Overland Park ? If at first you don’t succeed

Matt Berner’s first touchdown pass to Matt Lane didn’t count, but the second one did, and Free State High survived a scare.

Free State's David Allen, center, eludes Shawnee Mission West's Ben Boswell in the first half. The Firebirds rallied for a last-minute touchdown to defeat the Vikings, 12-7, Friday at Shawnee Mission South District Stadium.

With 35 seconds remaining Friday night at Shawnee Mission South District Stadium, Berner’s eight-yard TD toss to Lane kept the Firebirds unbeaten with a 12-7 come-from-behind triumph over winless Shawnee Mission West.

“Sometimes you have to win ugly,” Free State coach Bob Lisher said, “and I hope we got it out of our system tonight.”

Trailing 7-6 since late in the second quarter, Free State appeared to have won ugly with 3:38 remaining when Berner, scrambling to his right, completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Lane in the end zone.

Not so fast. The linesman had thrown a flag. What happened?

It was ruled Berner had thrown the pass about a yard past the line of scrimmage. That’s an illegal forward pass and, worse, loss of a down.

“I had no idea,” Berner said afterward. He had rushed to the end zone, leaped on Lane and buried him. Then he looked up and saw the flag.

“My heart sank after that,” the senior signal-caller said.

Lane, also a senior, had sinking heart woes as well.

“After Berner got off me,” Lane said, “I saw the flag and I saw our players shaking their heads. I was really frustrated.”

More frustration came moments later when Berner was sacked on fourth down and the Vikings took over. All SM West had to do was run the last 3 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Vikes couldn’t do it.

SM West ran three plays and punted, but the Firebirds’ prospects were gloomy. They had 59 yards to go to reach the end zone and they had just 1:35 on the clock with no timeouts remaining.

On first down, as everyone expected, Berner went back to pass, but then he tucked the ball and raced around right end for 27 yards. It was Free State’s longest gainer of the night, and arguably the most important.

“I just saw an opening,” Berner said in reflection. “I was either supposed to run or throw it away because our guys were guarded tight.”

A four-yard run by David Allen and 11- and 9-yard Berner passes to Bijai Jones, who had scored the Firebirds’ other TD on a 22-yard pass from Berner in the second quarter, moved Free State to first and goal at the eight with less than a minute to go.

On first down, Berner raced to his left looking for a receiver. He saw none.

“Oh, man, I was rolling to the left and about to throw it out of bounds when he (Lane) popped up out of nowhere,” Berner said. “He made a fantastic catch.”

Berner flung the ball sidearm against the grain and Lane, alone in the end zone, fell backward and caught the ball almost in a prone position.

“I bobbled it, too,” Lane said, smiling.

The clock showed :37 as David Allen’s run for a two-point conversion failed.

SM West still had 33 ticks following the kickoff, but the Vikes advanced no farther than their own 40 and when Jay Taylor sacked SM West Vinny Gray as the clock expired the Firebirds had survived.

“I’ll take an ugly win,” said Berner who was sacked five times and threw two interceptions. The Firebirds also lost two fumbles and may not have won if an official’s error hadn’t all but handed them their first score.

Midway through the second quarter, SM West’s Ben Boswell punted and a teammate downfield batted the ball forward, an illegal play, at the Firebirds’ 23. SM West was hit with a 15-yard penalty and loss of a down, so the penalty was assessed from the line of scrimmage with the Firebirds taking over on West’s 40 instead of their own 23 a 37-yard windfall.

Later, Lisher said the official made the right call, but that the penalty does not carry a loss of down, and the Vikings should have been able to punt again. No doubt SM West coach Jon Krug felt the same way because he was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the Firebirds’ first play of the drive.

Anyway, thanks to a 37-yard gift and a 15-yard penalty, the Firebirds scored with 6:32 showing when Jones made a diving catch in the right front corner of the end zone to complete the 22-yard play.

Free State, 3-0, will play host to Olathe East at 7 p.m. next Friday at KU’s Memorial Stadium.

Sports editor Chuck Woodling can be reached at 832-7147.