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"He said, ‘Do you want this?'" Lee said. "I said, ‘Yeah.' As soon as I said it, I thought, ‘This might be a bad idea.'"
It wasn't. Lee, who also made the game's decisive defensive play, nailed the 26-yard field goal that lifted Whitman over host Seneca Valley, 16-13, and put it in control of its own playoff destiny with one game remaining.
The Vikings (7-2) are in a three-way chase for the final two 4A West Region berths with Springbrook (6-3) and Churchill (7-2), their opponents next Friday. Seneca Valley (5-4) needs a win over Watkins Mill and a loss by Clarksburg next week just to have a chance to qualify for the 3A West Region playoffs.
"Nights like tonight is what kids remember," Whitman coach Jim Kuhn said.
The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, Whitman first on a Kevin Cecala 3-yard run and the Screaming Eagles when sophomore Tanner Vallely found Bryan Ikossie from 5 yards out. The Vikings' 2-point conversion attempt failed, but they blocked Seneca Valley's extra point to stay alive.
The Eagles got the ball first in the second overtime, and three Bernard Wolley runs got them to the half-yard line. On fourth-and-goal, Wolley got the ball again and was met immediately by Lee — a 215-pound counterpart during the wrestling season — to kill the drive.
"It was a great call by our defensive coordinator, Andy Lee," Lee said. "We went with an all-out blitz, and I came completely free. He practically fell into me."
Whitman controlled regulation, despite actually being outgained by Seneca Valley, 192-154. The Eagles muffed two punts, the first leading directly to quarterback Henry Kuhn's 1-yard sneak in the first quarter and the second tilting field position in the Vikings' favor early in the second half.
Whitman also recovered an onside kick to start the second half and a first-quarter fumble when Seneca Valley had second-and-goal.
"Coach Kuhn preaches playing a perfect game without mistakes," Lee said. "In a game like this between two playoff-contending teams, it comes down to the little details."
Vallely, who also threw for the Eagles' regulation touchdown, was playing in relief of junior Max Nicholson, who missed the game with a sprained ankle. Wide receiver Dimitri Parker also did not play for Seneca Valley.