Rossford had to feel good about Friday’s game with only a one-touchdown deficit after a score late in the first half.
Port Clinton had 1 minute, 46 seconds left to work with. More important, it has Kii Pinkelton.
Rather than run out the clock, Pinkelton rushed for 13 yards and then 16, with a penalty pushing the ball to Rossford’s 30. Gabe Koskela rushed 19 yards to the 11.
“I thought about where we were on the field and thought I could put us in better position,” Pinkelton said.
Briar Rohrer caught a pass from Koskela with momentum heading directly toward the sideline. Rohrer slammed on the brakes, avoided a hit and hopped into the end zone with 33.8 seconds remaining in the half.
“We have three good running backs,” Port Clinton coach Eric Leuthold said of Dagan Meyers as well. “Gabe helps back there at quarterback. All three complement each other, and they played well on defense. Credit to both lines, offense and defense.”
That still wasn’t ambitious enough for Pinkelton. He intercepted a pass at about the 35 and returned it to the 1.
“I got inside, the quarterback rolled out, and I got back,” he said. “I saw my blockers and cut back. A few dudes tried to tackle me. My legs were dying at the 1.”
Port Clinton football Briar Rohrer returns punt for score in Port Clinton win
He broke about six tackles as he worked his way from one sideline nearly to the other. Landon Witte kicked a field goal for a 38-21 advantage.
Rohrer returned a punt to his own 47 in the first quarter, before Pinkelton added a 19-yard carry. Koskela scored from 34 yards for a 14-6 lead.
“It gave us a boost of confidence,” Rohrer said. “We stepped up.”
Port Clinton won its first two games. It visits Oak Harbor (2-0) this week for a nonconference matchup with the Rockets before a shift to the Northern Buckeye Conference.
“It’s not just me, this puts us in a great spot,” Pinkelton said. “We can do what we put our minds to. We worked all week and punched them in the mouth right off the go.”
Pinkelton was a varsity backup at running back and middle linebacker as a freshman last season.
“I just have to attack every play and make the most,” he said. “The more I prove now, the more later on to coaches, ‘I’m him.’ I look to do my 1/11th. If I do that, the whole team eats. We’ll all succeed.”
mhorn@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Port Clinton’s Kii Pinkelton makes noise on both sides of ball
