GIRARD, OH — When the Poland Bulldogs scored with three minutes and 10 seconds left Friday night at Arrowhead Stadium to go up seven points on Girard, the Indians didn’t panic or come apart, and they surely didn’t back down.
They went right back to work.
“The second they scored, I went to our sidelines and said, ‘We’re going to go score and we’re going to go for two and win the game,'” Girard head coach Pat Pearson said.
Would you expect anything less from a Girard team that has scored over 50 points a game while being led by sophomore quarterback AJ Pearson?
Didn’t think so.
Like he has done all season long, the younger Pearson marched his offense down the field, connected with longtime friend Joey Alejars for a few big gains, and then scampered into the end zone from five yards out to pull his team within one. But, like Pat Pearson said, the Indians weren’t going for the tie, and he wasn’t going to take the ball out of AJ’s hands.
“He trusts his O-line, they all know,” Pat said. “The amount of work that these guys put in is unreal. So, they know what to do. They are coached and they go do it and I’m so proud of all of those guys.”
Following his blockers off the left side of the line of scrimmage, AJ converted a two-point run to give the Indians (8-0, 4-0) a 29-28 lead. Sophomore Braxton Sloan then picked off Poland’s Vito Komara on the ensuing drive to seal Girard’s first-ever Northeast 8 conference win over Poland (6-2, 3-1) in front of a packed house.
With the win, the Indians improve their chances of capturing their first NE8 title with two conference matchups remaining against Hubbard and Niles. They also improve their standing in the Division V, Region 17 rankings as the postseason quickly approaches.
“I’m so proud of our kids, our coaches, our community, this was freaking awesome, man,” Pat said. “This was such a great environment and hats off to Poland. That’s a championship group. Those guys played their tails off and just a heck of a high school game.”
The ending was fitting for how this game unfolded, as Poland and Girard battled like two heavyweight boxers in a championship bout. It consisted of two defensive turnovers in the fourth quarter, eight rushing touchdowns, four lead changes, and a plethora of highlight-worthy plays that left the fans wanting more.
AJ Pearson rushed for three touchdowns and threw for over 270 yards while freshman Mario Lipinski tallied Girard’s final score. Chase Jones and Angelo Angelilli each scored on the ground, while Komara found the end zone twice and sparked the Bulldogs’ offense late when he took over under center for sophomore quarterback David Xipolitas.
Both defenses came up big at different points of the game as well.
Near the beginning of the second quarter, the Bulldogs started with the ball deep in Girard territory. The Indians were able to stand tall and force a 32-yard missed field goal attempt before marching 77 yards down the field to take a 14-7 lead.
The Bulldogs responded before the half, however, when Jones found the end zone on a six-yard run. The Indians then marched 80 yards in 2:19, but Pearson was stopped at the goal line by Komara and JJ Faunda to keep the score knotted at 14.
Poland’s defense came up big again in the fourth quarter when it forced a fumble with 9:08 remaining. That led to Komara’s 4-yard go-ahead score.
The Indians now hit the road to take on Hubbard (7-1, 3-1) next week, while Poland turns its attention to Lakeview (3-5, 1-4).
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