CCC edges SPC in OT

After an interception prevents the Marauders from winning in regulation, Ronnie Harris' 10-yard run ends it.

By BOB PUTNAM
Published October 8, 2005

CLEARWATER - Andrew Nowels sprinted to his left, cocked his arm and threw a pass that landed in the arms of a St. Petersburg Catholic defender.

This was not the time to throw an interception. Clearwater Central Catholic had the ball on the Barons 14. It was third and 3. There were less than two minutes remaining in regulation of a tie game.

The mental blunder could have brought on dreadful consequences.

Ronnie Harris made sure that didn't happen.

On the Marauders' first play in overtime, Harris turned the corner on a 10-yard touchdown run for a 30-27 win over their fiercest rival.

"We could have easily been down at that point," Harris said. "But I was ready to go. In my mind, I knew it was up to me to carry us the rest of the way. I'm here to score touchdowns and run for yards." Harris helped win the game, but defense kept CCC in it. The Marauders (4-2) sacked David Girardi seven times, the second resulting in a safety and 2-0 lead. The Barons answered with a 32-yard field goal by Davis Rodriquez to go ahead 3-2.

After that, it was pingpong football with the teams trading scores.

With the Marauders' Riley Cooper receiving a steady diet of double coverage, Colin McCarthy made SPC pay with touchdown receptions of 38 and 31 yards from Nowels.

But the Barons (4-3) also had big plays. Jock Sanders returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, and Darius Bellamy scored on a 35-yard run to make it 17-17 at halftime.

In the third quarter, CCC's Tony Roberts scored on a 9-yard run. SPC countered with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Girardi to Sanders in the fourth.

Nowels then had his only errant throw of the night. The Marauders held on defense and forced the Barons to punt. And CCC missed a field goal as time expired.

That set up overtime. SPC was first on offense and was forced to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Rodriquez.

Harris took it from there.

"We've got a few players," Marauders coach Mike Jalazo said. "(The Barons) were keying on Riley, so others picked it up. And Ronnie came through big when we needed him the most."

[Last modified October 8, 2005, 01:27:10]