Glen Rose wins AAA state crown
Two-point conversion call by coach in overtime gives Beavers first-ever state football championship
Sean Rock Sports correspondent

STATE CHAMPS RYAN KEEN PHOTO The Glen Rose Beavers celebrate winning the Class AAA State Football Championship by defeating Shiloh Christian 35-34 in overtime on a two-point conversion call at game's end.

LITTLE ROCK - Great games often come down to one play.

For the Glen Rose Beavers that one play happened to be the last play of the 2007 season, a play that sealed the Beavers' first-ever state championship victory.

Down 34-33 in overtime, Beavers senior quarterback Nathan Jones rolled right on a two-point conversion attempt and found fellow senior Michael Blancher open in the back corner of the end zone to lift Glen Rose (14-1) over the 12-2 Shiloh Christian Saints on Saturday night, 35-34, and capture the Class AAA State Football Championship before a crowd of more than 4,500 at War Memorial Stadium.

Two-thirds of the crowd appeared to be wearing Glen Rose red, a sign of the hometown support the Beavers have enjoyed all season.

"We heard all year about us not having a chance," said Glen Rose head coach Billy Elmore after his team's victory. "We believed. The fans believed. We expected it and our kids did it."

QUARTERBACKING RYAN KEEN PHOTO Glen Rose quarterback Nathan Jones gets set behind center for the first play of the game against Shiloh Christian in Little Rock.

Back to 'that play' - Shiloh Christian had broken the 27-27 tie after four quarters with a 13-yard touchdown pass and successful extra-point kick for a 34-27 lead after its turn in overtime. Glen Rose answered with a 2-yard touchdown run from senior tailback Doug Vinson.

Elmore had a choice - kick the extra point and hope his already-exhausted players could battle through a second overtime - or go for two.

Glen Rose lined up and tried to draw the Shiloh Christian defense offsides. The Saints stood firm. Glen Rose called a timeout. The Beavers tried a second time to draw the Saints offsides. The Saints wouldn't budge. The Beavers used their final timeout.

Exactly what was going through Elmore's mind during that timeout may never be known, but the coach said he really never considered doing anything other than going for two.

TOUCHDOWN RYAN KEEN PHOTOS Above, Doug Vinson goes in for a touchdown in the state championship game against Shiloh Christian. Below left, Vinson was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Below right, Glen Rose's Michael Blancher evades a Shiloh Christian defender. Glen Rose won the game 35-34 in overtime.

His players wouldn't let him do oth- erwise.

"We've talked to our kids all season about how this whole season could come down to one play," said Elmore. "There could be one play that we would look back on and say, 'everything rested on that play.' The players reminded me of that on the sidelines during the timeout. We'd been preaching it all year. How could we not go for it? This is the championship. You have to."

Go for it they did - and it paid off with the most important win in Glen Rose High School football history.

Vinson picked up the game's Most Valuable Player award, scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 212 of the Beavers' 239 yards on 32 carries. Vinson averaged 6.6 yards per carry, with long runs of 44 and 60 yards. He also made eight tackles in the game as a member of the Beavers secondary.

"He's a beast," Elmore said of Vinson. "He has absolutely no fear. I really hate to see Graduation Day coming. I wish we could find another year of eligibility for him. He, Nathan Jones and Blancher - all these seniors - they have been great leaders."

Jones was 9 of 16 for 57 yards passing with two interceptions. Jones also rushed for two touchdowns. Jake Jones led Glen Rose receivers with four catches for 43 yards. Blancher caught two passes, including the gamewinner for 21 yards. J Keith snagged one pass for seven yards.

Defensively, Glen Rose made good use of its quickness on the line to get the jump on Shiloh.

"They play aggressively," Elmore said of the Beavers defense. "They have to. We usually face guys who are much bigger. Our defense did a great job tonight."

