That’s how far away Dunkirk was from its second win of the season Saturday night.

Javi DeJesus was stopped on a quarterback sneak inside the 1-yard line as time expired as East Aurora/Holland picked up its first win of the season 29-26 in Class B South action on a breezy night at Karl Hoeppner Field.

“To be that close … it’s so frustrating. That was our bread and butter the whole game,” Dunkirk (1-4, 1-4) head coach Mark Benton said. “If I see the film and they legitimately stopped us, then OK … but I don’t think they did.”

“They’ve fought very hard all year, but things were kind of going wrong on our end,” East Aurora/Holland (1-5, 1-4) head coach John Swiniuch said. “The word for the week was ‘finish.’ They finished. That was the ultimate finish to a game and a week.”

Dunkirk’s Jordan Bautista recovers a third-quarter fumble during Saturday’s Class B South football game against East Aurora/Holland at Karl Hoeppner Field in Dunkirk. OBSERVER Photo by Scott Reagle

The fact Dunkirk was even in position to win late was a moral victory.

Playing their third game in eight days due to COVID-19 quarantines and postponements, the Marauders fell behind 29-20 with 7:17 left as Bryce Clothier powered his way into the end zone on a 20-yard touchdown run. Clothier added the 2-point conversion run as the Blue Devils looked to seal the victory.

“We’re not a physically strong team,” Benton said. “When you come off three days of practice and play — I know the section is trying to get these games in — but I really think they have to take a long look at safety.”

The Marauders marched 70 yards in less than two minutes, keyed by a 33-yard run by Quanteer Neallard. On first-and-10 from the 15-yard line, DeJesus powered through the middle of the East Aurora/Holland defense for a score to make it 29-26 after the conversion run failed.

The Blue Devils took over with 5:12 remaining, but a second-down false start put them behind the sticks and they elected to punt into a stiff breeze on fourth-and-6 from the 50-yard line. The punt netted just 13 yards.

Dunkirk’s Teddy Roberts crosses the goal line for a touchdown during the second quarter of Saturday’s game. OBSERVER Photo by Scott Reagle

Taking over with 2:39 remaining, DeJesus picked up a first down with an 8-yard run on third-and-3 from the 44-yard line. A 13-yard screen pass from DeJesus to Neallard made it first-and-10 from the 35-yard line before Neallard took off for 22 yards. A face mask at the end of the play made it first-and-goal from the 7-yard line.

“One minute we were down by nine with five minutes to go and the next thing you know we have a chance to win it,” Benton said. “It was almost surreal.”

Neallard — who finished with 24 carries for 196 yards — picked up 4 yards on first down and DeJesus picked up another 2 on second down before Benton spent his final timeout with 9 seconds remaining.

“He’s only a junior. He’s so strong,” Benton said of Neallard. “At times we blocked for him and other times we didn’t.”

Dunkirk elected to go with the quarterback sneak from inside the 1-yard line because DeJesus had picked up 55 yards on his first 11 carries of the night. But he was turned away by the interior of the East Aurora/Holland defense on his final carry of the game, sending the Blue Devils to victory.

“We worked really hard all week on just playing a stout defensive tackle position in the middle of the defense,” Swiniuch said. “They came through.”

Dunkirk led 6-0 midway through the first quarter on Teddy Roberts’ 2-yard touchdown run, but East Aurora/Holland quarterback Maxwell Frier scored on a 15-yard keeper and Clothier — who finished with 91 yards on 17 carries — added a 3-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds left in the quarter to give the guests a 14-6 lead.

“We rely on him and we lean on him when we need yards. He’s run like that all year,” Swiniuch said of Clothier. “He’s a tough runner and he gets the tough yards. That’s why he’s one of our focal points on offense.”

Roberts’ second 2-yard touchdown of the night tied the game after DeJesus’ 2-point conversion run, but a 17-yard touchdown run by Frier — who finished with 112 yards on 15 carries — allowed the Blue Devils to take a 21-14 lead into halftime.

“He’s our team leader. He was our captain as a sophomore last year. You saw tonight why he’s the team leader,” Swiniuch said of Frier. “He’s a great runner. … Between him and Bryce tonight, they were able to find seams and find gaps. The effort and the heart was there.”

Neallard scored from 6 yards out with 5:11 left in the third quarter, but a failed 2-point conversion run allowed East Aurora/Holland to maintain a 1-point lead until Clothier gave the Blue Devils a two-score lead midway through the fourth quarter.

That proved to be just enough in the end.

East Aurora/Holland 14 7 0 8 — 29

Dunkirk 6 8 6 6 — 26

Dun–Roberts 2 run (fun failed)

EA/H–Frier 15 run (Clothier kick)

EA/H–Clothier 3 run (Clothier kick)

Dun–Roberts 2 run (DeJesus run)

EA/H–Frier 17 run (Clothier kick)

Dun–Neallard 6 run (run failed)

EA/H–Clothier 20 run (Clothier run)

Dun–DeJesus 15 run (run failed)