Flag Football: Midview wins battle of unbeatens on touchdown with four seconds left

AMHERST — Procrastination did not hurt Midview on Friday.The Middies may have waited until the final seconds of each half to score all their points, but they scored enough to win the battle of unbeatens in the Northern Ohio Girls Flag Football League Orange Division, knocking off Sandusky 13-8.The win gives Midview (7-0) sole possession of first place with three games remaining, putting it in the driver's seat to clinch one of the 11 division championships for postseason qualification. Sandusky (6-1) remains alive for a wild card, which will be awarded to five of the remaining teams with the best overall records across all 11 divisions, with ties broken by total points scored.Dezirae Thomas connected with Leah DiFranco on a pass less than 5 yards from the goal line with four seconds left to complete the Midview comeback. The Middies drove the length of the field with 60 seconds left with Thomas and DiFranco accounting for every yard."It shows how resilient we are and how strong this team really is," DiFranco said. "No matter how much time is left on the clock, you have to give it your all every play, and that's what I do when I come out here."Sandusky took a 6-0 lead in the first half when quarterback Brooklyn Long found go-to receiver Maekhiya Rameau for a touchdown just outside of the red zone. Rameau caught four of Long's five completions on the drive, but Midview prevented the two from connecting on the 2-point try.Midview faced a fourth down from beyond midfield, but only had enough time for one play. Thomas turned to DiFranco, who broke open down the right sideline and went into the end zone untouched. The pair connected again on the 1-point conversion to go up 7-6.Sandusky's opening drive of the second half stalled after taking seven minutes off the clock, and the Middies seemed to be on their way to preserving the narrow win when, with less than five minutes left, a high snap into their end zone resulted in a safety, giving the Blue Streaks an 8-7 lead.Midview's defense held, preserving the final minute to mount a rally. DiFranco got things going on second down, but it was Thomas who ran for more than 10 yards to convert a first down that kept the drive alive.She found DiFranco deep again, but her flag was pulled less than 5 yards from the goal line. She scored on a quick out to the front corner of the end zone with four seconds left."We did everything we could to get that ball back," Thomas said. "We knew we had to get some big stops. We made those plays and as soon as we got the ball back we were all fired up and ready to go."Midview may be in the driver's seat for the division, but the Middies will have to face Strongsville (5-1) and Avon Lake (6-2) down the stretch, both of whom will be looking to stay alive for a wild card. The Shoregals' postseason hopes took a hit Friday when they lost to Sandusky 14-8. A win would have set up a potential winner-take-all showdown for the division against Midview on May 1.Long and Rameau wasted no time getting the Blue Streaks on the board, connecting for two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion on their first two drives of the game. But Avon Lake's defense locked down one of the division's highest-scoring offenses the rest of the way, with sophomore Riley Koury returning an interception for a touchdown with two minutes left in the opening half.However, the Shoregals were unable to mount enough offense to complete the comeback."We should have had a stronger start," Koury said. "We didn't start off as strong as we could so we've just got to have a stronger start going from now on."Amherst also kept its wild card hopes alive with a pair of wins, defeating Cloverleaf 7-0 and Elyria 13-0. Elyria Catholic picked up its second win of the season 26-14 against Oberlin. Black River had a bye and will return to action April 26.Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.STANDINGSOrange Division W LMidview 7 0Sandusky 6 1Avon Lake 6 2Strongsville 5 1Amherst 5 2Medina 3 4Elyria 2 5Cloverleaf 2 5Elyria Catholic 2 5Black River 0 6Oberlin 0 7RESULTSFriday at AmherstSandusky 14, Avon Lake 8Amherst 7, Cloverleaf 0Elyria Catholic 26, Oberlin 14Strongsville 27, Medina 14Midview 13, Sandusky 8Amherst 13, Elyria 0Oberlin vs. Elyria, postponedSCHEDULEApril 26 at Avon LakeCloverleaf vs. Elyria Catholic, 11 a.m.Avon Lake vs. Medina, 11 a.m.Strongsville vs. Midview, 11 a.m.Black River vs. Amherst, 11 a.m.Black River vs. Cloverleaf, noonAmherst vs. Oberlin, noonSandusky vs. Strongsville, noonMidview vs. Medina, noon