the Cafe
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of rival Central to Bethard
In years past, the Indian River High School football team might have hung its head
after giving up a long touchdown run just seven minutes into the game and seeing its first three possessions short-circuited by penalties and turnovers.
But the Indians were playing for more than local bragging rights against archrival Sussex Central Friday night, Sept. 18, in Georgetown. They were playing for head coach George Bethard, who a few days earlier was forced to leave the team for the remainder of the season due to complications stemming from his surgery last spring to remove a cancerous brain tumor.
Having dedicated the game to their coach, the Indians shook off a sluggish first quarter and dominated the game's final 32 minutes. The resulting 20-7 victory was their first over Sussex Central since 1995 and broke a string of two consecutive blowout losses to the Golden Knights.
"When we found out coach Bethard was sick, we dedicated not only this game but this whole season to him," said IR quarterback Shawn Watkins, who threw a pair of touchdown passes to Antoine Stratton. "This whole thing was for him because he couldn't be here to see this."
The Indians dominated the line of scrimmage the entire game, opening huge holes for Stratton, Ryan Shelton, Ivory Richardson and Paul Parsons. Stratton rushed for 52 yards on 9 carries and caught touchdown passes of 8 and 16 yards. Richardson added 51 yards on 7 carries while Watkins completed 5 of 7 passes for 59 yards.
"This is the sweetest victory I could ever expect," Watkins said. "Everybody from the special teams to the defense to the offense sucked it up for coach. They knew this was for him and everybody played their heart out tonight."
Bethard coached the team through preseason practices and scrimmages and began the year as a teacher at Indian River but was taken ill again last week and is currently on a 90-day leave of absence. Interim coach Pat Kelly, who will run the team the remainder of the season, noted Bethard was the driving force Friday night.
"The kids are playing for coach Bethard right now," he said. "The wanted to get a (game) ball for him by winning this game. All our kids played so inspired football. Our line was unbelievable. We had so many guys going both ways."
But the evening got off to a rocky start. After a clipping penalty wiped out IR's opening drive and forced a punt, Central swiftly moved 76 yards in just six plays for a touchdown. George Davis's 44-yard scoring run down the left sideline gave the Knights a 7-0 lead with about five minutes left in the first quarter.
The Indians went three-and-out on their next possession before Watkins fumbled near midfield early in the second period, giving Central a first down at the IR 40 yard line. The Knights drove to the IR 17 before Adam Zee's 34-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
It was all Indian River from that point on.
IR took over at its own 20 and drove 80 yards in just 8 plays for the tying touchdown. Runs of 18 yards by Shelton and 13 yards by Richardson and an 18-yard pass from Watkins to Kendrell Marshall set up Shelton's 3-yard touchdown run with about four minutes left in the first half. George Cole's extra point made it 7-7.
On the second play of Central's ensuing possession, quarterback Josh Hershelman fumbled and Watkins recovered at the Central 27. Five plays later, Watkins hit Stratton in the right corner of the end zone from 8 yards out to put IR ahead 14-7 at halftime.
IR's momentum carried over into the third quarter when it took over at the Central 47 after a short punt and scored in 8 plays. Facing a fourth and 5 from the Central 16, Watkins lofted another pass to the right side for Stratton, who caught the ball at the 2 and stepped into the end zone. The play was identical to the second-quarter touchdown pass.
"We've been working on that a lot in practice. Antoine made two tremendous catches," Watkins said. "The line gave me beautiful blocking and things just worked out right."
Cole's extra point was blocked, leaving IR with a 20-7 lead with 4:37 remaining in the quarter.
Central's final chance to get back in the game game came midway through the fourth quarter when, on a third and 23, Shelton fumbled and Central's Kurt Wolfe recovered on the IR 7. But the IR defense stopped the Knights on four plays, sealing the upset victory.
"What I liked is when we had adversity, our kids stared it in the eye twice and did not blink," Kelly said. "We've been trying to tell the kids you have to overcome adversity in a ballgame and you don't get caught looking at the end result."
Added Watkins: "They have a bigger team. They have 50 guys on their team, we have 30. We were the David and they were the Goliath. But its not how big you are, it's how big your heart is and our heart was bigger. We had more to play for tonight."
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