SHENANDOAH — Just 1:02 showed on the Mrs. T’s scoreboard clock at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Thursday evening when Shenandoah Valley’s Nick Krusinsky placed his kicking tee on the wet grass at the Kutztown 15-yard line.
The Blue Devils senior, dubbed “kicker’’ from his freshman season, was about to try and win a game for Shenandoah for the first time this season, and the first since Sept. 20, 2013, a win over Minersville.
All Krusinsky could think about was staying fundamentally sound. The soccer-style, right-footed kicker stayed true to form as the ball sailed through the uprights from 25 yards out, giving Shenandoah Valley a 17-14 non-league victory over the Cougars, snapping the Blue Devils’ 17-game losing streak.
“I had the butterflies (in my stomach) and all I could think was to keep my head down,” Krusinsky said. “Once I got (the kick) up, I really felt good about the kick.”
So did his celebratory teammates.
Shenandoah Valley (1-10) was trying to avoid a winless season for the first time since 1918, when the program went 0-2-1.
“You don’t know how good this feels, you really don’t know how good this feels,” Blue Devils senior Clarence Grutza said. “We just wanted to go out with a win. Myself and Nick (Gurski) have been in the weight room since last November.”
Grutza helped to seal the win, making the game’s final tackle as the Cougars (0-11) desperately tried mounting a comeback of their own.
The contingency game had ups and downs before the Blue Devils put together their game-winning drive starting on their own 15, and directed by sophomore quarterback Joel Santana.
Santana ran a version of the pistol/shotgun formation, the first time it was used by Shenandoah all season. Santana come on with Blue Devils’ starting quarterback Ian McCole went down late in the third quarter with a hip injury.
Santana ran for 64 yards during the march on 17 carries, as the drive ate up more than 8 minutes off the clock, and eventually set up the game-winning field goal.
“He did a great job of running that formation for us,” Shenandoah Valley coach Randy Maksimik said. “The (staff) is just so glad for our seniors, and now we can move forward with a good offseason.”
Shenandoah Valley got on the board in the first 2:11, using an onside kick to open the game as Gurski recovered the ball. McCole went to work with his soft passing touch, first hitting Santana with a 31-yard completion. Two plays later, McCole called Jacob Storm’s number as the two hooked up for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
It took just four plays for a 7-0 lead.
But Kutztown, which came in riding an 0-40 losing streak, regrouped with a 10-play drive, using nine running plays to hit the end zone. Quarterback Zachary Mickey powered across the goal line from the 5, but the Cougars misfired on the extra point and trailed 7-6.
Kutztown then reached back for another scoring drive in the second quarter, this one covering 89 yards in nine plays. A key play during the drive was a Mickey 50-yard pass to Bryce Santos to the Shenandoah Valley 25-yard line. A horse-collar tackle put the ball on the 12.
On third down, fullback Kody Reichert plowed 3 yards into he end zone, and Mickey added a 2-point conversion on a run for a 14-7 lead.
Shenandoah Valley came back to tie the game on its next possession with a nine-play drive.
McCole turned to Santana for a 12-yard completion in the series, and then Freddy Morales picked up 19 yards on five carries, including a facemask penalty on his last run that put the ball on the 2. Gurski slammed home a score on a 2-yard run, and Krusinsky tied the game with the PAT.
Kutztown had chances to take a lead twice in the second half, but the Blue Devils thwarted one drive at the 15 and another at the 24, while also coming up empty themselves. The Cougars picked off two passes, one at their own 4.
Finally, the Blue Devils drove close enough to produce the game-winning points as rain slopped the field.
Gurski, a part-time center, had to make the critical snap.
“I think I was more nervous than he was,” Gurski said of Krusinsky. “I needed to make sure the snap was good. I just wanted to get (the ball) back and give him the chance to kick it.”
Game Summary
Kutz. (0-11) 6 8 0 0 — 14 SV (1-10) 7 7 0 3 — 17
SV — Storm 13 pass from McCole (Krusinsky kick)
Kutz — Mickey 5 run (kick failed)
Kutz — Reichert 3 run (Mickey run)
SV — Gurski 2 run (Krusinsky kick)
SV — FG Krusinsky 25
Kutz SV
First Downs 14 15
Rushes-Yards 30-111 39-160
Passes 7-11-0 7-14-2
Passing Yards 108 141
Total Yards 219 301
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 2-0
Penalties 7-55 7-33
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Kutztown — Kelcher 15-62, Mickey 10-39, Reichert 4-8, Santos 1-2. Shenandoah Valley — Morales 15-98, Santana 18-65, Gurski 2-9, McCole 1-5, Allegretta 2-(-3), Team 1-(-14).
PASSING: Kutztown — Mickey 7-11-0, 108. Shenandoah Valley — McCole 7-14-2, 141.
RECEIVING: Kutztown — Santos 4-84, Sullivan 2-10, Miller 1-14. Shenandoah Valley — Santana 5-113, Storm 2-28.
INTERCPETIONS: Kutztown — Sullivan 2.