BY ERIC MILLINDER
WINDBER — Windber running back Jarid Cover rushed for 123 yards in Saturday’s District 5 playoff game against Berlin.
But none was more important than the final yard he gained.
In a showdown that featured two explosive offenses, Cover scored on a 1-yard run with
13 seconds remaining to give Windber a 47-44 win and a rematch with Conemaugh Township in the District 5-A championship game.
Following the win, a wrung-out Windber coach Phil DeMarco was nearly speechless.
“There was a lot of heart on that field tonight,” DeMarco said. “I don’t know what else to say. But both groups of kids played hard. This was a crazy football game. Unbelievable.”
Windber struck first, manufacturing an 8-play, 51-yard drive that Kyle Smith finished with a 3-yard run at 6:34. Brandon Ulasky added the kick to give Windber a 7-0 lead.
A second-quarter turnover quickly turned the momentum in Berlin’s favor.
After moving the ball to the Mountaineer 45, Windber’s Erick Strapple attempted a lateral that was scooped off the turf by Berlin’s Colby Slifco, who rumbled 38 yards for a score.
Berlin’s kick sailed wide, and Windber had a 7-6 advantage.
Berlin surged to the lead on its next possession, as quarterback Ian Sayler led a 10-play, 85-yard drive that saw the junior quarterback either pass or run the ball on every play. Sayler capped the drive with a 15-yard strike to Alex Will in the end zone.
Berlin’s 2-point conversion failed, but the Mountaineers led 12-7 with five minutes remaining in the half.
Those five minutes began a seesaw battle that would last until the final whistle.
Windber needed just 32 seconds to move 69-yards, as Smith and Ulasky covered 55-yards on three runs, and Cover scored on a 5-yard run. The point-after attempt sailed wide, and the Ramblers led 13-12.
Berlin answered right back, driving 76-yards on 8 plays, capped by Sayler’s 6-yard run through the middle with 55 seconds remaining. Sayler added the conversion and Berlin led 20-13 with 49 seconds remaining in the half.
The Ramblers produced a
16-yard touchdown pass from Erick Strapple to Cover that tied the game with 11 seconds until halftime.
That was more than enough time for Sayler, as the junior reversed direction on a running play and scampered 70 yards for another touchdown, and a
26-20 Berlin lead, as the quarter expired.
Sayler opened the third quarter with a 1-yard score to stretch Berlin’s lead to 12, but the Ramblers’ Ulasky responded with his own 70-yard dash to the end zone on Windber’s next possession.
Following a Berlin punt, Cover scored his third touchdown of the game from 1 yard out to give Windber a 33-32 advantage.
Berlin responded with another Sayler touchdown to open the final stanza and Berlin led again, 38-33.
With nine minutes remaining, the Ramblers marched 72-yards on 10 plays, with Ulasky capping the drive with a 5-yard score at 6:11 to put Windber up 39-38.
Sayler took to the air on Berlin’s next possession, finding Colby Slifco in stride with a
36-yard pass over the middle that gave Berlin a 44-39 edge with just under two minutes remaining.
That was more than enough time for the Ramblers. Cover, Strapple, and Ulasky covered the length of the field in seven plays.
In addition to Cover’s four touchdowns, Berlin’s Sayler finished with four touchdowns and 221 yards rushing.
Windber’s Ulasky recorded 175 yards rushing and two scores.
