Gwynn Park rallies past Forestville in overtime

GWYNN PARK	FORESTVILLE
17	14

As Lord Carson Mbaziantu watched his team fight to come back against a stifling Forestville defense, the Gwynn Park senior kicker waited calmly on the sideline for his chance to make an impact.

In a wild opening game of the second annual Nick Lynch Kickoff Classic on Saturday in Largo, Mbaziantu kicked the game-tying extra point with 23 seconds left in regulation, then knocked through a 35-yard field goal in overtime to give the Yellow Jackets a thrilling 17-14 win.

"I knew this moment was going to come," Mbaziantu said. "I never felt nervous at all. I just knew what to do. All I had to do was kick."

Gwynn Park quarterback Zachariah Jefferson threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andrew Boseman after a pass interference call against Forestville on fourth and 15 kept the game-tying drive going two plays before the score.

After the teams combined to commit 25 penalties, it was fitting a questionable call contributed to the crucial score.

"I don't want to make excuses, but an interference call on fourth and 15 with a [receiver already] falling out of bounds?" Forestville Coach Charles Harley said. "We fought hard. We just didn't finish them off."

It had taken Gwynn Park nearly three quarters to turn an early 6-0 deficit into a 7-6 lead, but just 14 seconds to give it back before the Yellow Jackets tied the game at the end.

After Gwynn Park was stopped at the Forestville 1-yard line earlier in the fourth quarter, junior receiver Mike Wingard hauled in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson with 6 minutes 9 seconds left in regulation after the ball was knocked down by a Forestville defender and right into his hands.

Jefferson was crushed by a Forestville lineman when he threw, and the wobbly pass would have almost certainly fallen incomplete if the defensive back had let it go.

"I didn't see anything," Jefferson said. "Big man hit me and I hit the ground. I heard the crowd cheering but all I saw were feet."