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John Eshun was in the right place at the right time for his Madison Edgewood football team Friday night.
Or, at least his big hand was.
Eshun, a 6-0, 220 pound senior linebacker stepped in front of Mount Horeb/Barneveld's Matt Fargo's two point conversion jump pass and swatted it away from intended receiver Sawyer Lee, preserving the 21-20 lead the Crusaders had with 1:24 left in the game.
The Vikings attempted an onside kick after the four yard plunge by Justin Martig but the Crusaders recovered. After Bennett Young gained two yards, Crusader quarterback Seth White finished the game by taking a knee.
When it got to that point in the game, Vikings coach Travis Rohrer had no doubts about what was going to be the plan.
"We will always play to win and as soon as we returned the kick-off to the 50 yard line my assistants and I knew that we were going to go for two as soon as we scored," Rohrer said. "In talking with our staff we also did not want to get into an overtime battle with Edgewood. We just wanted to end it right there."
"Once we did score we called a time out to get all our kids into position," Rohrer said. "Matt had Sawyer open but Eshun made one heck of a play and got a hand on the pass. They made one more play than we did. And, kicking an extra point is never a sure thing anymore than going for two."
The lead changed hands three times in the game where the only disappointment for the fans was at the end if you were pulling for the Vikings.
Ben Young's four yard run gave Edgewood the first lead when he scored in the opening quarter. Before the final minutes clicked off the clock in the frame, the Vikings had the lead when Matt Fargo traveled two yards to score and kicked the extra point. Edgewood got the lead back when Thomas Murphy, a converted lineman, bulled his 220 pound frame into the end zone from four yards out.
The Vikings got back on top 14-12 when sophomore receiver Isaiah Lesure snared Fargo's 13 yard toss for a touchdown and Fargo followed with a kick.
Bennett got in from the two in the third quarter for an 18-14 Edgewood lead.
Edgewood sophomore Jake Dragoo made it 21-14 with 3:10 left in the game with a 20 yard field goal.
That set the stage for MHB's last ditch effort at a win.
Damon Bowar returned the Edgewood kick 40 yards to give the Vikings good field position. Fargo got the ball from the 48 to the 39 on a pass to Jerin Schubert. Fargo then ran to the 19 and later the 14 before Schubert got to the eight. Fargo took it to the two where Martig took over for the score.
Fargo gave a good fake for a running play on the conversion then pulled up for a jump pass. Eshun then put an end to it with his deflection.
"We played a very good football game and came through in many clutch situations," Rohrer said. "We had an unbelievable crowd from both Mount Horeb and Barneveld as both communities showed up big time. I am proud to be part of those two communities as they truly understand the importance of high school athletics and the role it plays in their young people's lives."
The game was played at Brietenbach Stadium on the Middleton campus. The stadium, which is artificial turf, is quickly becoming the place for high quality football.
"The atmosphere was buzzing and our staff and players left everything out on the field," said Rohrer. "It was a special game to be part of. It just had the wrong ending for us."
The Vikings got some key performances from some of the players.
"Once again Matt Fargo stepped up big time and made plays with his legs and arm all night long," Rohrer said. "Defensively Isaiah Lesure played will especially with the bright lights and only being a sophomore.
"Defensively I thought our line played real well," Rohrer said. "Sam Nechkash did a real nice job shutting down Edgewood's top receiver, something he did all year long for us."
"I also thought Sawyer Lee made a number of big plays," Rohrer said. "He put pressure on the quarterback and defended the run."
The Viking overcame youth and experience to get to the Level 3 play-offs.
"For a young and inexperienced squad I cannot say enough about their development throughout the season," said Rohrer. "Every week they got a little better and were exciting to watch. I thought we were peaking at the right time and I really thought if we could have stayed healthy we could have competed with anyone in Division 3. I think we showed that during our play-off run."
"Our seniors really stepped up and did an outstanding job leading us this season," Rohrer said. "I could not be more proud of this group along with our senior manager Becca Owens. They will be missed."
"Next year we return a number of starters on both sides of the ball but we will have to replace a pretty special young man in Matt Fargo,' Rohrer said. "He was not only our starting quarterback but also our kicker and punter."
As for the younger players returning.....
"Every offseason we challenge our guys to take the next step in Mount Horeb/Barneveld football history," Rohrer said. "We hope to be adding to our list of accomplishments. The past four seasons have been special and our staff and players simply can't wait to get back to work. We all look forward to the fall of 2012."