be nearly 50% for 2nd child but may have changed.  Not to say half the MD tuition isn't still a hefty amount though @ ~ $3,700. If they are indeed brothers, there must be a good reason in the parents eyes why they sent them to different schools.

They are 100% brothers.  

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1 hour ago, MDAlum82 said:

Jets - I am not the subject matter expert but, in my experience, this is not a common situation.  However, I don't know for certain if the two in question are truly brothers or possibly just cousins. While it is not a common last name, given the teachings of the catholic faith, family trees tend to have many branches, especially on the West Side.  Family "shrub" would be more apropos for some ; - )  I would defer to Cappy, or another NP follower to confirm the family ties/not. 

One reason I would cite as to why this is uncommon is the tuition discount for families with more than one child in school at the same time. It used to be nearly 50% for 2nd child but may have changed.  Not to say half the MD tuition isn't still a hefty amount though @ ~ $3,700. If they are indeed brothers, there must be a good reason in the parents eyes why they sent them to different schools.

I agree its not very common regarding sports. But academics its fairly common. Some kids may thrive better in different AP schools. I just give kudos to the parents to be able to do that. And probably a very well educated decision. Just a thought.

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19 hours ago, globemstr3 said:

I agree its not very common regarding sports. But academics its fairly common. Some kids may thrive better in different AP schools. I just give kudos to the parents to be able to do that. And probably a very well educated decision. Just a thought.

I sure hope it was for academic rigor. Being a parent myself, I can’t imagine how that conversation goes if it was for athletic purposes. 

It still seems a really strange situation to me. Wonder how their morning breakfast was today?? 

Best of luck to both teams tonight. 

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1 hour ago, jets said:

I sure hope it was for academic rigor. Being a parent myself, I can’t imagine how that conversation goes if it was for athletic purposes

I believe the senior brother (NP) stayed with his friends from St. Wendel and came to NP. St. Wendel is a MD feeder school in Posey county on the Vanderburgh county line. I don't know the stats but sometimes the kids in 8th grade there go to MD and sometimes they go to NP. 

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4 hours ago, tango said:

Gonna keep it in the family and go with the Wildcats to get their 23rd Sectional title by a comfortable 35 - 17 score.

The Vikings have the athletes to beat MD, can they compete with MR. Ralph and co up front? I liked how hard our line fought last week vs a very big, physical NK team. And yes I believe MD is better than NK but how much? NK returned most of their team from last year, last years NK team gave MD its toughest game of the sectional (lost 30-19.) Not many outside that locker room feel the Vikings have a chance...  I'm going back to 2012 when MD kicked a last second FG to defeat the Vikings at Central stadium 31-28.  I think NP repays the favor tonight. Game winning 42 yd FG after a missed extra point to make it interesting, Vikings win 30-28. 

Like when Gibson Southern plays Memorial, lots of Catholics on the field tonight. Glad its finally game day!

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5 minutes ago, Cappy said:

The Vikings have the athletes to beat MD, can they compete with MR. Ralph and co up front? I liked how hard our line fought last week vs a very big, physical NK team. And yes I believe MD is better than NK but how much? NK returned most of their team from last year, last years NK team gave MD its toughest game of the sectional (lost 30-19.) Not many outside that locker room feel the Vikings have a chance...  I'm going back to 2012 when MD kicked a last second FG to defeat the Vikings at Central stadium 31-28.  I think NP repays the favor tonight. Game winning 42 yd FG after a missed extra point to make it interesting, Vikings win 30-28. 

Like when Gibson Southern plays Memorial, lots of Catholics on the field tonight. Glad its finally game day!

Anything can happen in high school football and any team with both a strong passing & running game always has a chance to win any game they play.  Best of luck to both teams tonight!

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1 hour ago, Cappy said:

The Vikings have the athletes to beat MD, can they compete with MR. Ralph and co up front?

I tell ya... Tyler Martin #59 was all over the field against Linton... I had him with 20 tackles total.   It was his stop of Gennicks on 4th and 3 just before halftime that set up that score with 10 seconds to go ....   Ralph is good but we had some big runs right at him... course he had 10 stops too.... but Martin was everywhere!

Bet of luck to both squads tonight.   I might pop down the alley to see Vincennes Lincoln and Owen Valley tonight.

