O’Shea’s touchdown with less than a minute remaining in Haymarket put the Bobcats ahead for the first time all night, giving Battlefield a dramatic 26-23 win to cap its third straight undefeated regular season.
The comeback was the Bobcats’ 33rd consecutive regular season victory dating to March 2021 and clinched the Cedar Run District title. They will again square off against the Pioneers next week in the first round of the playoffs.
“Just so proud of these guys,” said Battlefield Coach Greg Hatfield, who took over three years ago and has presided over this flawless run. “We made a lot of mistakes, Patriot forces a lot of mistakes because they’re a good football team and played hard, and we just pulled it out in the end.”
Battlefield (10-0) won each of its first nine games by at least 25 points and hadn’t allowed a single point in six weeks. But Patriot (6-4), which came in averaging 48 points per game in that span, quickly proved up to the challenge.
The Pioneers ended the Bobcats’ shutout streak on the game’s first possession when junior quarterback Tyler Knutson lobbed a deep ball to senior wide receiver Drew Hube for a 65-yard touchdown. Minutes later, junior running back Jackson McCarter took off up the middle for a 45-yard touchdown scamper.
With Battlefield’s offense in dire need of a spark, O’Shea found senior Braden Boggs on a screen pass. Boggs jolted past multiple Patriot defenders to reinvigorate a once-muted Bobcats sideline. The two rivals traded field goals before the Pioneers gave up a late safety — then O’Shea drove his team down and scored the final touchdown of the game.
“We got punched in the mouth and we were able to come back from it,” O’Shea said.
Patriot attempted a last-ditch effort in the closing seconds but was turned away when senior Brandon Binkowski nabbed an interception. Binkowski, who caught a touchdown earlier in the game, raced over to the Battlefield sideline and rang the team’s “turnover bell” as his team swarmed him in celebration.
“We won the game, now this game’s in the past,” Binkowski said. “We’re excited to be able to play a team as good as them again.”