“I can’t express how amazingly proud I am of you guys — amazingly proud,” Forrest said to wild cheers. “Nobody out there gave us a freaking chance. But you did it anyway.”
Needing a victory to secure a D-VI, Region 22 playoff berth, Mechanicsburg (8-2 overall, 6-1 OHC) did that and more, handing the previously unbeaten Rams their first loss to nab a share of a three-way league title with West-Liberty Salem.
“We just had to give it all to get it all,” said senior running back Aeryton Erwin, who finished with a workaholic 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns (65 and 57) on 22 carries.
“This is definitely amazing. Our defense — oh my gosh. It was lights out, blackout, definitely.”
Erwin, who hauled 1,288 yards and 21 touchdowns into the regular-season finale, sent early warning that victory would not be denied.
The fleet standout broke free around right end on the game’s first plaY and raced untouched into the end zone.
The third-year starter needed just 21 seconds to race 65 yards and give the Indians a 6-0 lead, somehow eluding the angle and grip of equally fleet pursuer Chance Frye.
“I saw a crease and the first thing I thought was, ‘Get 10 yards at least,’ ” Erwin said. “The first guy came up and I thought, ‘No first guy is going to take me down.’
“I felt someone hit me in the back, but he just wasn’t going to take me down.”
Mechanicsburg’s lead swelled to 14-0 at 9:34 in the second quarter, and again, the Indians needed just one play from scrimmage.
This time, it was sophomore quarterback Kaleb Romero who shook off a horde of Rams in the backfield on first-and-10 on the Burg 35, turned upfield, and sprinted down the right sideline for a 65-yard TD.
“We just had to keep our football family together for another week,” said Romero, who finished with 89 yards rushing, 54 yards passing and a pair of TDs.
“We had an OHC co-title to play for — we haven’t won it in forever — and we just wanted to keep this family together in the playoffs for one more week.”
Buoyed by inspired first-half defense, the Indians took a 20-0 lead into intermission on a 13-yard pass from Romero to junior receiver David Harvey with 3:12 left.
The wide-open Hartman cradled the catch and scooted into the end zone without incident after the Rams bit hard on a fake Romero run.
“Greeneview had everything in the world to play for – an (outright) league title and an undefeated season,” said Forrest, whose last OHC title came in 2008. “The Rams are a very, very good football team and are extremely well-coached.
“They had everything to play for, as did we.”
Unable to generate any sustained, first-half drives, Greeneview’s running game broke through late in the third quarter.
The Rams (9-1, 6-1) strung together a seven-play, 52-yard drive capped by a diving, 19-yard TD from Frye near the left pylon at 2:41 that cut the Rams’ deficit to 20-6.
Greeneview’s defense held inside the 15-yard line with 5:01 left in the game, denying Mechanicsburg a fourth touchdown, but with 1:19 remaining, couldn’t contain Erwin and the Indians again.
The standout uncorked a 57-yard TD on third-and-four from the Burg 43-yard line with a chilled home crowd erupted in cheers.
The Rams entered the game No. 2 in Ohio Division V, Region 18 Harbin computer points (16.4389) and having already clinched a playoff berth.
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