This was a one-act play, with Taylor Meade starring in the leading role and becoming ultimate hero.
Meade's 105-yard, third-period interception return for a touchdown turned Friday night's Northern Region Division 5 first-round high school playoff game in the Madison Warhawks' favor in their eventual 28-7 home victory over the Yorktown Patriots.
FOOTBALL
With the game tied at 7 late in the third quarter, Yorktown had a first-and-goal situation at the Madison 2-yard line. That's when Meade intercepted Sam Nottingham's first-down pass in the middle of the end zone and returned the ball 105 yards down the left sideline. James Devens' second of four extra points gave Madison a 14-7 lead with 1 minute, 26 seconds left in the third period.
The Warhawks added two fourth-quarter TDs en route to their victory.
“That was a 14-point swing,”
Yorktown coach Bruce Hanson said. “It was a bad call on my part. I opted to pass on first down and we should have run the ball there.”
Meade caught the ball in full stride and kept going.
“Usually I think in those situations, but this time I just reacted, caught the ball, kept running and got some great blocks,”
Meade said. “I had my eye on the quarterback the whole time and he threw it right to me.”
Madison (7-4) plays the undefeated Edison Eagles (11-0) on the road this Friday night in a semifinal game. The contest is a rematch of last year's semifinal that Edison won. Yorktown finished the season with a 6-5 record.
In that first-round game, Madison took a 7-0 first-quarter lead on Will Cybulski's one-??yard run and Devens' extra point. The TD capped a typical Madison drive, a 10-play, 61-yard march consisting of all running plays.
Yorktown answered and tied the game at 7 on its ensuing possession when Nottingham threw a 28-yard fourth-down scoring pass to Mike Veith (three catches, 49 yards). C.J. Bartholomew booted the tying extra point.
Prior to Meade's TD, Madison was stopped on fourth and short at the Yorktown 4 late in the first half, then Devens missed a 34-yard field goal early in the third quarter.
The Warhawks added their final two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on a 79-yard run by Cybulski (85 yards rushing) and a two-yard run by Sasha Vandalov, who ran for 157 yards. Madison had 316 yards rushing, which accounted for all of its yardages. Trevon Walker had 58 yards rushing for the Warhawks, who were unsuccessful on their one pass attempt. Madison did not turn the ball over.
Yorktown had 218 total yards and the one turnover. Nottingham completed 4 of 10 passes for 103 yards. Kyle Toulouse rushed for 61 yards for Yorktown and Jared Smith for 52. Smith also caught two passes for 58 yards.
This Friday night in Franconia at 7:30, Madison will face Edison, the top seed in the Division 5 playoffs. A year ago, Madison lost to Edison, 45-26, in the same region semifinal game.
NOTES: Madison lost to the Patriots, 23-7, during the regular season. In that game, turnovers by the Warhawks and three long scoring plays by Yorktown was the difference in the outcome . . . Madison's playoff berth is its fourth straight and seventh in eight years. For Yorktown, the postseason berth was its third in a row and fifth in seven years.
