Del Sol blocks Basic’s path

Jason Meuir broke through the right side of the Basic line and blocked a field-goal attempt as time expired to help preserve a 21-19 home win for No. 5 Del Sol on Friday night.

Meuir knew his team needed a big play.

“I just had so much energy. That was the game. Either we made the play or we didn’t. Either we won or we lost, and it just came down to that one play,” he said after blocking the 30-yard try. “I just dug in and focused. I shot out as fast as I can and jumped, and I was able to block it.”

The seventh-ranked Wolves had several chances to win.

Kevin Aviles narrowly missed a 27-yard attempt for Basic with 2:42 left. The Wolves then got the ball back at midfield with 1:49 to play but failed to gain a yard on four plays.

Del Sol (5-0, 2-0 Southeast League) was unable to run out the clock, however, and was forced to punt with 12 seconds remaining.

Basic (4-1, 1-1) blocked the punt and had one last play from the Dragons’ 12, setting up Meuir’s heroics.

“When they blocked that punt, my heart dropped,” said Evan Weinstock, who scored two touchdowns for Del Sol. “But I had faith.”

Weinstock helped the Dragons build a lead as he intercepted a pass and ran 31 yards for the game’s first score. He then caught a 12-yard pass for a TD that gave Del Sol a 21-6 lead in the second quarter.

Tyler Dobbins, who struggled throwing the ball for Basic, ran for a 36-yard touchdown just before halftime.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kelly Armistead ran an interception back 76 yards to the Del Sol 2-yard line. Quinn Richardson ran in his second touchdown of the game on the next play, but Dobbins couldn’t handle a wide snap on a 2-point conversion attempt.

Basic was forced to go for the 2-pointer after having an extra point blocked in the first quarter.

“This is a learning experience. I believe we should have won. We had a number of chances to win,” Basic coach Jeff Cahill said. “We just couldn’t execute on offense and couldn’t execute on special teams, and it cost us.”

Dezerick Reed ran for 89 yards on 30 carries for Del Sol, and Troy Miller threw for two TDs. The Dragons managed just 44 total yards in the second half, but a stingy defense enabled them to hold on.

“We’ve been mediocre at best offensively,” Del Sol coach Preston Goroff said. “Our defense has just been stepping up and saving (us).”