On Friday, Gault did. His 13-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-3 in overtime gave the Arrows a 13-10 victory over Bellefontaine, a share of their second straight Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division championship with Tippecanoe and likely a first-round home game in the playoffs.
In the huddle before the big play, running back Dustin Holmes said his teammates told Gault, “Riley, this is your chance to make that one big play.”
Said Gault, “It’s what you prepare for your whole life.”
On the winning run, Gault took the snap, ran to the left side, faked a pitch to Holmes, got a block on the sideline, cut inside and sprinted down the sideline. Near the goal line, he dove toward the front pylon for the score.
“We had been pounding them inside quite a bit, and we figured if we faked it to Holmes, they would be keying on Holmes,” Tecumseh coach Kent Massie said. “Riley pulled it around, and we got some good blocks on the edge there.”
In seconds, an entire football team piled on Gault as the Arrows (9-1, 4-1 CBC) celebrated. Somewhere in the pile, Massie lost his glasses, and they were smashed. The coach said he’s blind without them, but he could see the significance of this victory.
“It means the world to us,” Massie said. “In our history, we’ve won seven league championships, and this is the first group of kids to do it back-to-back. It’s very, very special.”
“It means everything,” Gault said. “It’s never been done before.”
Bellefontaine got the ball first in overtime, and Jordan Price kicked a 34-yard field goal despite the wind, a constant the whole game, and the rain.
Bellefontaine (8-2, 3-2 CBC) took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Winter to T.J. Garmin. The Arrows answered with a 6-yard TD run by Kyle Sanning with 3:55 to go before halftime.
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