WEST LAFAYETTE -- The screaming roller-coaster adventure that was Jimtown football simply ran out of tokens.
And like the thrill-seeking youngsters at an amusement park, the Jimmies didn't want to leave.
They couldn't believe that there'd be no more rides in 2009. A 28-14 loss to West Lafayette Friday night saw to that.
There was nothing amusing about it.
"Jimtown football has been my life," said Zach Whittaker, a senior. "From the rocket games, it's always been my dream."
But it will be the undefeated Red Devils, who scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, who play in next week's Class 3A state championship in Indianapolis.
An inspired West Lafayette squad turned a tipped pass into a timely, back-breaking score and later added a 15-yard run by Aaron Woodard for its first finals berth since the school won the 1993 2A championship.
To do so, the Red Devils ripped a page right out of the Jimtown textbook, according to WL head coach Marshall Overley.
"We played Jimtown football," said Overley, who's been on the Red Devil staff 21 seasons, including nine as head coach. "We knew we had to match their intensity ... and we did."
Responding to the challenge after leading rusher Jordan Walker broke a bone in his leg late in the second period, the Red Devils used speed and guile to wear down the Jims, who finished at 12-2. The Jims have lost at the semistate level in three of the last four seasons.
"They put their best players in good positions ... they were the better team tonight," said Mike Campbell, Jimtown's head coach. "It was one little thing here or there and we didn't take advantage of it."
Like the last four weeks of spine-tingling playoff wins, little things did matter. Enough of them, though, didn't fall Jimtown's way.
The Jims throttled Daniel Wodicka, WL's all-state candidate at quarterback, holding him to a pedestrian 7-of-17 for 90 yards.
But a perfect 41-yarder to Woodard beat two JHS defenders in the end zone.
Later, tied at 14 midway into the fourth quarter, Wodicka was pressured and forced to the sideline before flipping a toss near the goalline.
Safety Drew Zeiger made a play on the ball and tipped it into the air, but the ball fell softly into Andrew Pekny's hands for a 21-14 lead.
"These kids were able to do what they needed to do to step up," said Overley, who'll take his 14-0 squad to Lucas Oil Stadium to play the winner of tonight's Evansville Memorial-Chatard game in Indianapolis.
"They been doing that since the eighth grade," Overley said of the Wodicka-to-Pekny connection.
Wodicka also kicked Jimtown in the gut with two runs -- a 56-yarder in the first half and a 32-yard dash to set up the game's final score with 2:47 left.
WL's defense picked off Brian Hosinski three times in the first half, including Andrew Bowers' first-quarter theft which set up a 5-yard Walker TD run.
Hosinski answered, though, by hitting Jordan Smith on a 69-yard score. Herman Pollard tied the game late in the third period with a 6-yard scamper, but Jimtown could never get close again.
Richard Geraghty, a two-year starter at defensive end, could barely pull off his muddy, soaked uniform long after the game was over.
"I had my helmet on in the lockerroom ... Coach (Ned Cook) had to take it off of me," Geraghty said. "I would not take it off."
It was that kind of ride.
"It's terrible. I know a lot of guys since rocket football, in junior high, in years in high school," Geraghty said. "Knowing we gave everything, playing with heart and determination, one step from the ultimate goal and falling short ... it's the worse feeling you could ever have as a high school football player."
---
Summary
West Lafayette 28, Jimtown 14
Scoring By Quarters
Jimtown 7 0 7 0 -- 14
West Lafayette 7 7 0 14 -- 28
Officials: Dave Spencer, Joe Schrader, Bruce Wirick, Mike Grenert, Tom Holobin.
School -- Scoring Play
First Quarter
W -- Jordan Walker 5 run; Sam McCartney kick, 6:51.
J -- Jordan Smith 69 pass from Brian Hosinski; Tyler Zufan kick, 5:47
Second Quarter
W -- Aaron Woodard 41 pass from Daniel Wodicka; McCartney kick, 3:58
Third Quarter
J -- Herman Pollard 6 run; Zufan kick, 1:42
Fourth Quarter
W -- Andrew Pekny 14 pass from Wodicka; McCartney kick, 7:38.
W -- Woodard 15 run; McCartney kick, 2:47
Team Statistics Jim WL
Net yards rushing 158 197
Net yards passing 172 90
Total net yardage 330 287
Total first downs 12 11
Passes (comp.-att.) 8-19 7-17
Passes had intercepted 3 0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Punts-average 3-28 2-37
Penalties-yards 5-45 4-25
Individual Leaders
Rushing: Jimtown -- John-Michael Moore 20-74, Herman Pollard 8-40, Nick Lertola 9-20, Drew Zeiger 3-18, Brian Hosinski 2-6; West Lafayette -- Aaron Woodard 13-103, Daniel Wodicka 7-73, Amen Galley 2-11, Jordan Walker 5-10.
Passing: Jimtown -- Hosinski 8-19-141 (3 int.), Zeiger 1-1-31; West Lafayette -- Wodicka 7-17-90 (0 int.).
Receiving: Jimtown -- Jordan Smith 1-69, Pollard 5-66, Ryan Serafino 1-31, Zeiger 1-6; West Lafayette -- Woodard 3-54, Andrew Pekny 2-29, Jonah Green 2-7.