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YAIAA Week 9 football leftovers: York Tech's improbable comeback fell short


Going into halftime Friday, York County Tech's chances at winning already seemed sunk.

Not only were the Spartans down 27-8, but they had just given up a devastating 59-yard touchdown off a screen pass on the final play of the first half.

But it only took 56 seconds for the Spartans to flip the script. Quarterback Damarius Wiggins started things off with a 58-yard screen to Maurice James for a touchdown that cut the lead to 27-14. On the first play of the following possession, Wiggins scooped up a fumble from his linebacker position and returned it 43 yards for another touchdown to make it a one-score game.

It only got crazier from there. With four minutes left in the the quarter, Wiggins heaved a pass downfield that receiver Jordan Ray bobbled before bringing in for a 38-yard strike to the 2-yard line. One play later, Matt Rossi plunged into the end zone, and a 2-point conversion gave the Spartans an improbable 28-27 lead.

Delone Catholic would retake control of the game in the fourth quarter, but Wiggins finished the game with 144 yards passing to go 25 yards rushing and his defensive touchdown.

Wiggins wasn't the only quarterback to play well in Friday's game. While Delone Catholic's running game really stood out, Squires quarterback Brian Shermeyer also showed great efficiency, completing 4-of-7 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

The junior completed two very impressive throws on the Squires' second scoring drive, hitting Tavian Dorsey and Noah Katz for gains of 17 and 24 yards, respectively. He finished the drive with a 6-yard touchdown toss to Zach Hart.