H.S. Football: Midview knocks off Amherst in overtime

AMHERST — Junior Sawyer McMillin's 1-yard touchdown in overtime lifted Midview to a 14-7 win over Amherst in the regular-season finale.The victory moved Midview's record to 5-5. Amherst slipped to 4-6. Both teams finished with 2-5 records in the Southwestern Conference.Midview and Amherst split their previous 18 meetings. It was fairly inevitable that Friday's game was going to be a nail-biter.The overtime game was Midview's first since the 2018 season against North Olmsted. The Middies lost to the Eagles in that one, 33-27."We were just more physical than them," said Midview senior running back Marcus McMahon. "I think we just had more heart out there on the field and gave it more than Amherst. We showed that we wanted it more. They didn't."Our defense just stood out and just played hard every play. They just gave it their all. Our defense showed up for us when we needed it most."McMahon led Midview's offense with 117 yards on 30 carries. After a scoreless first half, McMahon put Midview on the board first with his 23rd touchdown of the season with 2:45 left in the third quarter.Amherst drew the equalizer with the help of a Midview fumble.Middies quarterback Shay Williams fumbled at his 16-yard line with 6:04 left in the game. The Comets recovered and converted it four plays later on a 6-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Cy Christensen with 4:43 left.Amherst had a chance to win the game on the final play of regulation. Sophomore kicker Jack Coleman had the distance, but his 35-yard field goal attempt went wide left.Amherst won the overtime coin toss and deferred to take the ball second. McMillin's touchdown run capped a seven-play drive.The Comets lost 15 yards on its first two snaps of overtime, including a 5-yard sideline penalty. Defensive back De'Mere Gray then intercepted Christensen near the 20-yard line on the Amherst sideline to end the game."It's a big win for the senior class but it's an even bigger win for the program," said Midview senior linebacker Brayden Homoki, Lorain County's leading tackler heading into Friday with 70 tackles and 76 assists. "We're putting Midview football back on the map. We've had some tough losses but it's a good way to end the regular season."The Midview defense came through in the clutch twice in key situations, stopping Amherst on fourth down in short yardage. The first came when Christensen was stopped just inches short of a first down at the Midview 6 with 1:46 left in the first half. The other came when Christensen again was stopped inches short of a first down at the Midview 7 with 8:22 left in the game.Midview coach Jack Armstrong was obviously upbeat as the Middies ended a two-game losing streak to the Comets."It's a big win for the program," said Armstrong. "It's all about the boys tonight. They dug deep and faced adversity. Tonight is another step in the right direction to where the program needs to be. It's such a big win."Amherst outgained Midview 302-282. Four holding penalties in critical situations hurt the Amherst cause."Our kids played hard all game," said Amherst coach Tom Thome. "They never gave up."Midview had a chance for a lead heading into the locker room at halftime, but senior kicker Kaiden Vonya's 37-yard field goal attempt with three seconds left went wide right.Homoki and McMahon faced off against former Midview teammate Michael Passarrello Jr.Passarrello played for Midview for his first three years before transferring to Amherst, where his dad is an assistant. Passarrello is Lorain County's second-leading tackler behind Homoki with 77 tackles and 67 assists."It's tough to talk about my friends but he's still one of my brothers for life," said Homoki. "I hung out with him all summer. No drama, no anything. I still love Mike Jr., Coach Passarrello and the whole Passarrello family."Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.