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10 minutes ago, Miner_Pride said:

I tell ya... Tyler Martin #59 was all over the field against Linton... I had him with 20 tackles total.   It was his stop of Gennicks on 4th and 3 just before halftime that set up that score with 10 seconds to go ....   Ralph is good but we had some big runs right at him... course he had 10 stops too.... but Martin was everywhere!

Bet of luck to both squads tonight.   I might pop down the alley to see Vincennes Lincoln and Owen Valley tonight.

I will make certain his Dad is aware of your praise, not certain if he is a GID follower or not.  Tyler has come a long way.  He has really put in the time to get stronger and quicker, and his motor never stops.  While he has never been fast, his first 2-3 steps are very quick, which allows him to get through the O-line before he can be blocked, often untouched.  

Travel safely MP.

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4 hours ago, jets said:

I sure hope it was for academic rigor. Being a parent myself, I can’t imagine how that conversation goes if it was for athletic purposes. 

It still seems a really strange situation to me. Wonder how their morning breakfast was today?? 

Best of luck to both teams tonight. 

Ive actually set at one. One kid going to a Catholic school and the other private lets say. I found that quite refreshing. Funny though the conversation evolved about both schools and all kids. I gotta go with the Victor Wildcats as a Miner Homer. But North Posey really has to be watched. I wasn't so much worried about MD this year because that's a known   Close game   Big Game.   I was concerned about this team from NP.

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On 11/3/2021 at 5:01 PM, Miner_Pride said:

anyone got a clue on the weather scenario this Friday Night.  Rain and a muddy field definitely affected play in the Linton-MD game.  Was is rainy as well in Poseyville in their win?  

Best of luck to both. 

nope...no rain...maybe a sprinkle at the very end!

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7 hours ago, MDAlum82 said:

I will make certain his Dad is aware of your praise, not certain if he is a GID follower or not.  Tyler has come a long way.  He has really put in the time to get stronger and quicker, and his motor never stops.  While he has never been fast, his first 2-3 steps are very quick, which allows him to get through the O-line before he can be blocked, often untouched.  

Travel safely MP.

Oh please don’t pass that along to Jake. That’s the last thing he needs! 

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37 minutes ago, Spitting Llamas said:

Good win last night by the Wildcats. We came out hot and really dominated all areas of the game. It was good to see a complete effort from MD. Things seem to be rolling the right direction. We will face another tough task in traveling to Triton Central for regional. 

I think they will win the South. And win it all! Sectional 40 is BRUTAL. Go WILDCATS!

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On 11/6/2021 at 1:47 PM, Spitting Llamas said:

Good win last night by the Wildcats. We came out hot and really dominated all areas of the game. It was good to see a complete effort from MD. Things seem to be rolling the right direction. We will face another tough task in traveling to Triton Central for regional. 

well I sure wish the best for the WIldcats moving forward.  I hope that Linton's loss helps in some way down the road..and our loss isn't in vain!  

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Just to close the books... and prolly the last post I have on this season... and prolly a week late..... but to be complete... and to...ahh well.. Ima just post it:

 

Miner City becomes Heartbreak City in 1-point loss to Wildcats

It was the kind of atmosphere we’ve not seen at The Roy in a while.  Sure, there have been some big games in the years since Linton won state in 2016, and since that Miner Semi-State win over Lutheran at Linton that prefaced that appearance at Lucas Oil.  But this was circled a long time back with hopes of another shot at Mater Dei with what felt like a team who had the talent to get over that MD hump.  Well, I think it’s safe to say that this unit had the talent, and went toe to toe to the bitter end with the Wildcats from Evansville.  It wasn’t the result Miner fans wanted, but it was the representation every one of us in Miner land wanted to see.  Once more this alumnus was filled with pride of how his home town Miners did not back down in adversity, fighting back time and time again to answer the bell.  Yes it hurt to see that scoreboard hit all zeroes and see that 28 to 27 final, knowing it was the last time for 12 senior players who gave it everything they had.  Not only to those twelve, but to that entire team and coaching staff who had prepared all year for this game.  It was a special group, this 2021 edition of Linton Miners.  One that is this writer’s opinion is deserving of high rank when discussions of best Miner Football teams comes up as it always does.  

