GLENWOOD, Iowa — The 2009 Denison-Schleswig football team will never forget the Base Down 24 Lead.

That was the play offensive coordinator Derek Fink called with the Monarchs facing third-and-1 on their own 42, out of timeouts, trailing the Rams 9-7 with just more than 40 seconds left in the game.

Denison tailback Jesse Preul took the handoff and went laterally toward the right sideline. Just before reaching the sideline, he found a seam and made a sharp cut. Preul outraced everyone for an improbable 58-yard touchdown run Wednesday that propelled the Monarchs to a 14-9 Class 3-A substate victory.

Preul said that initially he was thinking about just picking up enough for the first down and then getting out of bounds to stop the clock.

“I was thinking it, until I saw two of my blockers come across,'' Preul said. “Then I hit the seam back, and ran as fast as I could down the sideline.''

The play touched off unbridled chaos on the Denison sideline, because twice in the final five minutes it appeared the Monarchs' chances for victory had expired.

Instead, Denison has now ripped off five straight wins after a 1-4 start, and will take a 6-4 record into Monday's first-round state playoff game at Sioux City Heelan (9-1), which hammered Creston/Orient-Macksburg 66-2.

Just to get into the substate round, Denison had to drive 86 yards last week with no timeouts left and 1:48 left in the clock, trailing Spencer 7-6. Ricky Torres had two big pass plays to Taylor Starman, and Preul was again the hero, scoring the winning touchdown on an 8-yard run with 55.3 seconds left to give the Monarchs a 12-7 win.

“Something is on our side, because we just keep bouncing back,'' Denison-Schleswig coach Dave Wiebers said. “It's hard to explain, I've had two weeks in a row like this.

“That's what we've been talking about all year. You've got to let that play before go away. You've got to keep your composure, because you never know.''

Leading 9-7, Glenwood looked ready to deliver the knockout blow midway through the fourth. The Rams drove 60 yards and had a third-and-3 at the Monarch 4 with about five minutes left in the game.

John Blum tackled Ram quarterback Nick Uphoff for a 1-yard loss. On fourth and 4 at the 5, Uphoff was stopped after a gain of 2, and the Monarchs took over with 4:15 remaining.

Torres completed passes of 25 and 22 yards to Matt Reitz, helping the Monarchs to a first and 10 at the Ram 43. But after a short run and three straight incompletions, Glenwood took over on downs with 1:57 left.

Denison still had all of its timeouts left, and held the Rams. The Monarchs took over on their 33 with 57 seconds left, but no timeouts remaining.

After a 9-yard completion to Austin Eller, Torres spiked the ball with just over 40 seconds to play. That prompted a dilemma — run or pass? Even with a first down by run, the clock would start after the chains moved, unless Denison was able to get out of bounds.

The Monarchs executed the play to perfection, as Preul sprinted through the Ram defense to complete a second straight fantastic finish. He finished with 24 carries for 138 yards.

“Hopefully it teaches young kids that you never quit,'' Wiebers said. “You never know what play it's going to be. You never know who it's going to be. It's just a great effort.''

Denison's Brandon Scherff, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound Iowa football recruit, said the Monarchs hung tough after the 1-4 start.

“We just had to come back to practice and work hard, and we all did that,'' he said. “Nobody got in trouble, and we all stuck together.''

The end was a bitter pill to swallow for the Rams, who finished second in District 8. Denison's first touchdown came after a defensive breakdown in which Edwin Jovel got behind the defense for a 55-yard reception, setting up Preul's 4-yard run.

Glenwood outgained Denison 317-283. Dylan Blankenship turned in another stellar two-way effort, rushing for 172 yards on 30 carries.

Glenwood coach Brian Albert said there have been just three teams at the school since 1951 that have won seven or more games in a season. The Rams were trying to become the fourth.

“It's just kind of disappointing now,'' he said. “It's going to take a while to think back, but the season was pretty productive. At the same time there will always be a little edge, because it was a game we could have had and gotten into the next round.''

Denison-Schleswig (6-4).............0 7 0 7—14

Glenwood (6-4).............6 3 0 0—9

G: Dylan Blankenship 14 run (kick failed)

D-S: Jesse Preul 4 run (Carl Reitz kick)

G: FG Michael Lawler 22

D-S: Preul 58 run (Reitz kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: D-S, Preul 24-138, John Blum 9-34, Ricky Torres 1-(-7). G, Blankenship 30-172, Nick Uphoff, 16-46, Levi Henderson 3-8.

Passing: D-S, Torres 6-15-0, 123 yards. G, Uphoff 8-14-1, 91 yards.

Receiving: D-S, Edwin Jovel 1-55, Matt Reitz 2-47, Austin Eller 2-15, Taylor Starman 1-6. G, Grant Loeffelbein 2-27, Trent Jameson 2-24, Cole Darrow 1-17, Blankenship 2-15, Josh Matthews 1-8.

Contact the writer:

444-1055, kevin.white@owh.com

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