BATAVIA, Ohio – West Clermont needed every second Friday night.
Ethan Davidson caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Colton Abner on the final play of the game as the Wolves stunned Milford, 43-41, in a wild ECC battle that featured three lead changes in the final five minutes.
Milford appeared to have delivered the decisive blow when sophomore quarterback Aiden Wehrum scored on a 6-yard keeper with 1:51 remaining and added the two-point conversion, putting the Eagles ahead 41-35. But West Clermont had one final answer.
Abner directed the Wolves down the field and, with no time remaining, connected with Davidson from 13 yards out to tie the game at 41-41. West Clermont then converted the ensuing two-point attempt to complete the dramatic victory. The official scoring summary confirms Davidson’s touchdown came at 0:00, while the final score was 43-41.
The finish capped a huge night for Abner, who completed 13-of-27 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns while adding 52 yards on the ground. Caleb Abshire powered the rushing attack with 204 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries, helping West Clermont pile up 261 rushing yards.
Nehemiah Ferguson provided some of the night’s biggest plays. He returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown with one second remaining in the first half, then caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Abner with 4:54 left in the game. Ferguson finished with 94 receiving yards and 113 kickoff-return yards.
West Clermont’s comeback was particularly impressive considering Milford produced 482 yards of offense, including 366 through the air. The Wolves countered with 433 total yards and overcame three turnovers.
The victory came after West Clermont trailed 7-2 after the first quarter and 20-16 at halftime. Abner connected with Tyson Hinkston for an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter and Jasiah Feliciano for a 23-yard score early in the fourth as the teams continued trading punches.
Then came the frantic finish. Milford grabbed a 33-30 lead on Wehrum’s touchdown with 5:48 remaining. Abner answered just 54 seconds later with the 56-yard strike to Ferguson. Wehrum responded again, scoring with 1:51 left and running in the conversion to give Milford a 41-35 advantage.
It still wasn’t enough.
With the clock hitting zero, Abner found Davidson for the touchdown that gave West Clermont one final opportunity. The Wolves converted the two-point try and walked off with one of the most dramatic victories of Week 5.
SCORING BY QUARTERS
Milford: 7-13-7-14-41
West Clermont: 2-14-7-20-43
WEST CLERMONT SCORING PLAYS
WC: Troy Gaskin safety
WC: Caleb Abshire 3 run (Abshire run)
WC: Nehemiah Ferguson 94 kickoff return (kick failed)
WC: Tyson Hinkston 11 pass from Colton Abner (Jacob Lyons kick)
WC: Jasiah Feliciano 23 pass from Abner (Lyons kick)
WC: Nehemiah Ferguson 56 pass from Abner (Lyons kick)
WC: Ethan Davidson 13 pass from Abner (two-point conversion)
Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
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