Ferriday — In a 28-26 double overtime win against the Block Bears, victory was snagged in the back of the end zone in one of the most unconventional third down conversions to ever take place in Melz Field.

Down 26-20 in the second overtime period, the Trojans faced a 3rd-and-17, as Ronald Williams dropped back to pass. Williams threw it up for grabs in the end zone, and a triple covered Shannon Morales tipped the ball in the air and juggled it in the back of the end zone before securing the catch, tying the game 26-26. Right before the play, Morales told his coaches that this was his senior year and he was going to make a play.

“I feel like a hero,” said Morales, who struggled to put his emotions into words after the game.

A laser from Williams to Ronald Davis on the ensuing two-point conversion sealed Ferriday’s fate in one of the wildest games Ferriday head coach Cleothis Cummings has ever been a part of.

“This (game) needs to be ranked, man,” said Cummings, drenched from the water that was poured onto his head after the win. “Block is a great team. They’re going to do big things. (Benny) Vault talked all that noise about winning the state championship, and after tonight, I believe him.”

The Bears’ head coach did not want to hear that after the heartbreaking loss. Instead, Vault was livid with his team’s 10 penalties and two lost fumbles. Vault, who holds his team to the highest standard, struggled to swallow defeat.

“When you have the better team, I can’t accept that,” Vault said. “It’s my fault. I take the blame. I know these are kids, but we didn’t execute. Hats off to (Ferriday), because they played hard. For the fans, it was a great game.”

The game between Ferriday and Block was billed as a contest between two of the best running backs in the area, and both Block running back Raymond Plummer and Ferriday running back Dontrell Domino delivered.

They each traded electrifying runs, which included a 40-yard run from Plummer in the third quarter and a 14-yard gain by Domino at the end of the quarter, which saw him break several tackles and drive the pile an extra five yards, sending Ferriday’s bench into a frenzy. Plummer finished with 162 yards on 26 carries, while Domino tallied 152 yards on 25 rushes.

“I felt like I had to carry the team,” said Domino, who earned the nickname “Honey Badger” from the PA announcer during one of his long runs. “When I heard him call me that, I kept wanting to make plays.”

Cummings could do nothing but praise the effort Domino gave his team Saturday night.

“Dontrell played big,” Cummings said. “Not taking away from any other athlete, but Domino is football bread. I don’t like the nickname though. We’re a team, and we’re not going to have nicknames.”

Cummings chose to keep Domino from playing defense, hoping it would keep his running back’s legs fresh in the fourth quarter. The move paid off, but Vault’s decision to play Plummer on defense had a huge impact on the game. On a 4th-and-1 play on the 1-yard line, Plummer penetrated the line and stopped Domino short of the touchdown, which would factor into both teams carrying a 14-14 tie into overtime.

Ferriday had the first possession in overtime from its 20, and Domino scored from five yards out. Block answered with a 1-yard Plummer score, which was setup by a 9-yard run by Taylor Perron-Krause. Perron-Krause finished the game with 134 yards on 17 rushes. Both teams failed to convert two-point conversions.

In the second overtime, Perron-Krause took it 10 yards into the end zone on the first play, but Block failed to punch in the two-point play.

Ferriday is now 1-1 on the season, while Block falls to 0-2.