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When Nyzair Smith took the first snap of the second half 82 yards for a touchdown, it put the Wildcats up 11 at Hempfield. Later, a 2-yard Max Teyral run made it a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter.
It certainly looked as if Dallastown would advance to the District 3 Class 6A semifinal.
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However, it just wasn't meant to be and the Wildcats saw their season, one that included winning a share of the YAIAA Division I title, come to a close.
Hempfield scored twice in the final 8:21, including quarterback Mark Himmelsbach’s 2-yard run with 40 seconds to play, and the Knights stunned Dallastown, 31-28.
The Black Knights' final drive went 11-plays, 54-yards, while taking five minutes off the clock. With only 33 seconds to work with, Dallastown moved the ball near midfield, but the clock ran on after consecutive incomplete passes.
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“It kept swinging back-and-forth and unfortunately it swung in their direction and the time ran out,” said Wildcats coach Kevin Myers. “We didn’t lose the game, the game just didn’t have a enough time.”
Afterward Myers consoled his teary-eyed players and coaches, telling them he has never been more proud of a team.
“We’ve had some good teams, but I have never been part of a team that improved like we did week after week after week,” he said.
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The Wildcats, who finished the season 8-3, certainly came a long way from their 38-14 opening night loss on the very same turf at Hempfield.
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“They were good Week 1 when we played them and they just got so much better,” Hempfield coach Ron Zeiber said of Dallastown, which led 14-10 at the half, 21-10 early in the third and 28-16 in the fourth.
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Smith finished his amazing junior season with 193 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. For the season, Smith ran 183 times for 2,087 yards, an average of 11.4 yards per carry, while scoring 31 touchdowns.
Cats open with tough loss at Hempfield last Friday, 38-14.
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Nyzair Smith got Dallastown started with an 80-yard touchdown run, but the experienced Black Knights were too much in the end.
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Wildcats posted a huge win in their home opener, 56-20 against YAIAA cross-division foe West York.
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Noah Strine ran for a pair of touchdowns and Nyzair Smith added another as Dallastown's ground game chewed up yardage on the Bulldogs defense.
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The Wildcats broke open a tie game with a five-touchdown barrage in a 49-20 win against Penn Manor, at Millersville University.
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Nyzair Smith ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns and added three receptions for 106 yards.
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Dallastown rushed for 464 yards and threw for another 89 in a 52-13 win over the Rockets. Nyzair Smith led the way again with 161 yards and three touchdowns. The junior has 570 yards rushing in four games.
One week after falling at upstart York High, the Wildcats found themselves down 7-0 after Northeastern returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
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But Dallastown responded in style, the defense clamped down, and the Wildcats claimed a 21-14 home victory.
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Nyzair Smith ran for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He has 933 yards rushing through six games.
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One week after falling at upstart York High, the Wildcats found themselves down 7-0 after Northeastern returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
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But Dallastown responded in style, the defense clamped down, and the Wildcats claimed a 21-14 home victory.
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Nyzair Smith ran for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He has 933 yards rushing through six games.
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Smith topped the 1,000-yard plateau a week later with a 214-yard performance, in only 10 carries with two touchdowns, in a 35-7 win at South Western. Quarterback Brett Smith scored twice, from 22 and 21-yards out.
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Winning on Homecoming is always a good thing. The students are hyped, the alumni is psyched and the players are ready.
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The Wildcats did that and more, thrilling the home crowd with a 62-point performance and shutout victory over struggling New Oxford.
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Dallastown scored 21 points in each of the first two quarters to forge a 42-0 halftime lead and never looked back.
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Talk about finishing strong, Dallastown won its last two games of the regular season to earn a share of the YAIAA Division I title.
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On Oct 27, Smith set a school record with 377 yards and five touchdowns in a 47-20 win at then-first place Central York.
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A week later, Smith scored five more touchdowns, romping for 216 yards in a 40-27 win against rival Red Lion.
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A 8-2, the Wildcats are heading to the district playoffs and earned a rematch with Hempfield in the opening round. Although the Black Knights defeated Dallastown in the season opener, this is a completely different Wildcats team that enters districts in the midst of a five-game winning streak.
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Only 40 seconds away from a Dallastown victory and the Wildcats advancing to the District 3 Class 6A semifinals, Hempfield scored the go-ahead touchdown and converted the two-point conversion to shock the Cats, 31-28.
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The Wildcats season ended where it started, at Hempfield, finishing 8-3 on the campaign with two of those losses being to the Black Knights.
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See my write-up for GametimePA.com.
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SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Games This Season
Sept 1 at Hempfield L 14-38
Sept 8 vs West York W 56-20
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Sept 15 at Penn Manor W 49-20
Sept 22 vs Spring Grove W 52-13
Sept 29 at William Penn L 16-26
Oct 6 vs Northeastern W 21-14
Oct 13 at South Western W 35-7
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Oct 20 vs New Oxford W 62-0
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Oct 27 at Central York W 49-20
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Nov 3 vs Red Lion W 40-27
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Nov 10 at Hempfield* L 28-31
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*District 3 Class 6A playoff