By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
WEST LAFAYETTE – The Streak is over.
Three-time defending Class A state champion Sheridan saw not only an undefeated season and the Hoosier Conference crown go out the window Oct. 17 at 3A second-ranked West Lafayette, but the Blackhawks also said good-bye to the second-longest winning streak in the history of Indiana football in a shocking 37-7 loss.
Sheridan had won 44 consecutive games since its last loss, a 28-6 home defeat Oct. 14, 2005, against West Lafayette. That amazing run of Ws was second all-time to only the 60-game streak set by Bloomington from 1967-73.
Then again, it’s tough to win just one game when you turn the ball over five times. But that’s what happened to the ’Hawks on a crisp, 55-degree evening at Gordon Straley Field.
The host Red Devils definitely dominated this tussle, but it should be noted that two of their touchdowns came in the game’s final six minutes after the outcome had been decided. On the flip side, the final margin actually could have been worse.
West Lafayette suffered numerous dropped passes throughout the evening, and the Red Devils failed to score a point on consecutive possessions deep in Sheridan territory in the first quarter.
In fact, this game was very much up for grabs until the fourth play of the fourth quarter. Trailing 16-7, Sheridan multi-talented senior quarterback Nick Zachery attempted to make it a one-possession game with a 40-yard field goal.
But the kick rose only about six feet off the ground and fell well shy of the crossbar, giving West Lafayette possession at its own 20-yard line. On the Devils’ second play, junior fullback Jordan Walker took a handoff up the middle, cut right at the West Lafayette 42, and was gone down the right sideline.
Suddenly, a potentially down-to-the-wire affair had turned into a 23-7 advantage for the home team. West Lafayette senior quarterback Matt Lancaster then followed Sheridan’s fourth and fifth turnovers on its next two possessions with TD runs of 20 and 77 yards to create the final 30-point gap.
“All of the above!” was the answer from West Lafayette coach Marshall Overley when asked which felt the best – going 9-0, ending Sheridan’s streak, or winning the conference crown.
MORE TO COME!!
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