Tanks squeak by Redstreaks with late score

• Unioto beat Piketon by the narrowest of margins Friday night, 34-33.
• The Shermans scored a touchdown with 0:14 remaining before Brice Robinson nailed the extra point.
• Unioto will now host Adena in Week 10 with a shot at making its first-ever playoff appearance.

PIKETON - With 73 seconds left in regulation Friday night at Piketon High School, trailing 33-27 and facing a 4th and 22, Unioto handed the ball to its workhorse.

And Clay Edler delivered once again.

After Edler scanned over the secondary, the senior quarterback decided to tuck and run, galloping for 24 yards and whispering life back into the Shermans' lungs.

"Clay is a competitor. He just makes plays," Unioto coach Jeff Metzler said. "Sometimes he improvises when we don't want him to, but more often than not, we're patting him on the back. When the game is on the line, he's the one you go to. I thought he scored on that fourth down play. But it's probably a good thing he didn't because (Piketon) would've had more time at the end."

Five plays later, with 14 seconds remaining, Edler called his own number and plunged into the end zone from a yard out, forcing a 33-33 tie.

Brice Robinson's ensuing extra point gave Unioto a 34-33 win and kept the Shermans' Division IV playoff hopes alive.

"We knew it was going to be a dogfight," Metzler said. "We knew, defensively, we had to stop (Piketon's Gabe Birkhimer and Travis Veach). That was the dynamic duo we focused on all week. But right now, my stomach is just churning. It was an emotional win and I didn't know if these guys were ready to play. But, man, this is a heck of a win."

The Shermans (7-2, 5-1 Scioto Valley Conference) struck the scoreboard first when Edler found his way to the end zone from three feet out with 8:17 left in the opening quarter, making it 6-0 (blocked PAT).

Piketon provided an answer with 10:17 remaining in the second as Birkhimer found a wide open Eric Mullins from 16 yards away, giving the Redstreaks (6-3, 4-2 SVC) a 7-6 advantage. The Shermans then ripped off a 7-play, 55-yard scoring drive, one that ended with a 4-yard touchdown rush via Mike Klinedinst, regaining the lead at 13-7.

With 3:03 left in the first half, Birkhimer hit Timothy Trawick for six, tying the game 13-13 (missed PAT). The Shermans then took a 20-13 lead just before halftime when Edler found Dalton Poole through the air for a 33-yard strike.

Opening the second half with a 10-play, 56-yard drive, Piketon cut the lead to 20-19 (missed PAT) when Zane Barker sliced his way to paydirt on a 7-yard score at the 7:26 mark. The Shermans punched back, making it 27-19 with 3:08 left in the third as Edler hit a streaking Tre Ivey for a 19-yard touchdown.

The Redstreaks then forced a 27-27 tie 81 seconds later, as Birkhimer scored from four yards away before finding Travis Veach on a two-point conversion call. Birkhimer then struck again with 5:20 remaining in the game, this time from 71 yards out, giving Piketon its first lead of the night at 33-27 (missed PAT).

"You don't know how much time goes into defending (Piketon coach Tyler Gullion's) offense," Metzler said. "He's got this thing down to a science. It's just like the spread, empty punt. You've got to cover it. So you've got to let the ball go. He's got a great scheme and he's got different personnel packages. He does a great job with his players."

Birkhimer's final score set the stage for Edler to steal his limelight and for the Shermans to escape with a one-point win.

Edler led the Shermans with 28 carries for 138 yards and two scores on the ground while completing 11-of-17 passes for 161 yards alongside two scores. Dalton Poole was the perfect compliment to that performance, rushing the ball 10 times for 61 yards and hauling in three catches for 61 yards and the score.

For the Redstreaks, Birkhimer finished with 100 yards rushing on 14 carries, including two scores, while completing 13-of-25 pass attempts for 121 yards alongside a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. Veach was held to just one catch for 41 yards.

In total, Unioto racked up 404 yards on 71 plays, compared to Piketon's total of 274 yards on 56 snaps.

The Redstreaks will travel to Paint Valley in Week 10, while Unioto hosts Adena, hoping to provide another boost to its postseason chances.

"I really just don't know what to say," Metzler said. "I'm kind of shell-shocked. But we're not even going to talk about playoffs. We've got to go out and beat Adena now. That's what we're focused on."

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509