This game started out with that familiar feeling we’ve experienced in the last 3 meetings.  Junior Wildcat RB Joey Pierre had 2 runs totaling 14 yards around a Mason Wunderlich 9 Yard Pass to Eli McDurmon pushed MD to the Miner 34 in 3 plays.  Pierre converted a 3rd and 1, but MD would face another 3rd and 5 from Linton’s 25 that was stuffed by junior safety Hunter Gennicks on another Wunderlich to McDurmon pass.  As is games of past, it was a breakdown that left Junior Ethan Stolz sitting wide open at the Miner 15 where he went untouched into the end zone for a 1st possession score.   Tyler Sitzman, who was 28-28 coming into the game on PAT’s, would not miss all night and at 8:02 it  was Mater Dei up 7-0.

How would Linton respond to the opening salvo 9 play 57 yard opening TD drive from MD?  It wouldn’t take long to see as junior Hunter Johns’ took the kick from Camden Marx at the Miner 13 and without a pause he shot through the middle of the MD defenders and simply bolted 87 yards to the South Endzone to pull Linton to within 1 just 14 seconds after the MD score.  Freshman Eddie Caseres Oliver came out in the bad footing and drilled the PAT to tie the game at Sevens and we knew this would be a game for the ages.  However it was Pierre who ran for a tough 8 yards on 1st down from their own 43 to start MD’s 2nd possession.  Junior Wrigley Franklin and Sophomore Ty Boyd combined to stop Pierre for 1 yard, then Boyd and Senior NT Jackson Fields stuffed #25 for no gain at the Miner 48.  MD rolled the dice on 4th and 1 and Pierre was drilled by senior linebacker Gabe Eslinger for a huge loss of two giving Linton the ball at midfield.

Linton’ offense finally took the field at the 5:57 mark of the 1st, and Johns ran gaining 7 followed by a 5 yard First Down run by junior Hunter Gennicks…  A holding penalty, in a game that saw just 4 penalties all night long, pushed Linton back to the 46 erasing a good run by Gabe Eslinger.  However, Hunter Gennicks bolted through the line on a keeper, then cut to his left on a huge run inside the Wildcat 20, a run of 29 yards. But it was senior safety JT Mayer who while diving to push Gennicks out of bounds managed to pull the ball free where Joey Pierre pounced on it just in bounds at the 17 yard line.  The turnover battle was a sore subject in Miner Land as it had played such negative roles in the losses to the ‘Cats in previous years.  No question that Linton had momentum at this point, and a good shot at putting points on the point on that drive.  

The Wildcats took to the air with Wunderlich passes to Stolz for 19, then another to Humphreys for 14 put the ball at their own 46.  Franklin had made an outstanding tackle on a swing pass to Pierre for a loss of 4 on a prior play.  MD was trying to establish the run game, and having some success as Pierre had back to back carries to push the chains to the Miner 43.  Eli McDurmon showed his speed by getting behind Padgett on the Miner Sideline deep in Linton territory by Wunderlich’s pass was overthrown by just a few yards. Another swing pass to Pierre was hampered by pressure from Drew Smith, who was seeing his first action since week 7.  Facing 3rd and 10, Mater Dei committed one of the three game penalties with a procedure call, pushing it back to the Miner 48, and a huge 3rd and 15 for the Wildcats.  It was just the sort of play Linton failed in prior games to contain and get MD’s offense off the field.  The big passing play has been the Achilles heel year after year against the Wildcats, and this would prove itself once again.  Wunderlich had time to survey the field, but the Miners had done a good job in downfield coverage forcing the shorter pass to McDurmon across the middle.  He made the catch on the run at the Miner 45, well short of reaching the needed Miner 33, but the tackle was missed.  With everyone downfield in coverage, McDurmon hit the jets, and eluded the last Miner left who could make the play, but the slippery field caused him to fall before even getting a shot in.  The total play ran 48 yards and with Sitzman’s PAT put the Wildcats up 14-7 with 1:20 in the opening quarter. 

  Once more Linton faced adversity that in the past meetings hadn’t overcome, but they showed confidence as senior Bracey Breneman ran back to back for gains of 4 and 12 to the Miner 48.  On 1st Down Eslinger came in motion and stopped behind Breneman, then took the hand-off to the right side where he busted through MD’s Ralph, then a couple more Wildcats before busting free down the middle of the field for a 52 yard stunning TD run. It was vintage Roy Williams vibe as Eslinger fist pumped to the back of the South End zone to Miner fans lunging out of their seats under tents lining the white line boundary.  However the PAT kick veered to the left of the upright leaving the tally 14-13 Mater Dei with 18 seconds left in an exciting opening quarter.  But it was ominous to lose a point in a game of this importance, although 3 quarters still remained.

