This story will be updated.
UHRICHSVILLE – For Buddy White, there was no doubt in his mind. Nor was there any in that of his counterpart, Matt Lancaster.
If given the chance, Claymont was going for the win. And that’s precisely what White, the Mustangs’ head coach, did with an Inter-Valley Conference-South Division title and unbeaten regular season on the line.
When Jackson Jinks caught a 9-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 left in their Week 10 showdown, cutting visiting Indian Valley’s lead to a point, White called timeout to set up strategy for the potential game-winner.
He elected for a power run with sturdy Dre’Vonn Searcy to the right, but an unblocked Reese St. Clair made a beeline for the goal line from the secondary. Searcy put his head down, but St. Clair stacked him up just short of the goal-line.
The Braves recovered the on-side kick a few seconds later and ran out the clock to secure a hard-earned 7-6 win that looked very little like the majority of their wins in the past four regular seasons.
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White didn’t regret the decision – or the play call.
“I wanted to win now,” White said of going for the lead, rather than kick the game-tying extra point and hope for overtime. “We had the opportunity to win the game right there. I didn't want to go into overtime and risk somebody getting hurt when we have the playoffs next week."
Though big-play man Kamden Stout carried much of the rushing load, with Searcy’s need at his linebacker spot paramount against the Ryker Williams-led Braves offense, it was Searcy who got the call for the two-pointer.
A power play from a tight formation, with the back-side guard pulling, right tackle blocking down and fullback leading Searcy into the hole, was a play the team had spent ample time practicing. White said he was at peace with it, adding “I had the right guy running the ball.”
"We liked the play and have had success with it,” White said. “Some people down there were telling me he got in, but the officials said he didn't, so I've got to go with what the officials said.”
St. Clair said afterward that he wanted to redeem himself for some earlier miscues. The coaches had a simple message during a timeout prior to the conversion attempt.
“Somebody had to make a play,” St. Clair said. “All 11 of us. We just had to make it happen.”
Lancaster, Indian Valley's head coach, agreed with White's decision, and not because it happened to work in his team's favor.
"I definitely would have gone for two," Lancaster said. "They’re the underdog in that game. They’ve got nothing to lose. They’re already in the playoffs, so I definitely would have gone for it.”
Defenses reigned supreme
In this down-and-dirty, knuckles-in-the-mud scrap between two longtime rivals, separated by just a few miles on U.S. 36, it was only fitting that the conclusion of this old-school clash ultimately came down to stopping a short-yardage run. It was the first time Indian Valley has been held to less than 21 points since a 35-14 loss to Garaway on Sept. 13, 2023 — a span of 44 games.
The 33-game regular-season win streak, however, remains alive and well.
“This was a great high school football game between two good teams,” Lancaster said. “Claymont has gotten so much better, and their kids played tough. I think they played the entire first half on our side of the field, but our kids were really resilient tonight and just kept fighting back.”
Williams’ 9-yard touchdown run on a keeper and Colt James’ ensuing extra-point, which capped an 11-play, 82-yard drive to start the second half and ate up half of the third quarter, proved to be just enough offense for the Braves. Their usual big-play ability, with the 1,000-yard rusher Williams hurting teams with his arms and legs, was harnessed by Camden McCall and the rest of the Mustangs' hardscrabble front seven.
They were also hampered by a bad snap that foiled a potential scoring chance early in the fourth and twice had big plays called back on their next possession due to holding calls. Those led to a third-down sack, as a slippery Williams offered his best Fran Tarkenton impersonation, only to be corralled for an 11-yard loss.
It forced a punt from deep in their own territory with 6:10 still showing, which Claymont methodically turned into a potential game-winning 10-play scoring drive.
St. Clair had other ideas.
"Our kids just kept responding, battling back every time and answering the bell," Lancaster said. "It's relief after any win. That's the feeling you have. But its definitely good for our community and our kids. That was a big-game, playoff atmosphere and that's what both communities deserve."
The Braves were the ninth opponent that failed to score more than 10 points against the Mustang defense. It's the primary reason why White is gearing up for a long November.
"We're getting ready to go into the playoffs now, and those top teams in our region better watch out for us," White said. "Our kids are on a mission to win playoff games. We want to win multiple games."
sblackbu@usatodayco.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Right on time, Reese St. Clair plays hero vs. Claymont football