Trey Greenlee with the tackle. Photos by Eric Rinehart. 

by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — If you were a betting kind of person, going into the fourth quarter you probably wouldn’t have taken the odds that Wellington’s football team would end the game in victory formation.

But that is what happened as the southern Crusaders erased a 13-7 deficit to go on to defeat Buhler 28-13 and secure its second win of the season.

It was almost breathtaking how everything came together for the Dukes in the fourth quarter. After two frustrating losses and three tough quarters, Wellington would score three touchdowns – all in the final eight minutes.

“We were making the kind of plays tonight that we haven’t been making the past two weeks,” said Zane Aguilar, Wellington head football coach. “That was a good win for our program. And hats off to the defense.”

Wellington’s defense rose to the occasion and sparked the Dukes’ big rally. If there was a key moment in this game, it was 10:55 in the fourth when Mekhi Haskin-Ybarra snagged the first of Wellington’s three fourth-quarter interceptions giving the south Crusaders life at the Buhler 46.

Dustyn Schettler had 147 yards against Buhler. 

Dustyn Schettler, who had 147 yards on 28 carries, then had three big carries including a 7-yard gain on a 4th and 4 that sustained the drive. Then quarterback Berkley Wright caught fire and threw a 12-yard pass to Haskin-Ybarra in the flat to the 3. Wright scored two plays later from the 1, and brother Jack Wright secured the PAT to give Wellington its first lead of the game 14-13 with 7:55 to play.

Then came the strangest play of the night. B. Wright kicked off and had a high, short kick that landed at the 50 – hardly going 10 yards. The Buhler player called for a fair catch and then muffed it. B. Wright recovered his own kick.

“I wasn’t happy with the kick in all honesty,” B. Wright said. “But when I saw the guy catch it, I decided I was going to distract him by yelling at him. It must have worked because he dropped it and I ended up with the ball.”

It was at that point that everything went Wellington’s way. B. Wright went on a misdirected quarterback keeper to get to the Buhler 23. And then he would hit a long arching pass into the numbers of Montel Tate who was speeding down the sidelines on a post route. The 23-yard touchdown reception gave the Dukes an improbable 21-13 lead at the 5:50 mark. In two short minutes, Wellington saw a 6-point deficit turn into an 8-point lead.

On the next drive, Buhler had two big pass receptions, including one on a 4th-and-10 to get inside the Wellington 30.

Then Cope Henry made a huge interception and nearly took it to the house, getting stopped by the final Buhler defender at the 33. Schettler was at it again on third and 10, and rumbled his way all the way to the 5. Wright then plundered through for his third 1-yard touchdown run of the game.

The Crusaders, the southern variety, had a stunning 28-13 lead at the 1:30 mark.

That left Buhler with one last gasping drive. Then Wellington got its third interception of the game, as Haskin-Ybarra snagged another one. Wellington then got into victory formation. A sweet win on a sweet night.

———

Montel Tate gets a catch in the first half with Trenton Bannister to the left.

It didn’t always look like Wellington’s victory was imminent. For much of the first three quarters, Buhler clearly outplayed Wellington. Frustratingly, Wellington again had a promising opening drive go empty. Wellington was stopped at the Buhler 5 on fourth down.

The Dukes were thwarted again on its second drive and Buhler started marching, capping its first scoring drive on a 12-yard Collin Roward touchdown run. Wellington came right back on the next drive, thanks in part to a 45-yard run by Schettler getting the Dukes to the 3. Wright scored thereafter to tie the game at 7-all.

Brock McCurdy scored on a 37-yard touchdown pass with 2:19 to play in the half. Buhler went into halftime leading 13-7.

The third quarter was scoreless, which was notable only for B. Wright’s quick kicks on simultaneous drives on fourth down that pinned Buhler back inside its 10.

That set up the heroic fourth quarter for the Dukes.

Interestingly, Buhler had 346 yards of offense compared to Wellington’s 245.

Rushing: W – Schettler 28-147, Wright 16-19, Rusk 6-20. Total: 50-186. B- Elliott 23-188, Neill 8-12, Campbell 1-(-5), Henderson 2-16, Rollard 4-15. Total: 38-226.

Passing: W – B. Wright 6-12, 59 yds, 0 int. B – Neill 7-20, 120 yds., 3 int.

Receiving: W- Tate 4-43, Bannister 1-3, Haskin-Ybarra 1-13. B- McCurdy 5-85, Coffey 1-22, Elliott 1-13.

Follow us on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter.