Freeport fights past Burrell
FREEPORT — “Unbelievable.”
That's the first word Freeport head coach John Gaillot used to describe the play of junior quarterback Andrew Romanchak on Friday night.
But he had much more to say.
“He's faster than I ever thought he would be,” Gaillot continued. “A hard-nosed kid, we knew that. Just a leader. He doesn't lead by voice, but he leads by action.”
And his actions on James E. Swartz Memorial Field led the Yellowjackets back into playoff contention with a 12-10 victory over Burrell.
After botching a snap on a punt and then fumbling on its next possession, Freeport found itself trailing 10-0 as the first-quarter horn sounded. Having not scored a first-half point in the season's first five games, the Yellowjackets' situation seemed dire.
In stepped Romanchak.
The 6-foot-2 junior orchestrated a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ate up more than seven minutes on the clock and brought the Yellowjackets to within four.
On the drive, Romanchak completed all three of his passes for 40 yards, ran for a first down on fourth-and-2, and plowed his way into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown.
“Our team played a great game. Everybody came together. We had a lot of underclassmen step up on the line,” Romanchak said.
Still trailing by four in the third quarter, Freeport took over the ball in Bucs territory and capitalized. Romanchak converted two third downs with his legs before Mitchell O'Shell broke through a hole for a 15-yard touchdown, putting the Yellowjackets ahead for good.
“A few mistakes we made kind of broke us a little bit,” Burrell head coach Kevin Horwatt said. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot. Third-and-long and we're giving up the big play.”
Freeport was able to take command after the first quarter with stingy defense and a ball-control offense. For the night, the Yellowjackets allowed only 104 total yards, and Burrell managed just one first down in the second half. While Freeport ran the ball 47 times, the Bucs had only 35 total offensive plays.
The stark contrast in plays was on display in the fourth quarter, when Freeport mounted what Romanchak called its best drive of the year — and it didn't even result in points.
Burrell threw an incomplete pass to start the fourth quarter before punting away to the Yellowjackets with 11:45 remaining. The Bucs wouldn't see the ball again until there was less than three minutes left.
Freeport took the ball at its own 15 and marched meticulously deep into Bucs territory. With a balanced attack the entire way, the Yellowjackets ate up almost nine minutes on the game clock, converting on two third downs and a fourth down before finally being stopped.
The game still in doubt, Romanchak showed up big one last time. Burrell's Cody Wolfe went for a deep ball on the Bucs' first play and Romanchak was there to make the interception, capping a stellar game for the Yellowjackets.
“I don't know what to say about this group of kids, it's just amazing,” Gaillot said.
“It seems like our M.O. for this year is we always shoot our self in the foot early, but we never quit. They just continue to fight and fight.”