The intensity stepped up as Eslinger made a big hit on Drew Martin for a loss of 4 on 1st down.  Then it was Mater Dei’s missed opportunity as a mess-up in the Miner defensive backfield left Humphreys absolutely wide open down the hash mark in Miner Territory at the 40.  Wunderlich launched his aerial but it was well over #10’s arms incomplete to the sighs of Wildcat fans.  This was certainly a touchdown off the books. Wunderlich went back to the air attempting to hit Martin on a similar route but Padgett and Gennicks were there this time.  This brought out the 1st punt of the night, and Eli McDurmon hit a boomer that pushed Gennicks back to fair catch at the Miner 19.  It was a difficult catch with the field wet and muddy but letting the ball bounce could have been much worse. One more the Linton offense showed success in the trenches as Gennicks ran for 6 followed by Breneman for 8 up to the Miner 33.  Gennicks hit junior WR Logan Webb for a 6 yard gain, but Johns was dropped for a loss of 4 by Ralph and Adler.  Gennicks could only manage 3 on a 3rd and 8 bringing Jaydan Miller for Linton’s 1st punt, which was fair caught by McDurmon at the own 30. 

With 9:30 on the 2nd Quarter clock, Wunderlich had back to back passes to Humphreys for big gains.  First a wide receiver bubble screen went for 25 yards to the Miner 45.  The 2nd came across the middle caught at the Miner 38 where he shunned a tackle, and 2 other Miners slipped trying  to change direction, and Humphreys reaching the Miner 7 1st and goal.  From there Pierre tried twice but Gennicks, DeBruhl and Eslinger combined to make stops. On 3rd and goal Humphreys was able to get in from the 2 at 6:49 to extend the Wildcat lead 20-13.  Sitzman was again perfect on the PAT in a game where every point would matter, and a 21-13 lead.  Marx’ kick off reached the Linton 23 where a freshman, Eli Scott, took it and made a cut but the mud won out and Scott spun out to the ground.  

Could Linton answer yet again?  Eslinger was dropped for a loss of 3 by Spencer Turner putting the Miners behind the chains. Gennicks was contained for 5 yards by linebacker Tyler Martin, and end Cooper Darr.  On 3rd and 8 Gennicks rolled to his left in the pocket and loft a long arcing pass deep down the middle.  Running under that pass was senior Gabe Eslinger who arms fully outstretched in a full sprint managed to pull the ball in at the Wildcat 30.  Not only make the catch but have presence of mind to high step out of a diving tackle, and out run the others for a huge Miner score.  The 63 yard pass play was a thing of beauty and pulled the Miners to within 2 at 21-19.  Linton fans erupted as Hunter Johns took a counter to the left and cut into the end zone to seemingly tie the score, but a flag flew after Johns scored.  A holding call on the edge eliminated the 2 points, and pushed Linton 15 yards back.  From the 18 Gennicks scrambled to his right, and tried to pass to Webb at the back of the end zone.  Humphreys was able to launch himself and knock the pass down, leaving the score 21-19.

Mater Dei’s passing game was starting to carve yardage as once more McDurmon got 19 on a pass from Wunderlich got the Cats to the Miner 47.  From there though, the Miner D held strong with Eslinger stopping Pierre for 2, then back to back deep passes both incompletions led to another McDurmon punt pinned the Miners at their own 16 with 4:10 on clock.  Linton continued to grind out yards on the ground as Drew Smith pushed for 7, the Gennicks followed a Donovan DeBruhl  pancake block of Ralph got 5 more.  Gennicks broke 3 tackles, then another 2 to gain 19 and a first down at the MD 49.  The Wildcats stiffened up and forced a 3rd and 11, and Gennicks fought for another 8 yards but short by 3.  Linton lined up to punt the ball with a minute and a half until halftime, actually did punt but Linton called a timeout just before hand.  Historically I can honestly say that a 4th and 3 from the opponent’s 42 would almost always result in Linton keeping the offense on the field.  It’s hard to find fault in the call knowing the Miners had rushed for 178 in the 1st half with an 8.5 per yard carry average.  A first down run, and perhaps points on the board, and knowing we get the ball to start 2nd half.  Of course weighed against that is the you punt hopefully down inside the MD 20, and that ahead 21-19 with rain falling on an already slippery field that the Wildcats simply eat that last minute and go in to halftime up 2.  With all that said, indeed the offense lined up to go for it.  Gennicks took the snap and kept to the right behind pulling linemen, but it was Tyler Martin who slid though the blockade and pull Gennicks down for a loss of one.  It would turn out to be a decisive moment in the game.  

