Legacy beats Cimarron-Memorial on last play after penalty

Justin M. Bowen

Zach Monticelli celebrates as Legacy tight end William Purcell crosses the goal line for the winning score against Cimarron-Memorial. Legacy eked out an overtime victory 30-29.

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Some fans on the Cimarron-Memorial sideline muttered that it was the worst ending to a football game they had ever seen.

For those on the Legacy sideline, it was undoubtedly the best.

Legacy ran in a two-point conversion in overtime after a running-into-the-kicker penalty to topple Cimarron 30-29 on Thursday night.

“We came into this game as if it was a state championship game,” Legacy senior William Purcell said. “And I think we executed like champions.”

Purcell dove over the Longhorns offensive line on the game’s final play to convert the one-yard, two-point try. The Legacy players swarmed him from the sidelines and created a dog pile in celebration in the north end zone of Cimarron’s stadium.

The scene was similar to one that took place less than a minute earlier, when the Spartans appeared to win the game.

Legacy’s extra point attempt sailed wide right and Cimarron rushed the field when it looked like it had prevailed 29-28.

But there was a flag on the play. The official announced it was running into the kicker on the Spartans and that the Longhorns would have one more chance.

“When they roughed the kicker, it was a no-brainer for me,” Legacy coach David Snyder said. “We were going to go for the win.”

And that’s how Legacy, a fourth-year school that had won only three games before last season, shocked traditional power Cimarron.

Legacy improved to 6-0 with the win and tied at the top of the Sunset Northwest division with Palo Verde.

“It’s a real big statement,” Legacy quarterback Devin Weidemann said. “They’ve been saying in the papers that we haven’t played anyone and we’re not a good enough team, but we came out tonight and showed them who was the better team.”

Weidemann rushed for the touchdown that tied the game at 22 in the fourth quarter and the score in overtime.

On Legacy’s first play in overtime, Weidemann kept the ball on an option and ran 10 yards for a touchdown.

Cimarron received the ball first in overtime and also scored on its first play when quarterback Kenny Banks found Tim Hasson in the back of the end zone.

But as it did all night, Legacy answered.

Cimarron took the early lead at 14-0 in the second quarter before Legacy fought back.

“For us to come in here and do what we did on their home turf shows a lot of character and how far we’ve come in four years,” Snyder said.

Legacy’s first touchdown came when senior Martell Crockett returned a kickoff 85 yards for the score.

Senior running back DeShae Edwards paced the offense with 102 yards on 17 carries.

The Longhorns were also able to fight off a dominating performance by the Spartans’ James Poole, who rushed 17 times for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Cimarron’s Stephen Nixon returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but officials waved it off because of a clipping penalty.

The play ended up being an omen of costly penalties still to come.

“It’s pretty tough when one second you think you’ve got the game won and the next second you lose the game,” Cimarron coach Rod Vollan said.