Verot clips North FM 31-30 in OT
In a game that saw wild swings of emotion and drama, Bishop Verot outlasted North Fort Myers 31-30 in overtime Friday night at Moody Field.
North coach Barry Goettemoeller summed up the game best.
“Both teams played hard. Both teams deserved to win. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen in football,” he said.
The Red Knights had to adjust their offensive scheme since they were without starting quarterback Nathan McIntosh. McIntosh was lost for the season when he suffered a broken collar bone last week. For most of the game Tre’ Boston lined up at quarterback.
It didn’t start well for the Knights. Their first drive got down to the Vikings’ 7-yard line, but fumbled away the chance. Verot drove deep into the North territory, stalled, and kicked a field goal.
On the next play from scrimmage, Boston ran 15 yards upfield, but fumbled and Verot recovered at the North 35. Vikings quarterback Jake Kistel found Jamie Alvarez wide open for a touchdown. The Vikings scored 10 points in a matter of 16 seconds.
Verot (6-3 overall, 2-2 in district) got two more field goals in the second quarter, while North eeked out a field goal of its own on the last play of the half. The game was close in the first half, but Verot capitalized to score on four different possessions and led 16-3 at half.
The Red Knights got on track in the third quarter with Boston scoring from nine yards out. The Vikings countered when Kistel again connected with Alvarez for a 43-yard score in the fourth quarter.
That’s when things got interesting. There were only 7 1/2 minutes left with Verot up 23-10. The Knights, relying almost entirely on the run, marched down and scored with 3:16 left, bringing them within six.
They decided against an onside kick and instead relied on their defense to stop the Vikings, and got the ball back at their own 29-yard line with 1:31 to go. On this drive they actually did some passing, but still relied on Boston’s running, too. They drove to the Vikings 2-yard line with less than six seconds left.
Boston took it just over the goal line and the Knights had tied the game with 0.3 seconds left. Evan Sargent lined up to kick the PAT, but the kick hit the right upright and fell away to send it to overtime.
North (4-5, 1-3 district) got the ball first at the 10-yard line. On the first play, Boston ran it in for his fourth touchdown. Sargent kicked the extra point through and North led for the first time.
Verot took only two plays to hammer in. Donnie Farah ran it in from one yard out.
Coach Phil Dorn made a gutsy call after the Vikings’ touchdown. Instead of kicking the PAT, he went for two.
“I didn’t want to go to two overtimes. I didn’t want to give the ball to Boston again,” he said.
Kistel faked the ball to Farah and threw to Forrest Campbell open in the end zone and the Vikings had pulled out a one-point win.
Dorn said, “This victory is a culmination of five years of work. We’ve been seeking to bring this program back. Maybe now we will gain respect in our district.”
Bishop Verot10 6 0 7 8 – 31
North Ft. Myers 0 3 7 13 7 – 30
First Quarter
BV – FG Maxx Moore 37
BV – Jamie Alvarez 35 pass from Jake Kistel (Moore kick)
Second Quarter
BV – FG Moore 32
BV – FG Moore 24
NFM – FG Evan Sargent 35
Third Quarter
NFM – Tre’ Boston 9 run (Sargent kick)
Fourth Quarter
BV – Alvarez 43 pass from Kistel (Moore kick)
NFM – Boston 8 run (Sargent kick)
NFM – Boston 2 run (kick failed)
Overtime
NFM – Boston 10 run (Sargent kick)
BV – Donnie Farah 1 run (Forrest Campbell pass from Kistel)