More Top Picks Oregon Cordless Cs300
player ready...Michael Scarsella made the first snap of his career at wide receiver count.
The standout defensive back caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Reece Crossin with 13.1 seconds left Friday night to propel Valparaiso to a 17-14 Duneland Athletic Conference win against visiting Michigan City.
.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Scarsella gets reps at receiver every day in practice, but had not appeared in a game. With his right hand wrapped after hurting it last week, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior had to convince coaches to let him enter in the waning seconds.
Scarsella initially thought the pass was overthrown, but he got under it in the back of the end zone.
“It didn’t feel like real life,” Scarsella said.
On third down, Crossin — making his first start with Jake Leffew on crutches with a large brace on his right knee — was flushed to his right and motioned to Scarsella to keep running deep.
“Turn and burn,” Scarsella said.
“I saw the corner and Mike’s a fast kid,” Crossin said. “He beat him with his speed, and I just threw it over the top. It felt like my best follow-through all night.”
Crossin told Dave Coyle the Vikings (4-0, 2-0) were going to pull out the win against the Wolves (2-2, 1-1), but the coach wasn’t so sure.
“He kept his composure and did exactly what he’s supposed to do,” Coyle said. “I was even shocked. But he has athleticism and competitiveness.”
Leading 14-10 on Keyshawn McGill’s 56-yard TD catch on a pass from Michael McCullough, the Wolves got a fumble recovery from Brandon Hardaway at the 37 with 3:32 left.
But the Vikings got a stop and the ball at their 41 with 1:47 left after a 16-yard punt. Valparaiso converted a fourth down on the drive.
Turnovers figured prominently in the first half.
Adrian Guzman recovered a fumble at the Michigan City 16, and Valparaiso turned it into a 15-yard screen pass for a TD from Crossin to Eddie Curry with 1:17 left in the first quarter.
The Wolves were on the verge of tying the score with first-and-goal from the 1. But Tyler Bukur recovered a fumble for the Vikings.
Still, the game went into halftime tied at 7-7 with 3:56 left when Zachary Gault returned an interception 16 yards for a TD for Michigan City.
.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
“Against a quality program like Michigan City, that’s an awesome win,” Coyle said.
More Top Picks Best Callus Removers
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff