SARATOGA — You name it, this game had it.
Turnovers? Oh yeah. Muffed punts? Two of them. Missed PAT and failed two-point conversions? For sure.
Overfelt beat Saratoga 12-6 in a penalty-plagued war of attrition on Friday in Saratoga, as the two teams slugged it out while combining for 25 penalties and about that many injuries.
The game’s final play was the pièce de résistance on a night with more twists and turns than a Stephen King novel. Saratoga quarterback Anson Hulme tossed a final pass to Jayden Kwong, who advanced to the Overfelt 25-yard line before commencing a long succession of laterals.
Eventually, the ball made its way back to Hulme, who heaved one more desperation lateral to keep the play alive. It was picked up by Overfelt lineman Jaekob Vera, who sprinted across the field for what looked to be a final touchdown before being tackled at the 1-yard line.
You couldn’t have scripted a better ending to this particular game.
“We didn’t expect it to go that way,” Overfelt co-head coach Alan Plascencia said simply afterward.
Not much went according to plan for either team. The chaos started right off the bat, as Overfelt (1-1) attempted an onside kick on the opening kickoff.
The Royals also committed an offsides penalty on the play, and Saratoga (2-1) started its first drive with the ball on Overfelt’s 39-yard line. The Falcons did quick work from there, overcoming a false start on the 4-yard line to score nine plays later with a 9-yard run by Kwong.
Saratoga couldn’t convert the ensuing extra point, which kicked off a long run of squandered scoring opportunities for both teams.
Overfelt advanced into plus territory on its next drive but turned the ball over on downs. Then, Saratoga unsuccessfully faked a punt, turning the ball over itself in minus territory.
The Royals’ next drive ended when Saratoga’s Lucas Hawthorne intercepted a fourth-down pass. The Falcons then advanced into Overfelt territory before another turnover on downs.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Saratoga coach Archie Ljepava said. “I don’t think a lot of people in our league and in this valley and anyone in football thought we should probably be on the field with them. I’m proud of my guys. They fought to the end, and we made it a football game.”
Overfelt then sustained a long drive that ended with an end-zone interception by Saratoga middle linebacker Motekiai Pahulu, who was all over the field defensively.
But the Falcons couldn’t take advantage of their opportunity with two minutes to go before the half. Saratoga netted one yard on three plays, then fumbled the punt snap to set Overfelt up at the Falcons’ 5-yard line after a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Finally, the Royals cashed in. On the final play of the second half with four seconds on the clock, Kingston Tagaloa, an all-league defensive lineman who also takes handoffs for Overfelt, powered in a 3-yard run for the touchdown.
Tagaloa was stonewalled on the two-point conversion attempt, sending the game to halftime tied 6-6.
“He’s probably close to 265, 270,” Plascencia said of Tagaloa. “He’s a bowling ball. The kid, the thing about him, he’s big, but he’s also quick on his feet. He’s got really good balance, so we trust him. He’s our senior. We trust him with the ball. And he’s a hard tackle.”
After a fumble ended Overfelt’s first drive of the second half in plus territory, Saratoga took advantage of a muffed punt to set itself up on Overfelt’s 34-yard line. But the Falcons went backwards, ultimately punting from the 42-yard line.
Overfelt was able to steel itself and put together what would ultimately be the game-winning drive. The Royals fed Tagaloa and freshman running back Junior Medina to get down to the 1-yard line, overcoming a sideline interference penalty and an overturned touchdown call on the previous play as Tagaloa punched in a one-yard score.
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From there, Overfelt just had to hold on. Saratoga advanced to the Royals’ 8-yard line on its next drive, but a high snap was fumbled and recovered by Overfelt’s Akosua Schoby and returned to the 26-yard line.
The Royals gained two first downs and forced Saratoga to call its final timeout with less than a minute to play. A false start penalty pushed Overfelt back, and Saratoga forced a fourth down with seven seconds remaining after the Royals took a delay of game.
Overfelt attempted to run out the clock on the play, but the Royals were downed with a few seconds remaining. That set the stage for Hulme’s final desperation heaves, and the unpredictable nature of the game came up on Overfelt’s side one final time.
“We started slow,” Plascencia said. “We didn’t expect it to go that way. But most important thing, respect your opponents. Don’t underestimate anyone. And they came out to play and they exchanged punches, but luckily, we executed more than they did.”
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