MAROA - Maroa-Forsyth's Josh Jostes scratched his head in amazement. His players had barely enough juice left to celebrate. Meridian's Eric Hurelbrink didn't want to leave the field. His players - heads high - walked off as cheers rained from both sides of the field on Friday.

Moments earlier Alex Chiligiris, cool as the night breeze, launched a 29-yard field goal attempt just past the outstretched hands of Cory Burns, Casey Dodson and Nathan Hilligoss, splitting the uprights with 14 seconds left to lift the Trojans to a 38-35 weathering of the Hawks in an Okaw Valley Conference Blue battle that will be dissected, embellished and manipulated for years.

"That was a helluva ball game �" Jostes said. "� two offenses just slugging it out. I told Eric (Hurelbrink), 'No offense, but (game's like these are) why we're both bald.' "

Call after call from both teams were answered in kind from their opponent.

There were a few Trojans that picked up the phone: Justin Barnes rushed for 141 yards and threw for 120 and three touchdowns. Two of the scores went to Cole Zilz, one to Darren Sill. Connor Chastain busted loose for 109 yards and two scores.

On Meridian's side, it may have seemed like all lines led to Dakota Getz.

Getz ran for 104 yards and threw for 321. He ran for a 6-yard score and threw four more. Of the Hawks' 445 yards, Getz had a hand in 425.

Maroa didn't see the air attack coming.

"I told our guys I was more scared of him rushing than throwing to tell you the truth," Jostes said. "That was really an intelligent statement, huh?"

There were plenty of others involved for the Hawks. Tony Clifton had 10 catches for 79 yards, Burns had six for 125 and three touchdowns and Hilligoss had a TD catch. But it was clearly the Getz show for the Hawks (3-2, 0-1).

"You guys get the pleasure of watching him on Friday night, but I get the pleasure of watching him every day," Hurelbrink said. "There's nothing better."

He was awfully good but not quite good enough to overcome Maroa on this night.

Chastain was the early contributor, picking up 57 yards and his two scores in the first half. He also made a momentum-swinging interception of Getz in the second quarter a play after the Trojans had scored to tie the game at 21.

"We called Connor's number a lot tonight, and he responded. He's a starter, but we relied on him tonight," Jostes said. "That pick was huge, and he gave us a lot of nice yards."

Four plays later, Chastain scored from 13 yards out to make it 28-21.

Meridian opened the third quarter with a nine-play, 74-yard drive that culminated in a 32-yard pass from Getz to a wide-open Burns.

Maroa answered back immediately with a 44-yard kickoff return from Michael Scott to the Hawks' 32-yard line. Two plays later, Barnes found Zilz for a score to make it 35-27 Maroa.

After a couple of empty possessions by both teams, Meridian got the ball back on its 28 with 4:13 left on the clock. Getz scampered for 29 yards, hit Burns for 21, hit Clifton for 5 and then Burns again for a 17-yard score. Needing a two-point conversion, the Hawks lined up in the swinging gate, direct snapped it to the kicker, Burns, who hit a fallen Clifton for the conversion. Clifton had to get up, then tip the ball to himself on a lunge to make the play.

"We got a lot from Dakota, but got some big plays from everyone else, too," Hurelbrink said.

When the Hawks kicked the ball out of bounds twice on the ensuing kickoff, Maroa (4-1, 1-0) wound up with the ball on Meridian's 43 with about three minutes left. They got to the 7 before a sack backed them to the 12 to set up Chiligiris' clutch kick.

Chiligiris, who had a field goal blocked by seemingly everyone on the Hawks team in the first half, claimed his mind was a blank slate when approaching the game-winner.

"You can't think about that. Anything bad happens, you can't let that bother you," he said. "I've prepared myself for those kind of moments my whole career. When the game's on the line, I want it. That's what kickers are for."

Getz had the ball twice more in the waning seconds but couldn't find any more magic. Though if he had, he's not sure the game would be decided yet.

"We tried to keep it tied. We did all we could. We just couldn't quite get it done. We get to OT � I don't know?" Getz said. "We could have been playing all night."

And there wouldn't have been a complaint in the house.

thayes@herald-review.com|421-6970