Wayland adults had to pay $5 a head to get into a varsity football game Thursday night for the first time since 2012. They got their money’s worth.
In one of the most exciting high school football games ever played in Ron Stehouwer Stadium, the Wildcats dropped a 34-28 nail-biter to neighborhood rival Hopkins. The winning touchdown was scored with 49.6 seconds left in the ballgame, but the visiting Vikings had to hang on for dear life until time ran out.
Indeed, it was said about legendary Detroit Lions quarterback Bobby Layne that he “never lost a game, he just ran out of time.” That could be applied to Wayland senior QB Tanner VanDyk, who completed 28of 43 passes for 363 yards and was just seven yards short of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
Hopkins head coach Cody Francis called his legions “resilient” for good reason. The Vikings were down 28-26 with just over five minutes left when defensive end Devin Smit pounced on a fumble at the Wayland 34-yard line.
Hopkins had to earn every yard it got in that winning drive, however. A huge defensive stop by linebacker Brody Place left the Vikings facing a fourth down and five at the ‘Cats’ 30. But then junior running back Cyrus Miner swept right end for a nine-yard gain to the keep the drive alive.
Place and Justin Kiry combined on a crucial hit of Miner to force a fourth and six at the 16 with just 1:02 showing on the clock. But Francis came up with an inside reverse off that wing-T formation and Michael Smith and clawed his way to the seven for a first and goal. Miner then carried the mail for the final yards around right end and he scored the two-point conversion.
But the Wildcats in head coach Mike Doupe’s debut showed a little resilience of their own, quickly taking the football from their own 34 down to the Hopkins seven, where senior receiver Michael Kelly made a clutch catch with 2.9 seconds left.
The astonishing comeback bid failed on the last play when VanDyk just missed his target near the back of the end zone.
Doupe probably astonished the high football world by unleashing an up-tempo Matthew Stafford style aerial attack out of a shotgun formation. VanDyk completed big gain passes to Kiry for 45 and 25 yards and the game was barely two minutes old when Eric Villareal went the final yard for a TD and Hanna Moulenbelt nailed the first her four extra points with her talented toe.
Hopkins responded with a seven-yard TD by Jimmy Lipscomb, a score set up by Sid VanderTuin who pinned the Wildcats back on their own one-yard line with a punt. The Vikings led 8-7 and proceeded to dominate the second quarter with that classic smash-mouth style tackle-to-tackle running out of a full house backfield.
Miner scored from five yards midway in the second period and the Vikings went up 14-8.
But Wayland tied it seconds later on an electrifying 90-yard kickoff return by Kyle Jansen, who somehow found daylight up the middle and outraced everybody to the end zone.
Hopkins drove down the field to score its third TD with little time remaining in the half. Miner took it in from 25 yards and the visiting group enjoyed a 20-14 cushion at intermission.
The surprises kept coming, as the Wayland defense, led by junior Chad Stoepker, stuffed Hopkins in its first series of the second half. Using a lot of variation out of the wide open formation, VanDyk would give the ball inside to Villareal or Place or keep it himself to throw the Vikings’ defense off the scent of the pass.
Place took the ball the final two yards of a 77-yard drive and Moulenbelt’s kick put the ‘Cats up 21-20.
The Wayland dared to push the Vikings to the wall by taking a 28-20 advantage on a quarterback sneak of a yard by VanDyk, who engineered the march with nifty passing to Kiry, Kelly, Jake Omness and Villareal.
Hopkins responded with uncharacteristic swiftness by playing a brief game of “who’s the quarterback.” The ball would be snapped to Miner, VanderTuin or Lipscomb and three long gains got the ball down to the end quickly. Lipscomb, the last carrier in the guessing game, went 35 yards to score and tighten the contest at 28-26 and to set the stage for the wild finish.
Miner gained 141 yards on 25 carries. Lipscomb added 103 in 14 attenpts.
Smit, Miner, Clayton Frank and Clint VanderMoore had seven tackles apiece and Frank had Hopkins’ only sack of VanDyk, a tribute to the Wayland offensive line.
Michael Kelly had 12 receptions for 173 yards. Kiry had eight catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
PHOTOS: Junior running back Cyrus Miner (3) goes around right end, where he had plenty of success, while Wayland’s Justin Kiry (8) tries to cut him off at the pass.
Senior Hanna Moulenbelt converted on all four of her extra point attempts. Logan Sevigny (2) is the holder.
Great Game Wildcats and Vikings! You guys played your hearts out.