PITTSBURGH - In another year Schenley High School will be a memory.
But today they are the City League champions by virtue of a 34-32 double overtime victory against Oliver in the District Eight championship game Friday night.
Spartans quarterback Darren Jackson’s fourth down, five yard keeper with 52 seconds left tied the game, 18-18, and his nine yard run through the middle on second down in the second overtime session, combined with Deandre Black’s 2-point run, provided the winning points to give Schenley their eighth City League football championship and first since 1999.
Schenley’s final score did not end the game. On the final possession of the game Oliver scored a touchdown when quarterback Donte Jeter connected with Martise Smith for a 13-yard scoring pass in the back of the east end zone at Cupples Stadium on a rollout to the right.
But on the tying conversion attempt running back Tyree Mathis fumbled at the goal line, and the ball skirted out of the back of the end zone to give Schenley their first football title since moving their school from Oakland to East Liberty.
“It just means everything, especially because they’re about to close the school down,” said Schenley running back Jeron Grayson. “It shows what Schenley can be.”
“They’ll come back to their 50th high school reunion and talk about this game,” added Spartans head coach Jason Bell.
“I thought we scored at the end. I’ll have to check the films,” said Oliver head coach Tim Keefer. “I’m real proud of our kids . . . but Jason Bell has his kids ready n’at.”
Schenley’s comeback was indicative of their season to date. The Spartans (9-1) lone loss of the season came to Brashear on Sept. 18, 36-6, but Schenley beat the Bulls, 14-2, in the City League semifinals.
And after the Bears’ Tyrell Morgan intercepted a tipped Jackson pass on 4th and 6 from the Oliver 10 with 7:35 remaining in the game, it appeared Schenley was not going to prevent the Bears from winning their second City League championship in four years.
But Schenley held the Spartans and forced a punt, giving them possession at the Oliver 48-yard line with 3:39 remaining.
At that point Jackson had completed only one pass, an 11-yard screen pass to Jerome Mathews that opened the scoring with 5:28 left in the first quarter.
But what Jackson lacked in accuracy, he made up for in clock management. A 9-play drive, highlighted by an 11-yard completion to Grayson to give Schenley a first down at the Oliver 25 and a key encroachment call, one of 12 against the Bears in the game, allowed the Spartans to tie the score on the signal caller’s clutch keeper.
It was the first time this season the Bears had allowed three touchdowns in a game.
“I told my kids big time players make big time plays. I’ll give the ball to who can make the plays,” Bell said.
But for much of the game it was Oliver who made the big plays. They outgained the Spartans, 292-166, and tied the game initially, 6-6, when Martise Smith beat Mathews in single coverage for a 79-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Donte Jeter to tie the game, 6-6, with 3:09 left in the first period.
Smith beat Mathews again for a 54-yard connection from Jeter on the Bears’ next possession to give Oliver possession at the Schenley 19, which led the way for Mathis’ five-yard scoring run to give Oliver a 12-6 lead with 10:49 remaining in the half.
But Schenley did not fold, and Grayson tied the game, 12-12, on a 29-yard touchdown run around the right end with 7:58 left in the second quarter.
“I saw the outside linebacker moving inside. Before the ball was snapped I picked the hole, followed my blocks, and scored,” Grayson said.
The score would stay tied for the rest of the half, but Oliver took command when they recovered an onsides kick to begin the third quarter and then marched 48 yards on 16 plays, including three fourth-down conversions, taking an 18-12 lead on Mathis’ six-yard run with 4:14 left in the third quarter.
Oliver was able to maintain possession by deceiving the Schenley defense, which, aside from their loss to Brashear, had not allowed more than 16 points this season. Keefer had installed a single-wing offense with Smith taking direct snaps at the beginning of the week. If Jeter’s 149 yards on 6 of 16 passing helped the Bears move the ball, their 143 modest 143 rushing yards on 46 attempts allowed them to win the battle of possession time.
And even when possession time was a moot point in overtime, their determination on the ground proved beneficial when Mathis scored his third touchdown of the game from three yards out on second effort to begin overtime. Smith added the first two point conversion of the game, and Oliver momentarily silenced a vocal Schenley fan base by taking a 26-18 lead.
Four plays later, however, Deandre Black scored on a three-yard run around right end to keep Schenley alive, and Jackson added Schenley’s first two-point conversion tied the score, 26-26, setting up his go-ahead touchdown on the next possession.
“I really love my kids. This will hit me when I go home,” Bell said. “Kids on this team have lost parents this season. We had to bus back to Oakland for every practice. We wouldn’t hit the practice field until 4:30 p.m. and finish until 6:30 p.m. That’s tough when we stress academics.”
With reports that Pittsburgh City schools are graduating only 65 percent of their students, both coaches were quick to point out their players academic advancements as well as their athletic ones.
For instance, Schenley wide receiver/defensive back Livingston Wright has a 3.9 grade point average, as does Oliver’s Jeter, and Grayson is set to graduate from Schenley’s international barraculate program.
“Our season doesn’t end until June,” said Keefer.
Schenley will face District 9 Punxsutawney (9-2) next week in the Class AAA PIAA playoffs. The Chucks defeated Clearfield (7-4), 34-28, on Friday.
The traditional early exits of City League champions from the state playoffs is not lost on the Spartans, either.
“These kids play other sports. They saw what happened in basketball,” Keefer said, referring to Schenley’s 2007 Class AAAA state championship team as well as the early exits the cagers have suffered in the PIAA playoffs in the two years hence.
“It’s always okay to be the underdog,” said Grayson. “We handle adversity and just show what we can do.”
NOTES- A disappointing incident occurred following the game when junior Oliver running back Shakil Brown, who rushed for 40 yards on nine carries in the game, was arrested and left the field in handcuffs following a post-game altercation. “It puts a bad taste on everything, but not on how our kids played,” said Keefer.
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