Blissfield holds off Ida comeback to earn LCAA football victory

IDA – Ida’s comeback fell short Friday night.

The Blue Streaks trailed 26-7 late in the third quarter, fighting back to give themselves a chance to win on the final play of the game.

Quarterback Owen Snyder launched a pass toward the end zone as the horn sounded, but the pass was intercepted giving Blissfield a 26-21 victory.

The resiliency to fight back and be in a position to win spoke volumes about the team.

“The kids in general –offensively and defensively—the kids kept their heads up and kept competing the whole game and gave a great effort after being behind there a bit,” coach Jeff Potter said.

Midway through the second quarter things were spiraling for the Blue Streaks.

Blissfield scored to extend its lead to 13-0, then on the ensuing kickoff Ida muffed the return, giving their offense the ball at their own 4 yard line. A delay of game penalty put the ball even closer to their own end zone.

With their backs against the wall, Ida finally answered on the first play of the drive with a Wyatt Dirkmaat 98-yard touchdown.

“They (offensive line) did great. I had one guy I had to deal with and they opened up the rest,” Dirkmaat said.

The momentum swing didn’t last long as Blissfield countered just before the intermission, taking a 20-7 lead into the half.

“It hurt. Not being able to finish out the half—we have to do a better job with a short clock and finish out that half,” Potter said.

The hole got deeper in the second-half with Blissfield extending their lead 26-7. Ida flashed its resiliency, though, making its move for a comeback victory.

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Dirkmaat ripped off another long touchdown run, this time from 80-yards.

Owen Snyder would connect with Dean Thomas on a 10-yard pass to make the game a one-possession contest with 2:22 left in the game. Snyder was 4-for-7 with 45 yards passing on the drive.

Following a failed onside kick—the defense forced a three-and-out, giving the Ida offense one last chance for the game-winning score with just over a minute in regulation.

The final drive traveled 45 yards and saw Ida convert on two fourth-downs, but the Blue Streaks couldn’t complete the comeback attempt.

Dirkmaat credited his team’s ability to create momentum, but said they have to find a way to sustain it for the entire game.

“We have big plays and we get fired up and it really builds momentum,” Dirkmaat said. “We just have to have that all of the time, though.”

Ron Estes said his blood pressure wasn’t doing so well during the exciting finish.

“Uh, it’s not good,” he said with a laugh. “But we won, so we’ll take it.”

Estes complimented his team’s efforts in the face of some adversity and worsening weather conditions as the game went on.

“The weather made things tough, and we lost two offensive linemen we were already down two offensive linemen, so we just had to hang in there and that’s what we did,” he said.

Ida (3-4) will host Adrian Madison Friday.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Hail Mary pass fails in late Ida comeback bid against Blissfield