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QB gets tough reminder that football doesn't end when the clock runs out
Most sports end when the clock ticks down to zero. Football is not one of them. The coach in Maple Mountain, Utah, says he's been preaching this all season, and on Tuesday night all that preaching paid off.
Spanish Fork (Utah) led Maple Mountain 14-11 with 3.2 seconds to play. The quarterback took the snap, dropped back, glanced over his shoulder to look at the clock, and watched the seconds tick away. As time ran out, he held the ball in one hand and turned his back to the play.
A local sportscaster had the call in the first highlight here:
The Maple Mountain Golden Eagles kept playing, stripping the ball from the unexpecting QB's hand, recovering the fumble and sprinting 25 yards to the endzone for the touchdown and the win.
By the time the QB realized what was happening and chased down Maple Mountain's Brandon Beebe, Beebe was already in the endzone.
“Honestly, the credit for that intellectual play goes to the players,” Maple Mountain coach Brad Burtenshaw told KSL.com. “They just kept playing, and nobody heard a whistle. We’ve preached that to our kids all year: play ’til the whistle."
It's a lesson the Spanish Fork quarterback will likely never forget. One of his coaches commented on Facebook, writing,
"To anyone who sees this: I'm on the coaching staff at Spanish fork. [He] is an incredible player. He led this team in rushing yards and put the team on his back all night. [He] made all the right plays and gave us the win and we are so darn proud of him for last night and this entire season! This play is on us as coaches. We dropped the ball, not [him]. Most of you won't see this, but take it easy on the kid, be respectful and imagine how you would want someone to treat your friend, brother, son, player after a defeat like this."
The play could have ended in any number of ways. The QB could have spiked it or taken a knee. It could have bounced out of bounds before Beebe picked it up and ran to the endzone. The coaches could have called a different play, considering it was fourth down. Instead, everything lined up perfectly for Maple Mountain, and disastrously for Spanish Fork.
Props to the Golden Eagles for playing 'til the whistle. They'll start their playoff run this weekend.
H/T Tyler Slade
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Danielle Elliot is the editor of Prep Rally for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com or follow her on Twitter!
