Port Clinton erased large deficit to beat Huron in SBC

Port Clinton trailed Huron by 14 after Kyle Kovach’s 15-yard touchdown run with 9 minutes, 45 seconds left in the third quarter Friday.

The fact that the Redskins scored the next, and only, 17 points in a 31-28 victory brought tears to the eyes of defensive coordinator and former Port Clinton linebacker Phil Fought. Head coach Beau Carmon struggled to find words for his players.

The Redskins don’t erase 14-point deficits. And they certainly don’t orchestrate key fourth quarter three-and-outs to set up scoring drives on the road against previous tormentors for victories in consecutive weeks.

This Port Clinton team proved it was different last season with the first postseason appearance in program history. It continues to win games it couldn’t have won in the past.

“We learned we can do it,” Redskins running back Emerson Lowe said. “We were down and we put it together as a team. It takes teamwork. It takes guts. You have to have guts. We were thinking positive. The defense was talking about stops. We got it done.”

The Redskins can trust and cooperate with confidence, and execute and focus with communication. Port Clinton lost 10 games to extend a 19-game losing streak two years ago.

The Redskins' comeback against the Tigers was sparked by a 48-yard run from Lowe off a direct snap in punt formation on fourth-and-10 from Port Clinton’s 40. Backup quarterback Joey Brenner tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Aidan Rospert two plays later with 3:09 left in the third quarter.

Skyler Cook then made sure a Huron receiver didn’t catch the ball by snaring it himself at his own 2. Cook, however, was out of bounds and the Redskins started another scoring drive at their own 30.

“Knowing we made that big stop amped us up,” Lowe said. “We were starting to make plays and drive down the field. We clicked and punched it in. There was a sense of urgency. We had to get it done.”

Brenner completed three passes and rushed for 10 yards on third-and-9 from the 35. Brenner, who entered the game in the second quarter after Brandon Moore tweaked an injury, completed each of his seven passes in the second half after a second quarter interception.

“He’s doing a fantastic job,” Lowe said. “It sucks when Brandon’s out but Joey comes in and does his job. He knows every position. He could do anything on the field. He knows the routes and who to block. He’s smart. He does a great job in practice and he’s shown up in games.”

Brenner completed two more passes, including a 19-yarder to Nathan Stubblefield. Stubblefield side-stepped a tackle and advanced to the 1 before Lowe scored to tie the game on the next play.

Port Clinton then forced a three-and-out to take over on its own 39 with 2:35 to go. Stubblefield had an 18-yard catch and Lowe charged into the red zone with a 20-yard run to the 14.

Rospert had three catches during the drive Lowe capped with a touchdown. Darius Daniels scored the Redskins’ first two touchdowns to keep them in the game.

“It’s somebody new every game,” Carmon said. “(Friday) it was (Daniels) and finally (Rospert). We expect that productivity.”

All that was left was Stubblefield’s kick from 22 yards. Huron coach Tony Legando took consecutive timeouts to make Stubblefield think about the scenario.

“I had no doubt he’d make it,” Lowe said. “(Huron was) just wasting time.”

Redskins more aggressive in second half

Kovach rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another as Port Clinton allowed a season-high 28 points early in the third quarter.

“We didn’t really make any changes,” Lowe said of three fruitless Tigers possessions from there. “We missed coverages. We had to make plays. We had to wrap up. We stopped making silly mistakes. We were more aggressive.”

Corbin Winningham and Russell DeMarco were bright spots for Port Clinton’s defense in the first half. Winningham tackled Kovach for a loss to force a punt in the first quarter and stopped Kovach on fourth down late in the second quarter.

Winningham’s status was uncertain because of an injury before his surprising return for the victory at Perkins two weeks ago. His motor has continued to rev.

“He’s a big part of our defensive line,” Lowe said. “When he came back, we started to click. He’s a huge part of the defense.”

mhorn@gannett.com

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Twitter:@MatthewHornNH