GREENVILLE — Greenville was 38 seconds away from overcoming the early loss of its leading rusher and earning a Miami Valley League victory Friday night.
Instead, Piqua turned a fourth-and-long play from its own 25-yard line into a 75-yard touchdown, stunning the Green Wave 26-21 at Greenville’s Harmon Field.
Greenville held a 21-20 lead after Isaac Kerg scored on a 9-yard touchdown run and a Rylan Grosch PAT kick through the uprights with 5:32 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Green Wave going on the defense.
The Greenville defense appeared poised to preserve the lead when it forced Piqua into fourth-and-long deep in Indians territory. Piqua completed a pass for the decisive touchdown with 38 seconds remaining.
Greenville coach Steve Channell struggled to explain the loss after watching the victory slip away.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Channell said. “We had the game totally in hand. All we had to do was finish the game, and we found a way to lose. I don’t have an explanation. I don’t have a reason.”
The Green Wave faced adversity almost immediately when senior Gage Denham was helped from the field approximately six minutes into the game. Denham, Greenville’s leading scorer and the MVL’s leading rusher entering the contest, did not return.
His absence was also felt on defense, where the senior linebacker is one of the Green Wave’s leaders.
Piqua built a 14-0 advantage at 1:21 in the opening quarter before Isaac Kerg broke free for a 70-yard touchdown run with 6:19 remaining in the second quarter. The extra point cut the Indians’ lead to 14-7.
The Indians extended their lead to 20-7 in the second quarter, answered by a Greenville 15-yard touchdown reception from Grady Looker to Logan Inman with 4:39 showing on the second-quarter board. Rylan Grosch’s PAT kick split the uprights, cutting Piqua’s lead to 20-14.
The Indians took a 20-14 lead into halftime, and that score remained unchanged until Kerg’s second touchdown gave Greenville its first lead of the night midway through the fourth quarter.
The Green Wave could not protect that one-point advantage as Piqua produced the game-winning play in the final minute.
Piqua improved to 1-2 and will play host to Troy in an MVL matchup Friday, Sept. 11. Troy is 2-1 following a 57-6 victory over West Carrollton.
Greenville fell to 1-2 and will travel to Fairborn for an MVL game Friday, Sept. 11. The Skyhawks are 2-1 after a 41-14 loss to Tippecanoe.
