Matt Weinstein of Franklin scooped up a loose ball near midfield in the final seconds of overtime on Saturday and started racing toward the Hereford goal. The senior routinely makes big plays for the Indians, and he did it once more.
Weinstein scored from about 10 yards out with eight seconds left in the first overtime to give host Franklin a 7-6 victory over No. 13 Hereford in the Baltimore County title game on Saturday afternoon, snapping the Bulls' string of six straight championships.
Franklin (10-3), which suffered a 9-8 loss to Hereford on April 24, led most of the way, scoring the first two goals and using extreme patience on offense to control the pace and give its defense a breather.
The Indians scored three goals in just 1 minute, 32 seconds late in the third quarter for a 6-4 lead and appeared in charge. But Hereford forced overtime with two late fourth-quarter goals.
Both teams had scoring chances in the four-minute sudden-death overtime but none could convert until Weinstein got possession of a loose ball and took off, eventually scoring in the final seconds.
"There wasn't any stopping me [there]," he said. "There was only one guy between me and the goal. I was going to take it."
Weinstein and Reid Merlo both led Franklin with two goals while Davis Jones pitched in one goal and two assists. Franklin coach Joe Madigan loved how his team bounced back after Hereford seemingly took momentum heading into the overtime.
"It was just a battle," Madigan said. "We went on runs; they went on runs. We just had to keep swinging back."
Tim Popowski and Neil Lavietes led Hereford with two goals apiece, and Cole Quattrocche added a goal and an assist on two crucial late-game plays.
Franklin held a 2-1 halftime lead and repeatedly kept the ball away from the Hereford attack before the Bulls heated up in the third quarter. Lavietes and Popowski scored 42 seconds apart for a 3-2 lead with 8:58 left in the period.
The teams traded goals before Franklin's three-goal run. Weinstein scored on a 15-yard bullet with 3:38 left in the period, and Jones added another 49 seconds later to give Franklin a 5-4 lead.
Addison Abramson posted an insurance goal with 2:06 left in the quarter, and the Indians spent much of the fourth quarter again slowing the pace. Franklin also got a break when the Bulls were called for three one-minute penalties at the same time with 7:38 left.
But the Indians left the door open for Hereford (11-4) to rally late when they couldn't score on the man-advantage situation. Quattrocche scored with 3:01 left before Lavietes tied the game with a dazzling behind-the-back shot 45 seconds later.
Franklin goalie Ross Snodderly (seven saves) helped the Indians make it to overtime with two tough stops in the final 1:02. That just set the stage for Weinstein to end Hereford's county title run.
"I was proud of my guys for how they came back," Hereford coach Sal Picataggi said. "We had our chances, but we just didn't execute."
Baltimore County Championship
Boys
Franklin 7, Hereford 6 (OT)
(at Franklin)
Goals: H- Popowski 2, Lavietes 2, Bittner, Quattrocche; F- Weinstein 2, Merlo 2, D. Jones, T. Jones, Abramson. Assists: H- Tiller, Bittner, Quattrocche, Lewis; F- D. Jones, Nickoles. Saves: H- Bartell 10, Williams 2; F- Snodderly 7. Half: F, 2-1. End of regulation: 6-6.