Bagent

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — And here Shepherd is again.

It’s back to the NCAA Division II national semifinals for the miraculous Rams, back where they were in 2010, 2015 and 2016, after winning the division’s Super Region One championship.

Four teams remain.

And Shepherd joined region winners Valdosta State, Ferris State (Michigan) and Colorado School of Mines in the Region Championship throne room.

Per usual, it wasn’t easy. In fact, it really didn’t seem possible the resilient Rams could wrest a victory away from a team that had just taken a come-from-behind lead in a game’s last seconds.

Lane

But those last seconds have been ever so friendly to the Rams!

On Nov. 28, Shepherd prevailed over Notre Dame, of Ohio, by four points on a scoring pass, with 1.9 seconds to play. On Saturday, in Kutztown, the Rams heart-stopped the Golden Bears by two points on a scoring pass with no time remaining.

With seven seconds showing, Kutztown had a four-point lead it had snatched from the Rams with 39 seconds remaining. Shepherd was at the Golden Bear 42-yard line. Once leading by three touchdowns, the hard-pressed Rams needed another last-instant touchdown play or the season would end in the oncoming dusk at Andre Reed Stadium.

And they got it when receiver Alex Wetzel jumped high enough to pull in a lofted 42-yard TD pass from Tyson Bagent. Wetzel landed upright in the end zone. Shepherd landed upright in the semifinals at Ferris State with a 30-28 win that was its third consecutive 2021 playoff success and moved its overall record to 13-1 to compare with Ferris State’s 12-0 mark.

Shepherd’s 21-0 first-half lead was a fast-fading memory. But fast-fading or not, it was just a memory — as was the 28-24 lead Kutztown had with 39 seconds to play when forced-into-action quarterback Donny Blaine threw 24 yards to Derek Anderson to mute Shepherd’s earlier cheering. Blaine replaced the injured Eric Nickel in the second quarter, played the entire second half, ran for two TDs and passed for two TDs.

Wetzel

Any Shepherd optimist would have said the Rams had Kutztown just where it wanted the Golden Bears when Bagent made an off-balance scramble away from pressure with seven seconds showing. Regaining his balance, the junior quarterback threw to the end zone where Wetzel, other teammates and several Kutztown defenders were all waiting.

Wetzel out-positioned the others as the 43-yard pass sailed to its golden destination. And then he out-jumped them.

Shepherd had passed its way to a second straight Hollywood-like ending, improbable as it seems. Rams win! Rams win! This time by two points, instead of four. This time with Wetzel making “The Catch” instead of Josh Gontarek, who leaped through history to beat Notre Dame.

By the time Kutztown was peeling away the points on the Shepherd lead, the Rams had a patchwork defense on the field. All-conference player Ponce Deleon did not play. All-American linebacker Chrys Lane was injured during the first half and was in-and-out of the lineup throughout the Kutztown move from behind. Non-starters were nearly everywhere. And Kutztown was gaining traction on the scoreboard.

Shepherd foibles began to appear. Holding penalties hurt. A miserable 10-yard punt was added to the troubles. A badly mistimed field goal attempt was blocked. Bagent, who received impeccable protection in the first half, was being bothered and then sacked twice. Blaine was grabbing confidence by the minute. He was the quarterback receiving the adequate pass protection.

And then the moment Shepherd seemed to will to the last hard-to-breathe instant came back for a second straight week.

Bagent threw. Wetzel clutched the game winner. And Shepherd was off to Big Rapids, Michigan to face top-seed Ferris State on Saturday. The red-jerseyed Bulldogs defeated Northwest Missouri State, 41-20, in their quarterfinal win. Both Shepherd and Ferris State defeated Findlay (Ohio) this season, but the Bulldogs did it, 54-14 in their first game of the season. The other semifinal match has Valdosta State vs. Colorado School of Mines.

And here Shepherd is again.