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Freedom Prevails In 3-OT Thriller

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By SCOTT PURKS, Tribune correspondent

Published: October 19, 2007

TAMPA - Freedom scored a touchdown with one minute remaining. A few seconds later, Mark Cionci hauled in a 2-point conversion pass and perhaps the most unlikely score of the season - Freedom 35, Middleton 35 - lit up the scoreboard.

A few gasping plays later, including a 28-yard Middleton touchdown run called back on a holding penalty, and hope, for the first time in an 0-6 season, ran through the stands at Freedom.

It was overtime.

It was Freedom wideout Jeff Kramer catching a touchdown pass and Middleton's Carlton Jones answering with a touchdown run.

It was, in the end, Patriot Justin Wilcox catching a touchdown pass - the sixth of the night from freshman quarterback Josh Grady - followed by an extra point by Sarah Cardozo.

Middleton answered again with a touchdown run, but ...

Missed the extra point wide left.

Final score, after three overtimes: Freedom 49, Middleton 48.

'Awesome!' yelled wideout Larry Thompson, who caught eight passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns. 'We believed in ourselves when nobody else believed in us.'

'Shoot, at our own pep rally today some of our own fans and classmates were booing us,' said Grady, who finished with 14 of 24 completions for 300 yards and the six touchdown tosses.

'But tonight they sure were cheering. I don't think anybody is going to boo us any more.'

Through Freedom's first five games there was, frankly, very little to cheer about at Freedom, which scored six points. Last week it was a little better in a 32-13 loss, and somehow, Freedom coach Marquel Blackwell said, 'We kept believing.'

'There were plenty of motivational speeches this week,' Blackwell said.

'I have to give up all to the kids and the coaching staff because they kept believing.'

After Freedom's opening drive, a 10-play, 75-yarder that ended in a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brae Davis, Grady said Freedom gained tremendous confidence real quick.

'Middleton was talking some trash when the game started, but by halftime when Middleton led just 21-14 and Freedom had out-gained the Tigers 222 yards to 210, they weren't talking so much,' Grady said.

'Their heads were down and they were starting to argue a little with themselves.'

M-Blount 55 pass from Presley (kick failed)

M-Jones 35 run (Wehr kick)

F-Gillespie 5 run (Cardozo kick)

M-Presley 1 run (Jones run)

M-Blount 35 pass from Presley (Wehr kick)

F-Cionci 29 pass from Grady (Cardozo kick)

F-Thompson 10 pass from Grady (kick failed)

M-Jones 5 run (Wehr kick)

F- Thompson 13 pass from Grady (Cionci pass from Grady)

F-Kramer 17 pass from Grady (Cardozo kick)

M-Jones 10 run (Wehr kick)

F-Wilcox 10 pass from Grady (Cardozo kick)

M-Presley 4 run (kick failed)

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