Last-second prayer answered for Cavs

CHATHAM — Buzz Keel found Brent Shelton on a 21-yard touchdown pass as time expired and Kenny Grecco knocked in the extra point, giving the Chatham Cavaliers their first lead Monday night and a 29-28 win over Nelson County on Homecoming night.

The Governors (2-5) led 28-22 with three minutes remaining when they were forced to punt from their own 45. Chatham (2-6) took possession on their 21-yard line and marched down the field. The drive seemed to stall around midfield, but Chatham quarterback Buzz Keel rattled of a 13-yard run on fourth down to keep the drive alive.

A few downs later, Chatham had the ball on the Nelson County 21-yard line with 4.8 seconds left on the clock. Keel took the snap, rolled out of the pocket and found Shelton in the end zone for the touchdown strike as time expired. Grecco came out and tacked on the game-winning extra point, giving Chatham the win.

“I had to wait for him to cross,” Keel said of the final play. “But I knew I had to get it off. I just thank God I let it go at the right time. If it wasn’t for my line blocking, I never would have got it off.”

Chatham coach Malon Dalton was glad to see the fans get their money’s worth.

“One of our main focus this week was the fans,” Dalton said. “Cavalier fans pay $5 a ticket, but is it worth it? We hit on that all week in practice, and tonight was worth it.”

The game didn’t start out as smooth for the Cavaliers.

Nelson County jumped out to an early lead on their first possession, capping off a 67-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Mark Wells to Jordan Wooten. The Governors opted to fake a field goal on the point after attempt and Calvin Baker hauled in a pass from back-up quarterback Aaron Kidd to give Nelson an 8-0 lead.

The teams traded possessions before Chatham was able to tie it up late in the first on a 46-yard punt return touchdown by Cam McClellan with only 45 seconds remaining in the opening period.

Nelson County scored for the final time with 8:16 left in the game on a 5-yard run by Trevor Martin to put the Generals ahead 28-22. Chatham would turn the ball over after failing to convert on fourth-and-nine, but forced the Generals to punt on their possession, setting the stage for Keel and the dramatic game-winning drive.

Dalton was proud of his team’s effort.

“This was a great effort,” Dalton said. “They stuck together in times of adversity. That punt return was huge. We were hurt by some penalties but the offense was able to move the ball, and our passing game worked to our advantage. And Buzz played a great game.”

Keel will mark this game as one his greatest moments in football.

“This is one of the best moments I’ve ever had,” Keel said. “I’ve had good ones before, but this overtakes them. It is Homecoming and we wanted to prove we can win and please the crowd.”

Despite the last minute heroics by Keel, Nelson County coach Tim Crawford thought there may be another reason the Governors came up short.

“This is the worst officiating crew I’ve ever seen,” Crawford said. “This is exactly why good high school coaches get out of high school athletics. What we had done is flat ridiculous.

“Those officials didn’t miss those tackles and blocks out there. But there were some blatant blown calls. On the last play, they had at least three linemen downfield. We just got no calls. Then one of our guys falls over the top of the pile and we get an unsportsmanlike conduct flag. You better believe this tape is going in. I am more than disappointed, I’m irate.”

Dalton points out that the Governors weren’t the only team getting penalized.

“We had a lot, too,” Dalton said. “There were flags thrown the whole game. But both of these teams played well enough to win and you can’t fault either team.”

Dalton is pleased with the improvement of his team this year.

“I’m impressed with the way they handled this thing,” Dalton said. “It has been a struggle. I changed the offense after our first scrimmage. I’m just glad our team hung in there, and our fans and family stuck with us and tonight we rewarded them.”