Publication Date: Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Miracle finish propels the Palo Alto Knights
Miracle finish propels the Palo Alto Knights
(December 07, 2005)into semifinals of Pop Warner Football nationals
by Keith Peters
The situation looked bleak for the Palo Alto Jr. Midgets in the opening round of the Pop Warner Football Championships.
The Knights were trailing, time was running and the Sourderton Braves had the ball on Palo Alto's four-yard line in the fourth quarter. And the Knights were out of timeouts.
With a first-and-goal situation, all the Braves' quarterback had to do was take a knee on four straight plays and the game would be virtually over. Much to Palo Alto's surprise, however, that didn't happen.
The Braves' quarterback dropped back to pass, was hit by Palo Alto's James Berry and fumbled. The Knights' T.J. Braff recovered and Palo Alto had one chance at a miracle finish.
"It was unbelievable," said Mike Piha, president of the Palo Alto Knights' program. "It's probably one we're not going to forget. The coach on the other team made a major mistake."
And Palo Alto made the Braves pay.
Following Braff's fumble recovery, Palo Alto took over on its on 10-yard line with 1:48 to play. After escaping two fourth-and-inches plays, the Knights drove to the Braves' 48-yard line.
Braff dropped back to pass and hit a speeding Miles Anderson on the sideline. Anderson caught the ball at the 12 and raced into the end zone with 21 seconds remaining to give Palo Alto a miraculous 20-16 victory on Sunday at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
"We were in trouble the whole game," said Piha. "We couldn't put a running game together."
Palo Alto, however, put it together when it counted most.
"A miracle finish," Piha said. "It was probably one of the more dramatic finishes in Knights' history."
Added head coach Eric Borjon: "It puts us in great position for the rest of the week."
Next up for Palo Alto will be the Cedar Crest Comets of Dallas, Texas. That semifinal will be played Wednesday. The winner will advance to Saturday's Super Bowl championship game. The Liberty City Warriors of Miami are expected to be the opposition.
The Knights can't count on another miracle finish in Wednesday's game. They'll have to ride the strong arm of Braff and be able to move the ball better on the ground. Braff had two touchdown passes in the opener, the first a seven-yarder to Romell Hanks in the third quarter that trimmed the Knights' deficit to 16-14.
"We think we can push them (the Comets) off the line," Borjon said of Wednesday's game.
Palo Alto has a team in the nationals for a fourth straight year, earning three second places and one third. The Knights are looking for their first-ever national crown this week.
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