Taylor Manning field goal sends Cedar Creek past Woodrow Wilson, 29-28

Taylor Manning said he was shaking and nervous when he walked on the field — just before Woodrow Wilson called a timeout to make him feel those nerves as long as possible.

And this wasn’t the first time Woodrow Wilson had tried to get under the kicker’s skin.

Manning, without seeing it coming, was laid out while punting in the first half. He thought it was a bit of a cheap shot, and so did his Cedar Creek coaches, who charged the field.

After the hit, Manning’s leg was hurting, and he was angry. But, in the game’s final moment, it was important to try to clear his head, he said. And, by the time the ball was snapped, that’s exactly what he had done.

“It’s crazy, it’s a dream come true — I can’t believe it actually happened,” said Manning, who hit the 30-yard field goal as time ran out to send the Pirates home with a 29-28 win at Woodrow Wilson on Saturday afternoon.

For Cedar Creek (4-1), it was nice to be on the winning side of a dramatic, fourth-quarter rally after losing by one point to Camden two weeks ago. The Pirates staged a wild comeback in that game, and Malachi Melton caught four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, before the game slipped through their fingers because of a botched snap on an extra point with 10 seconds left.

“We learned a lot from that game,” Cedar Creek coach Tim Watson said, “and I don’t know if we win this one without that experience. We weren’t in uncharted territory, and we didn’t panic.”

With Wilson (2-1) looking in control through most of the second half — the Tigers had scored 21 unanswered points and were winning, 28-20, to start the fourth quarter — the Pirates again leaned on Melton offensively.

Melton actually threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Manny Reid — after taking a pitch from Louie Barrios — in the first quarter.

But he had just one catch and no carries before recording three catches and two carries in a seven-play stretch in Cedar Creek’s final drive of the third quarter.

That was a sign of things to come come.

Melton intercepted a fourth-down pass in the end zone to set up his team’s final drive.

Then, on fourth-and-3 from his own 43-yard line — with 1:50 left to play and the game on the line — Melton burned the Tigers defense and found himself wide-open for a 43-yard reception to help set up the winning field goal.

“When my team is down, I have to do something," said Melton, a Purdue recruit. "It doesn’t matter, it’s in my blood, I have to do something. I love these guys.

"When the pass goes up, and it’s only me and [a defender], whoever works harder is going to get it. And I’m getting it.”

The game spoiled several big performances for Woodrow Wilson, including sophomore quarterback Devin Kargman, who threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns. He was one of the orchestrators of a first half defined by big plays.

There were five touchdowns in the first half, and four of them covered 62 yards or more. The longest was an 84-yard kickoff return by Cedar Creek’s Jojo Bermudez — who also caught a 62-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Bermudez’s kickoff return followed a 64-yard touchdown pass from Kargman to Malik Harvey.

Cedar Creek led, 20-14, at halftime, but Woodrow Wilson settled the game down largely on the hard running of Muheem McCargo, who carried the ball 17 times for 145 yards.

His 30-yard touchdown run gave Wilson a 28-20 lead with 3:45 left in the third quarter, before Cedar Creek clawed its way back into the game.

“We had the same mindset" as with Camden," Melton said. "Let’s get it.”

Cedar Creek 7 13 0 9 — 29

Woodrow Wilson 0 14 14 0 — 28

CC: Jojo Bermudez 62 pass from Louie Barrios (Taylor Manning kick)

CC: Manny Reid 63 pass from Malachi Melton (Manning kick)

WW: Malik Harvey 64 pass from Devin Kargman (Harvey kick)

CC: Bermudez 84 kickoff return (kick failed)

WW: Fadil Diggs 9 pass from Kargman (Harvey kick)

WW: Kargman 1 run (Harvey kick)

WW: Muheem McCargo 30 run (Harvey kick)

CC: Reid 26 pass from Barrios (pass failed)

CC: Manning 30 field goal