By Chad Wingert (Contact / Staff Bio)

Originally published November 7, 2009, 01:12 a.m. EST. Updated November 7, 2009, 01:12 a.m. EST

By Chad Wingert

Sports Editor

MILLINGTON — It was a beautiful sight.

The field was packed to the brim with red and white on one half and the other painted in orange and black.

Friday night at Millington was truly, Thumb football at it’s finest.

“We haven’t played this team in a while, but still, it’s been a great rivalry,” Millington head coach Tim Furno said. “Both towns emptied out just like we thought. Someone said there was around 5,000 people here. This was a big game.”

But, when push came to shove, Millington was the team left standing at the final horn as the Cardinals claimed a 21-6 win over the visiting Vulcans, bringing an end to their storybook season.

“It was all about our kids tonight. We came out here and tried to hang in there, but they are a great program,” Vassar head coach Jason Kiss said after the game. “Millington would not be in the playoffs as much as they are if they didn’t have great kids and a great coaching staff.”

Hard hits and big plays were dished out on both sides of the ball, but for the second straight game, it came down to the play of Cardinals running back Justin Stutler.

Stutler finished the night with 236 yards and two touchdowns that came on jaunts of 32 and 72 yards out.

“My offensive teammates did a great job blocking for me tonight,” Stutler said. “I really need to thank them all, they did a great job.”

Sutler was sure to reward his defense for their hard work on the night, as both touchdown runs came on the first plays from scrimmage after Vassar turnovers. The Vulcans fumbled the ball with just under seven minutes left in the first quarter and turned the ball over again after a failed fourth and nine conversion.

“Stutler is climbing up to around 2,000 yards on the season. He came out of the blue, but I told him, you are going to be a good running back,” Furno said. “He has really stepped up this season, but they are all projects here. Nothing happens spur of the moment. Everything is kind of planned.”

The game was in the making to be one for the record books, until all of the momentum shifted towards Millington’s sideline.

After Stutler’s 76 yard score, Millington’s defense forced Vassar’s offense to three plays and a punt, allowing the Cardinals to eat up the majority of the clock before the half.

Things heated up a bit for both squads in the second half a combined nine penalties were called early on, sparking big drives for both squads. Personal fouls and holding penalties plagued both teams, and even cost the Cardinals a few touchdowns.

“There were a lot of mistakes on our part. We had two touchdowns called back and that really puts a crimp in your momentum,” Furno said. “We had a lot of obstacles and one of our better kids got hurt tonight, but we were resilient and we persevered.”

But, just when the Millington sidelines thought Vassar was down and out, the Vulcans turned a fourth and 20 situation into their lone score of the night as Kyle Auernhamer found Madison Harper on a 25 yard pass play, making the score 14-6 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

However, just plays later, a personal foul by Vassar’s Justin Locklear led to his ejection from the game and allowed the Cardinals to not only eat up more clock, but they also pounded down the doors of the end zone until a fumble gave the Vulcans the ball back.

The Vulcans would go nowhere with their possession, forcing them to give the ball right back to the Cardinals. Millington then added to their lead when quarterback Noah Moore found Cameron Wilson on a 28 yard pass play that ended the scoring while punching the Cardinals ticket to the next round of the playoffs.

Moore ended the night completing four of his ten pass attempts, totaling 83 yards.

Defensively, the Cardinals were led by Zach Stewart with eight tackles and a sack while Emilio Ramirez recovered two fumbles on the night.

While it has been said that this will be the last season for Coach Furno, like always, the big decisions are made when the season is over.

“This could be my last year, you never know. I could Brett Favre you,” Furno said with a smile.

As for the kids, they want to not only battle until the end, they also want to see coach Furno go out on top.

“We want to keep this going real bad,” Stutler said. “With this being his last year, we want to go as far as we can.”

The Vulcans return home with their second career playoff appearance under their belt, but they have also gained a ton of respect around the Thumb area that will carry over into next year’s football season.

“We are a good team. We don’t always get as much credit as we deserve, but I guess that is a part of football, but they are a good team also,” Kiss said. “The game comes down to mistakes. You can’t have penalties. You can’t turn the ball over. You have to play a clean game. They played a clean game and they came out on top.”

Troy Hecht was the leading rusher for the Vulcans, totaling 66 yards on 17 carries while quarterback Auernhamer went 6-for 18 with one interception. Madison Harper led all Vassar receivers with 113 yards on six catches.

Defensively, the Vulcans were led by Joe Harper and Tyler Best, who gathered 11 tackles apiece.

Kiss was also very pleased with the support of the Vassar community and unconditional love they showed for their football team.

“Our community has done nothing but help us this season. They came and supported us anytime we have needed it. And, you can tell by the packed house tonight that we had a lot of fans traveling with us,” Kiss said. “Our community is great. We are just happy that we could give them something to be proud of this year, and our kids played their butts off all season long.”

Now, Millington will have to prepare for a brutal Ovid-Elsie squad. But as always, the mission is the same for Furno and his boys.

“ We are going to give it everything we got,” Furno said. “With Millington kids, no matter if we are home or on the road, we are there to play. That is the sign of a Millington football player.”