By Jacob Heid

Sports Editor

AMHERST – A Friday night matchup between the Wittenberg-Birnamwood Chargers and the Amherst Falcons delivers every season. 

This year, fans got another closely contested game that used every second on the clock to decide the game. 

Amherst fell just short, 27-22, after getting stuffed from just inside the 2-yard line in the final seconds.

“This is the best we’ve played all year,” Amherst Head Coach Mark Lusic said. “We’re improving, we’re starting to see something. We had our opportunities. They capitalized, and we didn’t. That’s the biggest thing.”

The Falcons started the night on defense against a stellar team that averages 46 points this season.

Just a few plays in, Amherst picked off senior Nathan Waupekenay’s first pass near midfield and started the night offensively inside Charger territory. 

Amherst got inside the 15-yard line but backtracked to the 19-yard line for a fourth down play.

Senior Michael Benjamin delivered a screen pass under pressure to receiver David Scott and walked into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

The defense continued to deliver and held the Chargers to no points in the opening quarter. 

With Wittenberg-Birnamwood driving inside Amherst’s 5-yard line, multiple Falcon defenders flew in and stopped Waupekenay short of the goal line. 

Benjamin and the offense’s next possession didn’t last long. The Chargers got an interception on the first play, leading to the visitors tying the game with a rushing touchdown late in the first half. 

Amherst’s defense also forced a crucial turnover on Wittenberg’s 10-yard line on a bad snap on a punt with under a minute left in the half.

“[The defense] played very well. We put the defense into bad spots, but overall, they played a heck of a game. I’m proud of how well they played and how hard they played,” Lusic stated.  

Benjamin bouched back and connected with Scott for the second time to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Both defenses continued the great play early in the second half. 

Two near-touchdown opportunities vanished for the Falcons in the third quarter after two drops near the goal line.

The Chargers scored the first points of the second half late in the third. The score put Wittenberg-Birnamwood up 15-14 after a two-point conversion. 

Another interception from Amherst on the following possession allowed the Chargers to go up by a score, 21-14, after an early fourth-quarter rushing touchdown.

The momentum started shifting towards the visitors before Benjamin recovered again from an interception. He drove the offense down the field and capped it off with an 8-yard scamper to lead by one, 22-21, after a successful two-point conversion with 6:58 left.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood scored for a third straight time on a lengthy pass, taking back a 27-22 lead with 3:47 to play. 

Amherst chewed up the remainder of the clock and picked up a critical first down on a fourth down play with 50 seconds left. 

The Falcons got down to the 9-yard line before Benjamin found Scott to get down to the 2-yard line with four seconds left. 

After an Amherst timeout, the Charger defense made a stand and stuffed a run play to win the game. 

Amherst is now 2-3 (1-2) with its next matchup vs. Spencer/Columbus Catholic at Spencer High School on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.