With 1:15 on the clock, Mater Dei went full out pass trying to put points on the board either TD or at least field goal points.  The Defense held up on back to back incompletions, the last having pressure from LB Aiden Giles.  Another 3rd and 10 chance to get MD offense off field failed when McDurmon took a short pass from Linton’s 48 where he broke 2 tackles to get a huge first down at the Miner 41.  Another McDurmon catch got 9 to the Miner 32, then Padgett put a hit on McDurmon to break up the pass with 34 seconds left. It took a Humphreys’ 5 yard run to convert a 3rd and to Linton’s 27.  Time was ticking away on the Wildcats, but the clock stopped after Giles broke up a pass for Humphreys across the middle leaving 17.7 on the clock.  Humphreys lost his helmet on the play and had so sit out a play, and his replacement junior Luke McDurmon would shine with a catch behind the Miner backfield in the left corner on a perfectly placed pass from Wunderlich that went 27 yards.  Sitzman again was dead down the middle, and with just 10 seconds to halftime, the Wildcats celebrated a 28-19 lead.  Kaulin Padgett got the Miners to their own 40 with a 21 yard kick-off return, and Gennicks nearly broke free on a half-ending 13 yard run as the horn sounded.

The stats reflected what had happened in the first half.  MD had 296 total yards to Linton’s 247.  Linton had success on the ground with 178 yards, while MD’s yard came in the air with 241 on 13 of 24 passing.  First Downs were 13 to 9 in favor of Mater Dei.  Hunter Gennicks had 84 yards on 9 touches while Eli McDurmon had caught 6 passes for 103 yards as the main MD weapon.  It was the first time in any Linton Mater Dei meeting that the Miners had been able to find success offensively and physically were definitely going toe to toe with the Wildcats.  3 plays had been huge, one a turnover at the MD 17, secondly the flag on the successful two-point play nullified it, and lastly failing on the 4th and 3 near midfield setting up the late MD score.  Linton getting the ball to start the 3rd quarter would be do or die in this sectional quarter-final.  

Mater Dei almost pulled a fast one with an onside kick.  It was kicked perfectly and bounced off front lineman Jackson Fields, and it was Fields who leaped back and pulled the ball in as the players piled up at the Miner 45.  Eslinger gained 10, then Gennicks with 11 more to put Linton at the MD 34.  The Wildcats forced Linton into a 3rd and 10, and the screen pass to Eslinger was blown up by Pierce Wolters leaving a 4th and 10.  Gennicks hit Logan Webb on a short out pattern at the MD 29 and he made a move past the tackler to get the 1st down at the MD 20, a gain of 14.   Gennicks tried Webb again but pressure from Martin contributed to the incompletion, the Johns was dumped for loss of 2.  Once again Linton faced a key 3rd down, and long needing 12 yards.  This time Gennicks dropped off a pass in the flats to Bracey Breneman at the 18, and he powered to the 9 for another first down.  Gennicks followed another great block from DeBruhl with 8 yards to the MD 1.  2 plays later it was Gennicks who culminated the 13 play 55 yard drive using 5:16 with the 1 yard dive.  Eslinger went in untouched for the 2 point play and the game down to a one point margin 28 to 27 with 6:44 in the 3rd.  Precisely what the Miners had to do.

The Miner defense had given up only 6 points all year in the 3rd Quarter, and would need to do that again.  Gennicks, Breneman and Franklin combined to make back to back stops of Pierre, setting up a 3rd and 6 and the MD 41.  Again the pass play connected, this time Wunderlich to Stolz, which gained 11 to the Miner 48.  A 9-yard pass to Martin set up 3rd and 1 where Wunderlich, at 6’5” took snap under center and dove forward.  They went for all the marbles on a deep pass for McDurmon inside the miner 5 but a great play by Padgett broke up the catch. Facing another 3rd and 7, it was McDurmon once again making a catch at the marker to move the chains to the Miner 25.  Linton was throwing everything to try and get pressure on Wunderlich.  Franklin was able to just cause enough rattle for an over throw to an open Humphreys, then Stolz leaped for a catch that fell off his hands.  3rd and 10 became 3rd and 15 after an illegal lineman downfield call on a screen.  Wunderlich threw a lightning bolt to Humphreys who had made his cut at the Linton 5, and Senior CB Eli Poe put a huge hit on the receiver jarring the ball away.  A huge 4th down had Pierre on a swing pass getting 11 to the Miner 19, but enough for a 1st down.  So, the Miner defense had made the plays they had to, and MD used 4:03 and 13 plays for no points, but still up 28-27 with 2:41 left in 3rd

