PATRICK: Fort Frye’s tough battle with Linsly a classic, even in defeat
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Players from Fort Frye and Linsly earned their degrees in drama last Friday on homecoming night at Cadet Stadium in Beverly.
Behind the main storylines were numerous subplots as Linsly pulled off a 41-38 victory after Santiago Graneros kicked a 40-yard field goal with 1:08 remaining in regulation.
Few can argue, the best high school football game to date in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
In the only the second meeting between the two programs, the battle of the Cadets had more twists and turns than Chubby Checker. Moments after the public address announcer recognized members from the 1972 and 1982 graduating classes were in attendance, Owen Brown took the game's opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.
Linsly fell behind 15-0 before taking its last lead of the first lead at 24-23 when quarterback Atley Cowan completed a pass n th bubble screen to Luca Dilorenzo. Linsly's most prized athlete since BJ Depew took over at the school 15 years ago, Dilorenzo scampered 66 yards down the sideline -- one of four TDs in the game for the 5-foot-9, 155-pound senior.
With a major shoutout to Dilorenzo's brilliance on the field, Cowan threw for 297 yards and five TDs. Cowan also showed off his athleticism. He kept plays alive and avoided the sack with his uncanny ability to find an open receiver with no-look passes while throwing off his back foot.
Cowan's athletic gene runs in the Cowan family. Ritchie County three-sport athlete Andrew Cowan (Mid-Ohio Valley Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2011) also played quarterback and placed third in the voting of the 1994 Kennedy Award as a senior. Andrew Cowan attended Marshall University and played back-up quarterback to Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich.
Thomas Cowan (MOV Athletic Class of 2005) also attended Ritchie County and was a four-year letterwinner in football, basketball and baseball. Thomas Cowan also played quarterback for the Rebels before taking those talents to Glenville State College.
In addition to Brown's kickoff return and the game-winning field goal, special teams played a vital role. Especially for Linsly climbing back from a 15-0 deficit. Fort Frye was unable to gather in a pooch kick after Linsly closed to 15-10. Five plays after the turnover, Linsly took its first lead of the game at 17-15.
Between Fort Frye's menacing ground game and Linsly's no-huddle approach on offense, points occurred in a flurry.
By halftime, the two schools combined for 55 points with Fort Frye leading 31-24. The Fort Frye chain gang were in continuous motion moving up and down the sidelines. Their physical shape tested like those Jane Fonda workout tapes.
An onsides kickoff recovery by Linsly moments after closing to within 38-31 midway in the third quarter nearly cost Fort Frye. With the ball resting at the Fort Frye 35 on the ensuing possession, Braxton Brown picked off his fifth pass of the season.
Linsly began stuffing the box and Fort Frye was unable to capitalize. Over the next three possessions, Fort Frye managed just two first downs and 23 yards of total offense. Each series resulted in a punt.
With the game tied at 38 and the ball at Fort Frye's 29, and 7:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, Fort Frye fans began to rise and cheer emphatically as Austin Powell broke the first line of defense. The only person between Powell and the end zone was Dilorenzo playing centerfield on defense. Dilorenzo chased down Powell at the Linsly 33 after the 48-yard gain.
Four plays later, Raymond Kovalesky recovered a fumble for Fort Frye's only turnover of the game. Linsly offense put the ball in the air 28 times for the game, but only twice on its final drive as the running game was called upon nine times for 50 yards. Only 68 ticks remained when Graneros split the uprights with room to spare.
"Both teams battled the entire game," Linsly coach BJ Depew said. "There were different moments where the momentum was on either sideline.
"I had total confidence in our kicker, our holder and our snapper. I told the guys in the huddle, my only concern was the protection and being able to hold off their charge. I knew they would be coming hard. Our guys delivered in a big, big way. It was a nice moment for them."
Countless high school football games remain in 2022, but Linsly and Fort Frye definitely set the precedence for what is now known as an "Instant Classic."
"Linsly two-platooned and I definitely think we were a little worn down in the second half," Fort Frye coach Eric Huck said. "It didn't turn out the way we wanted, but our kids played their hearts out."
Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com