PIPER  PIRATES

   FOOTBALL

Kansas City Star Wednesday, October 1, 2003

Victory says Piper heading in right direction

By DONOVAN CORRIGAN

Special to The Star

If this was a statement game, and according to Piper coach Dick Tatro it was, the statement the Pirates made after a thrilling 22-21 come-from-behind victory over Mill Valley on Friday night was loud and clear: Piper has become one of the better Class 4A programs in the area.

"My goal when I came here (Piper) was to build a top 4A program. We are moving in the right direction," Tatro said. "I told them that to be the best, you have to beat the best. We work hard every week to achieve that.

"Mill Valley has a great program, and we want to get to that level, so beating them might not mean that we have the same kind of program that they do, but it does show that we are in the ballpark."

Piper won the game in dramatic fashion. Trailing 21-14 with less than one minute left, Piper quarterback Scott Lipovac engineered an improbable 74-yard scoring drive in just 57 seconds. Lipovac's 10-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Hamilton capped off the drive. Piper trailed 21-20 with 1.5 seconds to play.

Lipovac, who beat Mill Valley all game with arm, did in the No. 3 team in The Star's small-class poll with his speed. A senior, Lipovac outraced Mill Valley defenders to the right corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion and a 22-21 victory.

Tatro, armed with the knowledge that Mill Valley's power running game would be hard to stop in overtime, decided to go for a two-point conversion and the win. The gamble paid off.

"The call to go for two (points) was not that gutsy. They have a great offense for overtime," Tatro said. "The power running game gave them a better chance in that small box of 10 yards. We score easier from 30 yards. They are better at short yardage. We made our two-point conversion earlier, so I was confident we could again."

Tatro had good reason to be wary of the Jaguars' prowess running the ball. David Woods had already rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns in 33 carries. Woods' 30-yard run gave Mill Valley to a 21-14 lead late in the fourth quarter. Wood scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter to give Mill Valley a 14-6 lead.

Piper, 3-1, tied the game 14-14 early in the fourth quarter on 19-yard run from Shawnn Lampson, and a two-point conversion pass from Lipovac to Hamilton. Lipovac's 53-yard bomb to Chris Shannon in the first quarter gave Piper a 7-0 lead.

Lipovac completed 16 of 26 passes for 215 yards. He rushed for 57 yards in 11 carries. Lipovac has completed 47 of 88 passes for 785 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.

According to Tatro, it's Lipovac's intangibles that make him such a good quarterback and the leader of the Pirates' offense.

"He is a great leader by example off the field as well as on the field," Tatro said of his standout quarterback. "He knows our offense better than anyone. He's fast (4.6 in the 40); he's strong (benches over 200 pounds) and smart (3.5 GPA). A coach couldn't ask more of him. Scott (Lipovac) has been the best."

Piper's big Kaw Valley League win was a victory for all the other football programs in Wyandotte County, too, according to Tatro.

"The win was big because myself and other coaches in Wyandotte County believe that we play good football, and have several good teams here, but we get overshadowed by others in the metro area," Tatro said. "We think our kids can compete against teams from the Missouri side or Johnson County. So to win a game while we were in the spotlight was very big for us, and our area.

"The district wins (last season) and the playoffs were big last year. But this win, with the drive at the end, makes it the best. None of us will ever forget it."