By P.J. Harmer

Staff Writer

WALTON _ Sidney pushed back with Jarred Mertz.

Mertz’s 65-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes, 38 seconds left Saturday capped Sidney’s 20-12 come-from-behind victory over Walton in a non-division Section Four Football Conference game.

Sidney avenged its only loss of the 2005 season, when it finished 12-1 and won the Class C state championship. Sidney’s 15th straight win didn’t come easy, though, as Walton jumped to a 12-0 halftime lead fueled by strong gains up the middle.

"That was very typical Walton, smash-mouth football," said Sidney coach Jeff Matthews, whose 4-0 team is ranked first in the state in Class C.

"They really didn’t do anything we haven’t seen for the past couple of years, but they just execute so well that it makes it hard on our kids," he continued. "We can’t catch up to game speed right away."

&bodytext;See SIDNEY on Page 16

Sidney took over in the second half, however, allowing two first downs and scoring three times on the ground.

"We did a good job slowing them down," Walton coach Jim Hoover said. "I think the second half, they overpowered us a little bit."[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Mertz put the final touches on Sidney’s comeback, which started when Chase Mott scored on a 3-yard run with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. Mott followed with a 4-yard TD run less than three minutes into the final quarter, leading to a 14-12 Sidney advantage.

Sidney protected its lead with a turnover on downs at its 37. Walton stuffed Drew Fessenden for a 2-yard loss before quarterback Parker Umbra handed off to Mertz on second down.

"At that point, we were talking about ball security and make sure they hold onto the ball because we want to run as much clock off as we can," Matthews said.

Mertz bounced off a couple blockers before slipping through a hole up the middle and was gone. Defensive back Chad Gardepe caught up with Mertz but brought him down in the end zone.

"I just kept running downfield and looked back a couple of times to see if anybody was there, but luckily I got to the end zone before anybody could catch me," said Mertz, who finished with 103 yards on eight carries. "It was nuts. I saw the hole and nobody was there, so I’m like �I have to get there,’ and I heard everyone cheering, so you have to give it everything you got."

Andy Foote squashed Walton’s comeback attempt when he cut in front of receiver Dustin Bowker to intercept quarterback Sean Fisher with 2:03 to play.

"If they scored, they have a chance to tie it up, so I just tried to stay with the receiver and got lucky," Foote said. "I was trying to stay with the receiver as long as I could. The defensive line did a good job rushing. He made a quick throw and it didn’t get far enough, so I just came and got it."

Sidney tweaked its offense after finishing the first half with two first downs.

"Our coaches came in and told us a new gameplan and we came out there and did it with all heart and dedication to win this game," Mott said. "They wanted us to be more aggressive on the line and get off the ball quicker and get up the side more."

Mott’s 3-yard TD run capped a 13-play, 65-yard drive that took 6:21 off the clock in the third quarter, and Foote’s extra point pulled Sidney within 12-7. Umbra hit Foote for a 23-yard reception during the drive and Mott contributed an 8-yard gain two plays before scoring.

"We went into halftime and realized we all needed to step up," Mott said. "The whole line and everybody stepped up big. We had a lot of heart in the second half and that’s how we came back."

Sidney scored the go-ahead points after forcing a Walton punt as Mott ran in from 4 yards to finish an eight-play, 63-yard drive. Foote’s extra point gave Sidney a 14-12 lead.

"We didn’t get very many offensive opportunities in the first half," Matthews said. "We didn’t get into a flow, but we thought we could run some of our power game. We came out in the second half and were able to establish that, and I think that made a big difference."

Walton scored on its first drive, using seven plays to cover 61 yards. Richard Fletcher amassed 31 yards on five carries, including a 5-yard TD run up the middle. Fletcher also scored in the second quarter, on a 3-yard run that capped a seven-play drive. Walton started at Sidney’s 27 as Chris Mead sacked Umbra for a 14-yard loss on third-and-9, setting up a punt from the 3.

"We played a real good first half, but we made a couple mistakes in the second half and turned the ball over in a key situation," said Hoover, whose team failed to convert two two-point conversion runs. "They are a good football team and we’re getting better. They did what they had to do to beat us."

Sidney hosts Greene in a Division V game at 7 p.m. Friday, when Walton visits Hancock for a Division VII matchup.

&headline;Sidney 20, Walton 0

{"Sports agate 1 tab"/}Sidney 0 0 7 13 _ 20

Walton 6 6 0 0 _ 12

&bodytext;{"Sports agate bold"/}FIRST QUARTER

W _ Richard Fletcher 5 run (run failed) 6:53

{"Sports agate bold"/}SECOND QUARTER

W _ Richard Fletcher 3 run (run failed) 1:54

{"Sports agate bold"/}THIRD QUARTER

S _ Chase Mott 3 run (Andy Foote kick) 3:00

{"Sports agate bold"/}FOURTH QUARTER

S _ Chase Mott 4 run (Andy Foote kick) 9:12

S _ Jarred Mertz 65 run (kick failed) 3:38

{"Sports agate bold"/}Sidney rushing: Chase Mott 11-36, Jarred Mertz 8-103, Mike Burpoe 7-15, Parker Umbra 5-(-6), Drew Fessenden 5-11.

{"Sports agate bold"/}Walton rushing: Richard Fletcher 19-81, Casey Killian 13-63, Erik Besemer 3-8, Sean Fisher 7-33, Anthony Mead 3-11.

{"Sports agate bold"/}Sidney passing: Parker Umbra 3-for-8, 36 yards, 2 int.

{"Sports agate bold"/}Walton passing: Sean Fisher 1-for-3, 7 yards, int.

{"Sports agate bold"/}Sidney receiving: Cody Rose 1-0, Andy Foote 2-36.

{"Sports agate bold"/}Walton receiving: Casey Killian 1-7.

&bodytext;___

{"Body Text Italic"/}P.J. Harmer can be reached at pharmer@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 229.