Glen Rose defensive coordinator Mark Kehner added to Elmore's praise of the Beavers defense, which held Shiloh Christian to 142 yards rushing. Passing, Saints quarterback Blake Roberts was 22 of 38 for 263 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

"We wanted to try and make them throw the ball," Kehner said. "Their quarterback, we felt, was a better runner than passer, overall. He's so big. It's hard for our guys to bring him down. You just can't get any leverage on him. We had some lapses, but overall, I think our plan worked. Our guys just don't give up. We challenged the whole team at halftime to give the best two quarters of football they've ever played. They did. It is all about them. They have done what we have asked of them. They've played solid football."

After punting to end their first series of the night, the Beavers scored on their second series of downs, marching 65 yards on 15 plays. Vinson crossed the Shiloh Christian goal line on a 3-yard carry with 2:03 left in the opening quarter. Brant Abbott booted the point-after for a 7-0 Glen Rose advantage.

Shiloh wasted no time in answering the Beavers. The Saints went 71 yards in just six plays, eventually scoring on a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Roberts with only two seconds left in the first quarter. The extra point was good for a 7-7 game.

RED CELEBRATION RYAN KEEN PHOTO The Glen Rose faithful celebrate the winning conversion for their team.

Glen Rose captured a 14-7 lead at 7:25 in the second quarter, when Nathan Jones followed up a 60-yard Vinson run with a 1-yard keeper over the goal line. Abbott hit the kick for the Beavers.

After halting the Shiloh offense on the following drive, Glen Rose handed the ball back to the Saints when a Jones pass was intercepted by Shiloh's Jake Ryan and returned to the Glen Rose 28-yard line.

The Saints took full advantage of the turnover by scoring six plays later on a short keeper by Roberts. The successful extra point kick locked the game in another tie, 14-14, with 3:36 to go in the half.

Neither team was able to squeeze in another score in the remaining minutes, and the battle settled at 14-14 at halftime.

The third quarter was marked by interception after interception.

Shiloh Christian received the kick to start the second half, but two minutes later, Glen Rose had the ball, thanks to Morgan Landreth, who picked off a Roberts pass at the Beaver 33-yard line and returned it 44 yards to the Shiloh 22.

The Saints regained possession by intercepting a Nathan Jones pass and returning it to the Shiloh 20. Ten plays and 66 yards later, Shiloh's Roberts was picked off by J Keith in the Beavers end zone, foiling a Saints touchdown that would have given Shiloh the lead.

This time, Glen Rose made it pay. The Beavers battled for 80 yards in 10 plays, the drive highlighted by a 44-yard run from Vinson. The score came on a 1-yard keeper by Jones at 2:06 in the third. Abbott's pointafter kick failed, and at the end of three, with Shiloh Christian knocking at the Beavers' door, the score stood at 20-14, Glen Rose.

After moving the ball 59 yards in eight plays at the end of the third quarter, Shiloh Christian opened the final stanza with a 12-yard touchdown pass play from Roberts to Ryan. As if to highlight the evenly matched battle, Shiloh's extra-point kick fell flat, holding the score at 20- 20.

Shiloh Christian took its first lead of the night with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter. Completing three slant passes, Roberts led Shiloh to the Glen Rose 18- yard line. Roberts then scored on a scamper that made it 26-20, Shiloh. The extra point made it 27-20.

Glen Rose knotted the game up yet again with a 12-play, 65-yard march, capped by a 2- yard Vinson score as time ticked down to 2:15. Abbott nailed the kick to make it 27-27.

For only the fourth time in state football championship history, the teams faced off in overtime. Glen Rose won the toss and elected to play defense first. Shiloh Christian lined up on the Glen Rose 10 and, two plays later, scored on a slant pass from Roberts to Chris Bryant. The Saints opted for an extra point kick and nailed it for a 34-27 overtime lead.

Now it was Glen Rose's turn to try to score.

The Beavers lined up 10 yards out. On the first play, Jones kept the ball for an 8-yard gain to the Shiloh 2. Vinson took the handoff on the next play and danced into the end zone for six. The Beavers moved to within one point of a second overtime and two points of a 35-34 victory.

Two timeouts and what seemed like an eternity later, Glen Rose lined up for the 2- point conversion.

Jones connected with Blancher for the score, and the rest, as they say, is history - Glen Rose history.