Published: October 11, 2008 01:23 am            

FOOTBALL: Bulldogs finally pull out 48-41 victory over Seymour in triple OT

NEW ALBANY — When New Albany’s Greg Burbridge wrapped his arms around Seymour quarterback Chad Moore and sent him to the turf, there was only one thing that could have been going through the assembled heads of the crowd at Buerk Field.

Finally.

The New Albany offense did its part through three grueling overtimes, and the Bulldog defense took care of the rest by holding Moore and Seymour out of the end zone during a desperate last stand. The combination left New Albany as the last team standing in a 48-41 win over the Owls on Friday night.

The victory improved the Bulldogs to 6-2 on the season and 5-1 in the Hoosier Hills Conference, as they look to build momentum for the Class 5A sectional that begins on Oct. 31.

“I just told the kids that this night was sort of stacked for Seymour,” said New Albany coach Kevin Roth. “But when it came down to us winning in three overtimes, I think we saw what we can do. The overtime was good for us.”

It took one of the season’s most incredible plays for Seymour to push the hosts to the brink.

Up 28-20, the New Albany offense found the groove it had been lacking much of the second half, taking over at its own 25 and moving to the Seymour 1-yard line in just six snaps. But two illegal procedure penalties made it third-and-goal from the 11, and Bulldog quarterback Graham Brown lofted a pass deep into the end zone.

The ball came down in the hands of Seymour’s Brandon Polbito, who decided to advance it. He took it to around the New Albany 30 before nearly falling, pushing himself back up and scampering 70 more yards for a touchdown to send the New Albany crowd into a stunned silence.

Moore then ran for a two-point conversion around the right end of the line that tied things up at 28.

“We did not deserve to win tonight,” Roth said. “I think we were deceived by Seymour being 3-4. We forgot how good Seymour athletes are.”

The Bulldog defense again came up big, forcing the first extra period when Spencer Ferguson intercepted Moore after the Owls had ventured into New Albany territory.

Brown, who threw three touchdowns in the first half before turning the offense over to running back Melvin Posey in the second, hit Pierre Blackmon for a 10-yard score on New Albany’s first play of overtime. Seymour (3-5, 3-3) answered right back on Moore’s 3-yard scoring run on third down.

It likely should have ended during the second extra session, as Seymour scored on a 2-yard run from Max Fisher but missed the extra point after a bad snap. New Albany responded quickly when Brown hit Brett Martin for a 9-yard pickup and Posey barreled into the end zone.

That left it up to New Albany kicker Zach Litzelswope, who matched the miss and sent the game into its final stage.

Brown again hit a big gain, this one to Trevor Gordon, on first down, and then took it in himself for a score. Litzelswope’s extra point made it 48-41.

That’s when the Bulldog defense shut Moore down once and for all. The Seymour quarterback tossed three consecutive interceptions, and then Burbridge caught up to him to seal the victory.

Brown and his two favorite targets — Martin and Gordon — ran wild in the first half. The senior signal-caller hit Martin for the game’s opening score, and then closed the first quarter with a 15-yard strike to Gordon.

The Bulldog edge grew to 21-7 after Brown’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Gordon midway through the second quarter. But the Owls forced the first of two Brown fumbles and took advantage by mounting a four-play, 53-yard drive capped by a scoring run from Polbito.

Brown finished 21-of-34 for 321 yards with four touchdowns, two lost fumbles and an interception. Posey had 154 yards on 16 carries, including a 67-yard scamper just before halftime that was wiped out on Brown’s second fumble.

It was the type of game that left everyone exhausted, and Roth said he was proud his defense could finally finish it off.

“When it came down to those 10 yards to end it, the defense really battled,” Roth said. “The defense has played well all year, but it was just that motivation of having the lead. They knew they had to end it right there.”

New Albany will close the regular season at Floyd Central next Friday.



SEYMOUR 7 7 6 8 7 6 0—41

NEW ALBANY 14 7 7 0 7 6 7—48

1st quarter

NA — Martin 8 pass from Brown (Litzelswope kick), 7:40

S — Polbito 6 run (Caplinger kick), 2:47

NA — Gordon 15 pass from Brown, 0:00

2nd quarter

NA — Gordon 20 pass from Brown (Litzelswope kick), 6:55

S — Polbito 4 run (Caplinger kick), 0:48

3rd quarter

S — Moore 21 run (kick failed), 5:05

NA — Posey 9 run (Litzelswope kick), 1:12

4th quarter

S — Polbito 105 interception return (Moore run), 6:44

1st overtime

NA — Blackmon 10 pass from Brown (Litzelswope kick)

S — Moore 4 run (Caplinger kick)

2nd overtime

S — Fisher 2 run (kick failed)

NA — Posey 1 run (kick failed)

3rd overtime

NA — Brown 2 run (Litzelswope kick)

        

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