Agony of victory
Hawks (7-3) out of playoffs with 3rd-place finish in 7-6A
By Laura Bernheim | Staff Writer
November 15, 2008

Loxahatchee - Never has a team looked so sad after a win.

After coming back in the fourth quarter to knock off Park Vista with a 24-14 non-district win, Seminole Ridge players and coaches consoled each other.

The Hawks' 7-3 season might be the best in the school's four-year history, but the team couldn't send its seniors to the playoffs after a third-place finish in District 7-6A.

"It stinks knowing that we have a better team than the team we just played, but they're going to the playoffs and we're not," said senior quarterback Tyler Wilhelm as he trudged back to the locker room. Wilhelm finished 6 for 15 with 134 yards.

The star of the game, running back Jordan Schumacher, looked dazed as he kneeled away from his teammates. In addition to 59 yards on 14 carries, Schumacher returned a kick and a punt for 52 yards each.

Schumacher's punt return halfway through the fourth quarter set up senior fullback Matt Collado's 2-yard touchdown run to put the game out of reach.

Park Vista (8-2) led 14-10 going into the fourth quarter, but missed turnover opportunities doomed the Cobras, who instead lost three of four fumbles to Seminole Ridge.

"We had opportunities to make plays in the first half and just couldn't capitalize," said Park Vista coach Brian Dodds, who saw two would-be interceptions for sure touchdowns dropped by his defensive backs.

After Park Vista's first touchdown from running back Trence Mason, defenders nearly picked off two passes in the end zone before the Hawks settled for a field goal.

Seminole Ridge then recovered two straight fumbles from the Cobras, with Schumacher reaching the end zone on a 1-yard run following the first.

Winning such a lopsided turnover ratio was a first this season for the Hawks, whose three losses were all by a touchdown or less.

"We can play with anybody, we just make a lot of mistakes sometimes and like to keep it close," Seminole Ridge coach Matt Dickmann said. "Our problem this season is that we haven't won the turnover battle, and it would end up costing us the game. It's nice tonight to be on the other side."

The Cobras grabbed the lead coming out of halftime on an 11-play, 88-yard drive that featured a fake punt that Mason ran for 27 yards. Mason, who pounded out 73 of his 107 yards in the second half, reached the end zone on a 25-yard pickup.

But the fourth quarter belonged to the Hawks' seniors, as Wilhelm, Schumacher, Collado and Jeff Moise led the offense to two scores and the victory.

"That's the thing about these guys," Dickmann said. "They've handled adversity all year and they persevered at the end."

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