Field conditions at the Roy had turned fairly treacherous by this time.  Constant rain and nearly 3 quarters through the contest had left areas pure mud.  Johns would lose 3 on 1st down pushing the Miners back to their own 16.  Things got worse for Linton on a carry by Padgett for no gain as starting tackle Donovan DeBruhl looked to have a bad knee injury on the play and had to be helped to the bench where he stayed for the remainder of the game.  Freshman Hank Gennicks, who had started at tackle in weeks 1 and 2 only to go down with knee injury himself, took DeBruhl’s spot.  On the 3rd and 13 Hunter Gennicks broke 4 tackles on an impressive 41 yard romp to the MD 43 keeping the drive alive.  Drew Smith got 4 on a quick hitter, only to see those 4 lost on a stop by Martin and Ralph of Gennicks.  Linton tried a screen to Smith on 3rd and 10 that was ugly from the get go with Nick Boots and Mitch Adler making the stop at the MD 41.  This time on 4th and 8, the Miners choose to punt, and Miller’s boot nearly rolled dead at the 1, but managed to take another spin into the end zone as the 3rd Quarter ended.

Joey Pierre carried the ball on 1st and 2nd downs but in both cases he slipped on a cut, and MD faced a 3rd and 6 at their 24.  Wunderlich tried to hit Luke McDurmon down middle of field with Drew Smith closing in, but Hunter Gennicks made a terrific read and actually got his hands on ball in one of those “almost had” plays that would have been huge for Linton.  However, it did mean Mater Dei would punt, and it was a McDurmon boomer of 64 yards to the Miner 12 where Johns brought it back to the 23 with 10:33 left.  L

Linton was poised to have the ‘drive’ of their season.  Gennicks started with an 8 yard run into the MD secondary. Eslinger converted a 3rd and 3 with a 5 yard run to Linton 35.  Another set of Gennicks/Eslinger runs led to another 3rd and 2 conversion on 3 yard Gennicks run to the 46.  Gabe would get 5 on 1st down, but John’s was dropped for a 5 yard loss by Humphreys and Martin. 3rd and 10’s pass to Linton’s leading receiver Eli Poe was incomplete, and Miller punted a 41 yard beauty rolling to a stop at the MD 13 with 6:39 left.  The Wildcats went to the running game to try and run the clock as much as possible.  Humphrey got the nod with back to back runs of 6 and 3, then Wunderlich kept under center for the 1 yard needed for a 1st down.  The Miners clamped down with sophomore Ty Boyd stopping Humphreys for no gain, then Padgett defending a Wunderlich to McDurmon pass.  3rd down was yet another screen to Humphreys that might have worked but for Eslinger.  4th and 7 from their own 26, and Coach Goebel would put things in the hands of his defense after another monster 52 yard punt from McDurmon gave Linton the ball at their own 23. 

With just 3:25 left in the game, Linton was down to perhaps their last possession.  Gennicks was stopped by Ralph for just a yard, then his pass for Webb was knocked away by Mayer.  Facing 3rd and 9, the Miners went for it all.  It was the same pass play that had seen Eslinger make a catch and run to the end zone in the 1st quarter.  It was the same scenario as Gabe looked to have as good a shot as anyone at the ball, but MD had 3 players in the vicinity, and it would be Spencer Turner who came down with it at the Mater Dei 37.   It was the Miners 2nd turnover in the game.  Pierre got 6 on MD’s 1st down play with Franklin and Giles on the stop.  A procedure call pushed MD back to their 43 and a 2nd and 9.  It seemed that Linton would need a miracle, and a miracle is what very nearly happened.  As Mater Dei came to the line Center Cole Wilson’s snap never got off the ground, instead it bounced of his foot to his left.

