Going into their Oct. 31 district game against Capac, the Goodrich football team had won only one playoff game in the school’s history.
Adam McAuliffe and his Martian teammates made sure to add another playoff win to the school’s ledger.
The Goodrich senior scored on a 33-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds left in the game as the host Martians won a 40-33 thriller against the Chiefs, avenging a 54-20 loss at the hands of Capac in the playoffs two years ago.
The Chiefs had one last chance, but Kirk Elsworth intercepted a pass by Capac quarterback Dan Stiefel with 33 seconds left to seal the win.
Goodrich (7-3), which has won its last six games, advanced to take on host Livonia Clarenceville (9-1) Nov. 7 (results unavailable as of press time). Clarenceville advanced with a 20-14 win against Mt. Clemens Lutheran North Oct. 31. Capac’s season ended with a record of 6-4.
After the game, Goodrich coach Tom Alward said the game was an indication of how the team has battled this season.
‘Our kids just believed all year and felt we could pull it off,? he said. ‘God, don’t ever count us out. These guys are going to battle you. They’re (Capac) a good football team.?
The Martians used a one-two punch of Elsworth and McAuliffe to get the job done, as Elsworth ran for 208 yards and scored three touchdowns, while McAuliffe earned 119 yards and scored two touchdowns.
McAuliffe put the Martians on the board first, scampering for a 58-yard touchdown which put the Martians up 7-0 with 9:32 left in the first. The Chiefs answered with a touchdown of their own with 4:32 left as Ryan Manger punched it in from six yards out. However, Stiefel missed the extra point, leaving the Martians with a 7-6 lead.
Elsworth then took the ensuing kickoff 82 yards, setting up a 15-yard field goal by Hill that put the Martians ahead 10-6 with 2:30 left in the quarter.
However, Capac senior Ed O’Halloran (who tallied 166 yards on 27 carries), scored on a one-yard touchdown run as the Chiefs took a 13-10 lead with 24 seconds left in the quarter.
The score remained that way until the latter stages of the second quarter, when Goodrich mounted a scoring drive. A Hill-to-McAuliffe pass put the Martians in position at the Capac 27-yard-line. Hill then drilled a 37-yard field goal to tie the contest at 13 heading into halftime.
After Capac’s offense stalled at the onset of the second half, the Martians marched down the field and scored on an Elsworth two-yard touchdown run to take a 20-13 lead with 6:41 left in the third.
Capac answered with a touchdown of their own with 3:52 left in the third, as O’Halloran scored his second touchdown of the game from three yards out. However, Stiefel missed another point-after attempt, and the Martians still held a 20-19 lead.
Almost immediately, the Martians made the Chiefs pay for their special-teams woes, as Hill and Elsworth connected on a 61-yard scoring strike to put the Martians up 26-19 with 3:28 left in the third.
Before the third quarter was finished, Capac answered with a touchdown of their own, as Stiefel connected with Luke Stuever on a 12-yard touchdown pass, knotting the game at 26 heading into the fourth quarter.
Stiefel and Stuever connected again on a 45-yard touchdown pass with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter, giving the Chiefs a 33-26 lead.
However, as he has all season, Elsworth answered the call for the Martians, scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run with 6:49 left in the fourth quarter, tying the contest at 33 and setting the stage for McAuliffe’s game-winning touchdown run.