Post 596 – Ramsey 34 Verona 28

Ramsey scored the winning touchdown with 0:08 seconds left in the game when Blake Creamer threw a touchdown pass to his twin brother, Bryan, to give the Rams a 34-27 win over Verona.  

First Quarter: Ramsey’s first possession resulted in a touchdown when Justin Martone ran 15 yards on the jet sweep. The extra point failed and it was 6-0. After a Verona punt, Ramsey looked ready to score again when Blake Creamer ran for 26 yards and Will Cheyne for 13 yards to the 11 on a quick opener between the tackles. But Alex Rodriguez intercepted and gave Verona the ball on their 1-yard line. From there, Cael Zebrowski found Steven Petro for 44 yards to their 45, followed by two Frank Riggio runs of 30 and 16 yards gave the Hillbillies a first-and-goal on the 9. The drive was capped off when Riggio bulled his way into the end zone from the 1-yard line to give Verona a 7-6 lead with 39 seconds left in the quarter. 

Second Quarter: Bryan Creamer ran 32 yards to the 14 and Blake Creamer scored on the following play, followed by a successful two-point conversion to put Ramsey ahead, 14-7. James Haveron returned the ensuing kickoff to the Ramsey 26. Zebrowski ran 9 yards to the 11 to give Verona a first down before throwing a touchdown to Zach Bucher for 8 yards and the score was tied. Shortly after that, Blake Creamer found Martone on a pass to the flat, who raced 81 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. Verona answered with two Zebrowski-to-Petro passes, one for 37 yards to the 14 and a 9-yard touchdown. The extra point fell short and Ramsey led 21-20 with 39 seconds left. 

Third Quarter: Each team had three possessions and it was the third Verona possession that put them ahead. Zebrowski found Petro again for 40 yards to give the Hillbillies a first-and-goal on the 10 and Riggio scored his second 1-yard touchdown with 1:43 left in the quarter. 

Fourth Quarter: Ramsey had a drive going, reaching the 20 when Bucher intercepted on the 15 off a tipped ball and returned it 10 yards. The Hillbillies moved the ball and were in good position to put the game away when Zebrowski fumbled and Joseph Lis recovered for Ramsey on the 8 with 3:42 left. Blake Creamer ran 14 yards to the Ram 40 and it was third-and-one when Bryan Creamer ran 16 yards to the 35. Each Creamer took a turn carrying the ball to get a first down on the 22. It was fourth-and-1 on the 13 when Blake Creamer ran 6 yards for the first down, followed by a spike that stopped the clock with six seconds left. This was when the twin brothers hooked up, as Blake completed the winning score to Bryan on the run along the left sideline of the end zone. The extra point was good to make it 28-27 with 0:08 seconds left. The ensuing kickoff featured several laterals among Verona players, with the last one being fumbled and Lis falling on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown as the time expired. 

Conclusion: It was an exciting game, especially in the first half. The game quieted down for most of the third quarter before the fourth quarter mostly featured two drives. The two Creamers made plays for Ramsey, along with Martone. For Verona the running of Riggio, a hard nosed running back, and the passing combination of Zebrowski and Petro made the game entertaining. It was a tough loss for the Hillbillies with a turnover when they appeared to be in control of the game. But Ramsey was in the same position in the first quarter when they threw an interception. Both are good teams and only one team could win. 

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