One of the craziest plays of the weekend didn't belong to a college upset or an NFL showdown — it came from the final seconds of a high school football game in upstate New York.
In the Empire State's Section III Class A quarterfinals Friday night, fourth-seeded Whitesboro needed a miracle. Down 30-25 with under four seconds left, a Hail Mary to senior wide receiver Connor McDonald was deflected by an opposing Carthage defender — but the Warriors weren't going to give up that easily. Junior receiver Landon Pearsall kept it alive, grabbing the popped ball and trying to scramble forward, but couldn't generate much motion against a wall of defenders.
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Mid-tackle, Pearsall tossed a lateral back to McDonald as the senior scrambled up from the ground, and the rest is history.
The field erupted as McDonald got his feet back underneath him and turned on the jets, taking it all the way to the house to keep Whitesboro's playoff hopes alive 31-30. The play hit No. 3 on Friday night's SportsCenter Top 10.
Whitesboro, located in Marcy, NY and coming off a 5-3 regular season record, is now headed to the Section III Class A semis. The Warriors will meet top-seeded Auburn next weekend as they continue the hunt for their fourth-straight sectional title.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: High school football team wins playoff game on miracle Hail Mary — and lateral
