Paola ? The tears said it all for Eudora’s Andrew Pyle.

Two-and-a-half yards of grass would either mean his brilliant prep career coming to a close or the promise of another week to chase his state championship dreams.

And as Pyle stepped into the end zone untouched on Friday ” his only carry of the night where he wouldn’t get punished by Paola defenders ” only one thought crossed his mind.

“A teammate of mine said, ‘Remember Sabetha, fourth-and-one last year,'” said Pyle, whose two-point conversion sprint sealed Eudora’s 15-14 overtime victory against Paola and pushed the 11-1 Cardinals into the Class 4A semifinals for the first time in school history.

How could he forget?

Last season Pyle received Eudora’s last play of the year, a handoff that ended half a yard short of a first down in a 13-12 quarterfinal loss at Sabetha.

“That’s all I was thinking about and I just sprinted,” said Pyle, who tried valiantly to shake the mitts of all his Eudora well-wishers after the game.

Pyle eclipsed the 2,000-yard rushing mark for the second straight season on an 18-yard run early in the second half.

Judging by Eudora’s first drive, there would have been no need for overtime.

The Cardinals marched 68 yards on 11 plays, and Pyle paved the path ” amassing 56 yards on eight carries, including his 32nd touchdown of the season from two yards out.

But the Panthers then pounded Pyle and limited the standout running back ” who rushed for 149 yards on 28 carries ” to 51 yards in the second half.

After a Paola score and another scare by the Panthers before a Eudora goal-line stand, the game went in overtime.

But there, too, Pyle was pushed back, losing a yard on his first carry.

“I was worried, I was just sitting there thinking this could happen again, this could be the end,” Pyle said.

But it wasn’t.

Eudora quarterback Tyler Cleveland zipped a pass to receiver Josh Brouhard for six points and Pyle tacked on two more.

“We knew we had to stick with it, we had four plays just like they had four plays,” Pyle said. “And we just took care of business and now are going to a place we’ve never been.”