THORNVILLE - Trailing 14-13 in the fourth quarter on Aug. 28, senior quarterback Tyce Whiteman and the Sheridan football team lined up against Watkins Memorial for a crucial third-and-14 from midfield. The Generals had only managed to complete one of their four third-down conversions to that point, but a familiar target in senior receiver James Solomon found himself open.
While rolling out, Whiteman lofted a ball for Solomon, and the receiver adjusted to make the catch, dragging his toe inbounds at the Warriors’ 10 yard-line. Whiteman then found senior receiver Reed Parkison wide open for the go-ahead touchdown, adding the two-point conversion attempt with 7:27 left in the game as the Generals scored 21 unanswered to steal a 21-14 victory.
“That ball was on line,” Sheridan coach Paul Culver III said about Whiteman’s pass to Solomon. “I lost vision down the sideline, but it dropped from the heavens. He put it right on the money.”
Although the Generals (1-1) came out on top, the game started in favor of Watkins (0-2). The Warriors were able to dominate the line of scrimmage from the start when sophomore defensive lineman Jacob Markelonis recovered a fumble from senior running back Logan Russell on Sheridan’s first play from scrimmage.
Watkins took advantage of the turnover with a 3-yard rushing TD from senior running back Graham Smith to open the scoring. Smith continued into the second quarter with a 51-yard rush on fourth-and-1, setting up a 3-yard score for junior quarterback Frank Tanzillo.
“I don’t know how many people thought we were going to play that well going in,” said Watkins coach Darren Waters, whose team fell 49-7 to Worthington Kilbourne in Week 1. “The most important thing was that we got better from Week 1 to Week 2.”
Trailing 14-0 at the half, the senior leadership for the Generals stepped up and inspired the squad both in the locker room and on the field. On the first scrimmage play of the second half, Russell took a handoff 78 yards to cut the deficit in half.
After forcing a punt, Solomon took the ensuing return 36 yards deep into Watkins territory. Whiteman then used his feet from 4 yards to find the end zone, but a missed extra point left Sheridan behind 14-13.
“We have a really strong group of seniors,” Whiteman said. “We decided the first half was over, and now it’s time to play our brand of football.”
With momentum shifting toward the Generals, the defense stood its ground. Led by seniors Tucker Shonk, Ethan Riley and Griff Murray, Sheridan limited the Warriors to just 96 yards in the second half.
A punt early in the fourth quarter gave the offense another opportunity, leading to Whiteman’s pass to Solomon and the go-ahead touchdown to Parkison. The defense then stonewalled Watkins the rest of the way, forcing a three and out and a final turnover on downs to seal the 21-14 victory following a 28-13 loss at Licking Valley in Week 1.
“I would say the toughest win is the first one,” Whiteman added. “We got that, and now we have got to stay ready to play.”
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Sheridan football leapfrogs Watkins Memorial in second half
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