Every fan in Wolverine Country Stadium knew where the ball was going when Olathe needed a late score.
Or so they thought.
Trenton Jole carried the ball 27 times for 237 yards and two touchdowns, but Olathe quarterback Mitchell Carlson faked the handoff to Jole and took off for 20 yards and the game-winning touchdown with 1 minute, 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Olathe (6-2, 6-0 Western League) defeated Bayfield (4-4, 3-3 WL) 21-20 on Friday night in Bayfield.
The Wolverines’ last drive after that score went incomplete pass, false start, intentional grounding and a fourth-down incomplete pass to give the Pirates the ball for good.
BHS took a 20-7 lead with 6:07 remaining in the third quarter on Zane Phelps’ second touchdown of the day. The Wolverines failed a two-point conversion attempt after a bad snap to the holder on the extra point.
Phelps finished with 20 carries for 68 yards and two scores.
Then the Pirates started to hand the ball to Jole on nearly every play, and the Wolverines couldn’t do much to stop him.
He carried the ball 17 times for 109 yards and a touchdown after that point, routinely running right and daring BHS to stop the play.
“He’s been a go-to player for us,” Olathe head coach Ryan Corn said. “He ran the ball tough and got the hard yardage when we needed it.”
BHS nose tackle Zane Westbrook left the game in the second half after reseparating his shoulder, which affected the Wolverines’ run defense.
“Certainly if he’s gone he’s missed, but we have capable players, too, and the people that came in for him did a good job,” BHS head coach Gary Heide said.
The Wolverines stopped Olathe on fourth down in the red zone with 6:07 remaining in the game, then drove the ball to midfield before a fourth down forced them to punt.
Phelps was tackled attempting a rugby-style punt for a loss of 17 yards, giving the Pirates good field position for their game-winning drive.
BHS lost at home for the first time since a 41-7 loss to Aztec on Oct. 10, 2008.
The Wolverines will finish the 2013 regular season against Pagosa Springs at 6 p.m. Friday at home.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
