ARGYLE - Melrose-Mindoro junior quarterback Sam Boone may be too young to remember former Packers quarterback Don Majkowski, but he soon may also earn the nickname "The Magic Man."
Boone hooked up with senior Devon Christopherson on a game-winning 21-yard TD pass with 16 seconds to go to lift Melrose-Mindoro to a stunning 21-17 comeback win over No. 2 ranked Pecatonica-Argyle Saturday in a WIAA Division 6 state quarterfinal game. Boone engineered two touchdown drives in the final 3 minutes, 10 seconds in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. Boone completed 18 of 25 passes for 233 yards with two touchdowns and one touchdown run.
"It's a dream come true," Boone said after being mobbed by fans after the game at Argyle Legion Park. "I can't even imagine making it this far. I just want to soak up every minute of it. All of the hard work in the offseason is paying off."
One play before Boone's game-winning touchdown pass, it appeared as if Pecatonica-Argyle had sealed the win when junior Cory Linder intercepted Boone's pass. However, the interception was wiped out due to a holding penalty by the Vikings. Boone didn't let the Vikings spoil his second chance.
Pecatonica-Argyle coach Larry Green gave credit to Boone and the Mustangs.
"He (Boone) did a tremendous job of keeping plays alive for his kids to get open," Green said. "He escaped pressure and kept his eyes down field. It's tough to simulate that with our defense. They made one more play than we did."
With the win, Melrose-Mindoro (10-2) advances to the Division 6 state semifinals to take on No. 1 ranked Darlington (12-0). It's the first time the Mustangs have reached the state semifinals since 1997.
After falling behind by four points late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings answered with a seven-play, 59-yard drive capped off by Collin Argue's 3-yard TD run to give the Vikings a 17-14 lead with 1:57 to go. One of the big plays to keep the drive alive was junior quarterback Logan Green's 13-yard pass to Linder.
It was a tough loss for Pecatonica-Argyle to swallow. The Vikings (11-1) had five drives reach the Mustangs' 11-yard line, but scored just two touchdowns and settled for a Tyler Wahl field goal. The Mustangs had a goal line stand in the first quarter that resulted in a turnover on downs and senior Sam Higley had a fumble recovery on the other possession in the red zone. Despite jumping out to a 10-point lead, Pecatonica-Argyle (11-1) squandered some scoring chances.
"I think any time you get in the red zone and don't come away with a touchdown, it's a disappointment," Green said. "Melrose, to their credit, made a couple of more plays," Green said.
Early on, it looked like the Vikings may run away with the game. Wahl kicked a field goal midway through the second-quarter ton give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. The Mustangs fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Vikings cashed in on the golden opportunity with senior Riley Ostby punching in a 3-yard TD run to give the Vikings a 10-0 lead.
Ostby rushed for 77 yards on 16 carries and scored one touchdown. Junior teammate Cam Treuthardt rushed for 75 yards on 17 carries. Logan Green completed 9 of 14 passes for 74 yards. Linder had three receptions for 37 yards and junior A.J. Hendrickson had three receptions for 26 yards.
Boone then directed an 89-yard drive in the final 1 minute of the second quarter and tossed a 19-yard TD pass to Aaron Scafe who tapped his feet down just inside the pylon to cut the Vikings' halftime lead to 10-6.
On Melrose-Mindoro's first scoring drive of the fourth quarter, the Mustangs cashed in on a 10-play, 80-yard drive, culminating in Boone's 3-yard TD run to take a short-lived 14-10 lead with 3:10 left.
The drive was set up after Melrose-Mindoro junior Erik Christopherson fumbled a punt and Pecatonica-Argyle senior Kyle Emberson recovered at the Mustangs' 28-yard line. Erik Christopherson then made a season-saving play stripping and recovering a fumble to give the ball back to the offense.
"We have had a next play mentality the whole year," Melrose-Mindoro coach Tom Wisniewski said. "That really represents the next play mentality we play with. You just go out and move on to the next play and forget about it. You never hang your head. Pec-Argyle is a quality team. We made plays when we had to. We had our backs against the wall several times and we dug out of it. We played with a lot of heart."
Erik Christopherson rushed for 74 yards on 11 carries and had seven receptions for 90 yards. Devon Christopherson had four catches for 59 yards and one touchdown and Scafe had three receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown.
"We had a tremendous season," Green said. "We kind of put Pecatonica-Argyle football back on the map."
Boone hooked up with senior Devon Christopherson on a game-winning 21-yard TD pass with 16 seconds to go to lift Melrose-Mindoro to a stunning 21-17 comeback win over No. 2 ranked Pecatonica-Argyle Saturday in a WIAA Division 6 state quarterfinal game. Boone engineered two touchdown drives in the final 3 minutes, 10 seconds in the fourth quarter to pull out the win. Boone completed 18 of 25 passes for 233 yards with two touchdowns and one touchdown run.
"It's a dream come true," Boone said after being mobbed by fans after the game at Argyle Legion Park. "I can't even imagine making it this far. I just want to soak up every minute of it. All of the hard work in the offseason is paying off."
One play before Boone's game-winning touchdown pass, it appeared as if Pecatonica-Argyle had sealed the win when junior Cory Linder intercepted Boone's pass. However, the interception was wiped out due to a holding penalty by the Vikings. Boone didn't let the Vikings spoil his second chance.
Pecatonica-Argyle coach Larry Green gave credit to Boone and the Mustangs.
"He (Boone) did a tremendous job of keeping plays alive for his kids to get open," Green said. "He escaped pressure and kept his eyes down field. It's tough to simulate that with our defense. They made one more play than we did."
With the win, Melrose-Mindoro (10-2) advances to the Division 6 state semifinals to take on No. 1 ranked Darlington (12-0). It's the first time the Mustangs have reached the state semifinals since 1997.
After falling behind by four points late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings answered with a seven-play, 59-yard drive capped off by Collin Argue's 3-yard TD run to give the Vikings a 17-14 lead with 1:57 to go. One of the big plays to keep the drive alive was junior quarterback Logan Green's 13-yard pass to Linder.
It was a tough loss for Pecatonica-Argyle to swallow. The Vikings (11-1) had five drives reach the Mustangs' 11-yard line, but scored just two touchdowns and settled for a Tyler Wahl field goal. The Mustangs had a goal line stand in the first quarter that resulted in a turnover on downs and senior Sam Higley had a fumble recovery on the other possession in the red zone. Despite jumping out to a 10-point lead, Pecatonica-Argyle (11-1) squandered some scoring chances.
"I think any time you get in the red zone and don't come away with a touchdown, it's a disappointment," Green said. "Melrose, to their credit, made a couple of more plays," Green said.
Early on, it looked like the Vikings may run away with the game. Wahl kicked a field goal midway through the second-quarter ton give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. The Mustangs fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Vikings cashed in on the golden opportunity with senior Riley Ostby punching in a 3-yard TD run to give the Vikings a 10-0 lead.
Ostby rushed for 77 yards on 16 carries and scored one touchdown. Junior teammate Cam Treuthardt rushed for 75 yards on 17 carries. Logan Green completed 9 of 14 passes for 74 yards. Linder had three receptions for 37 yards and junior A.J. Hendrickson had three receptions for 26 yards.
Boone then directed an 89-yard drive in the final 1 minute of the second quarter and tossed a 19-yard TD pass to Aaron Scafe who tapped his feet down just inside the pylon to cut the Vikings' halftime lead to 10-6.
On Melrose-Mindoro's first scoring drive of the fourth quarter, the Mustangs cashed in on a 10-play, 80-yard drive, culminating in Boone's 3-yard TD run to take a short-lived 14-10 lead with 3:10 left.
The drive was set up after Melrose-Mindoro junior Erik Christopherson fumbled a punt and Pecatonica-Argyle senior Kyle Emberson recovered at the Mustangs' 28-yard line. Erik Christopherson then made a season-saving play stripping and recovering a fumble to give the ball back to the offense.
"We have had a next play mentality the whole year," Melrose-Mindoro coach Tom Wisniewski said. "That really represents the next play mentality we play with. You just go out and move on to the next play and forget about it. You never hang your head. Pec-Argyle is a quality team. We made plays when we had to. We had our backs against the wall several times and we dug out of it. We played with a lot of heart."
Erik Christopherson rushed for 74 yards on 11 carries and had seven receptions for 90 yards. Devon Christopherson had four catches for 59 yards and one touchdown and Scafe had three receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown.
"We had a tremendous season," Green said. "We kind of put Pecatonica-Argyle football back on the map."
