Whitesboro’s season was hanging by a thread Friday night, and then one final snap turned into the kind of finish that gets replayed forever.
Down five with 3.8 seconds left against Carthage in a New York high school football playoff game, Whitesboro launched a last-gasp Hail Mary and somehow turned it into a walk-off touchdown. The ball was tipped, then secured by junior Landon Pearsall, and when the defense collapsed around him, he sent it back to senior Connor McDonald with a perfectly timed lateral. McDonald, who had gotten back to his feet after making the initial tip, took the rest himself and raced in for the score.
The touchdown covered 45 yards, with 20 coming after the initial catch.
The finish only got stranger from there. Some Carthage defenders appeared to think the game was already over, and at least one could be seen drifting away from the play in celebration before realizing the ball was still alive.
That sequence sent the Whitesboro sideline into a frenzy and kept the Warriors’ postseason going.
Video of the play spread fast online, with the post from Andy Swan on X reaching approximately 2.9 million views by Sunday evening.
Now Whitesboro gets another test, and it’s a big one. The Warriors will face Auburn, a team that enters at 8-1 and has been stout on defense all season, allowing just 71 points while putting up 383. Whitesboro has scored 261 points and allowed 284.
The numbers from MaxPreps also point to a steep challenge. Auburn is ranked No. 97 overall in New York and No. 11 in New York Division A, while Whitesboro sits at No. 207 in the state and No. 30 in Division A.
Whitesboro is 6-3 overall and 5-1 in league play. The Warriors have won three of four games against common opponents with Auburn, while Auburn went 4-0 against those same teams.
After surviving one of the most improbable finishes of the postseason, Whitesboro moves on with its run still alive.
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Knicks Title Celebration Is Already Turning Into A Culture Fight
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Spike Lee has already made clear he is against the idea, saying Dolan cannot force the team to go and pointing to how rare NBA White House visits have become in recent years. Stephen A. Smith also weighed in, suggesting Dolan is frustrated with players who do not want to attend and warning that the issue could have ripple effects for the Knicks going forward, which is not exactly the kind of follow-up drama a champion usually wants after the confetti falls. [Read more 🡒]