For maybe 3 full seconds the ball sat dead still in the mud to the left of the pile of players unaware the ball was loose.  It was MD’s Humphreys from the RB position who saw it first and dove headlong after it, but it looked like the center Wilson reached over and himself knocked it away.  So many players dove into the pile, and I saw Gennicks make a bead in ball at one point.  Every Miner pointed North, every Wildcat pointed South. I could not help but think back to a game with Monrovia in 2016 when Ian Fonceca recovered a similar punt and Linton would score with seconds left to win.  Or a game with North Daviess where an onsides kick went Linton’s way in the late stages setting up another last minute Miner win.   But this wasn’t to be.  As the bodies were pulled up from the mud, it appeared the center himself had the ball, and without any hoopla just handed the ball to the official as he walked to the huddle.  Any hope Linton had left vanished as Wunderlich delivered a strike to McDurmon for a gain of 12 on a 3rd and 9.  Mater Dei would take 3 kneels to burn the remaining time and end the Miners drive for their first sectional title in Class 2A.  

It was a game that certainly will join classics in Linton Football lore; Scecina in 2012; Ritter in 2008; Ritter in 2004, Tecumseh in 2003 among some of the tough losses in history.  None of those players in red have any reason to hang their heads in this loss.  These Miners certainly deserved the W, as did the Wildcats. It was one of those games that both teams were worthy.  Mater Dei finished with 380 total yards to Linton’s 366 which showed how close this game was.  Certainly turnovers hurt Linton as was the case in prior meetings.  It’s a common saying that you don’t lose a game on one single play, and that’s a true statement, but it hard not to look back and not see the handful of plays that in any singular moment turn this into a victory. But you can do that all night and still the end result is the same.  It’s better to focus on how hard these Miners fought to the bitter end.  While it goes down as a loss, it is still a positive in what this team accomplished, and what this group of seniors brought to Miner Football.  

Hunter Gennicks ended up with 156 yards on 21 carries.  Gabe Eslinger added 73 yards on 7 carries.  Linton had 268 rush yards on 44 carries, 6.1 per carry. Gennicks was 6 of 11 for 98 yards. 2 catches each for Eslinger (63 yards) and Webb (20). Bracey Breneman had a catch for 13 yards, and ran 3 times for 24 yard. Mater Dei was led by Joey Pierre’s 66 yards on 20 carries, and as a team had 82 yards on 28 carries.  The Miner rush defense has been tough all year, with MD only getting 2.9 yards a carry.  It was Mason Wunderlich’s passing that proved deadly with 298 yards 3 touchdowns on 20 of 37 passing. Eli McDurmon was thrown to 15 times, caught 9 for 126 yards. Bryce Humphries had 4 for 80 (and 5-16 rushing), Ethan Stolz 3-49 and a TD.  Luke McDurmon caught one pass but it was huge for a 27 yard score with just 10 seconds left until halftime.  Gabe Eslinger led Linton with 15 tackles, 2.5 for loss, with 14 from Hunter Gennicks. Ty Boyd and Kaulin Padgett added 6 each, Wrigley Franklin, Aiden Giles and Jaydan Miller (a beast!) each with 5.  Tyler Martin was all over the field for Mater Dei, finishing with 20 tackles, 4.5 for loss.  James Ralph added 10 tackles, 3 solo, 7 from J T Mayer, 6 from Nicholas Boots, and 5 each from Mitch Adler and Pierce Wolters.  2 huge defensive plays were Mayer’s strip of Gennicks that Pierre recovered, and Turner’s interception late in the game.

Linton finishes 10-1, Mater Dei moves up to 9-2.  They will face 8-2 North Posey in Evansville Friday for Sectional 40 Championship.  The Vikings moved on with a 41-18 convincing win over North Knox last week.   We say goodbye to 12 seniors who have each contributed in big ways to the success of Miner Football.  #2 LB/WB Gabe Eslinger; WB/CB #7 Kaulin Padgett; LB/RB #13 Drew Smith; WR/CB #20 Ayden Riggleman; WR/CB  #24 Eli Poe; WB/FS #32 Jaydan Miller; RB/LB #44 Bracey Breneman; #45 OL/LB Jackson Lynn; T/DE #54 Cameron Goodman; T/NT #58 Donovan DeBruhl; OL/LB #62 Cody Jackson; & OL/NT #63 Jackson Fields. 

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Always enjoy your write up's and passion for Miner football. 

However one critique I could offer from a journalistic standpoint - it's bad form if you're going to use players name in an unflattering moment in the game (ie "Ralph was pancaked" ) and not use the same verbiage when speaking of Miner mistakes. (ie "a couple missed tackles") 

Just an observation

 

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