PARDEEVILLE - Pardeeville's comeback attempt fell just short in the end.

One foot short to be exact.

After scoring a touchdown in its overtime period to cut Waterloo's lead to 19-18, the Bulldogs rushed to the line of scrimmage and tried to score the game-winning two-point conversion but Pat Banks was tackled just a foot away from the goal line as Pardeeville fell to visiting Waterloo 19-18 in one overtime Friday night at Bob Bostad Field.

"This game, right here, will do more for us as this season wears on than any one of the games we played last year," Pardeeville coach Mike Haynes said. "Being 0-1 in non-conference doesn't do anything to us except make us better. I'd like to be 1-0... but it's only going to make us better."

The Bulldogs trailed 12-0 midway through the second quarter but scored 12 unanswered points to tie the game. That's the way it stayed until Waterloo sophomore running back Juan Medrano plunged in from the 1-yard line in Waterloo's overtime session and the Pirates took a 19-12 lead after the extra point.

Pardeeville senior quarterback Jesse Kath answered with a 15-yard touchdown run in Pardeeville's overtime session and Haynes opted to have his offense go for the win instead of the extra point.

Pardeeville tried to use a hurry-up offense to catch Waterloo off guard on the two-point attempt and Haynes said after the game the call was for the exact same play Kath scored on one play earlier. Instead the Bulldogs ran a play with Banks running to the right side of the line. Banks powered for nearly all of the three yards he needed to get in the end zone but was tackled one foot shy.

Waterloo's players celebrated as they ran off the field while Pardeeville's players paused in stunned disbelief. Pardeeville's defense allowed just 126 total yards in the loss.

"That's about as big (a win) as we've had," Waterloo coach Doug Miller said. "I've been here 28 years. I mean we've had some tremendous wins, but against a good team like this, wow. We both got a lot out of tonight."

The Bulldogs missed on a number of scoring opportunities in regulation, scoring just once on its five trips into the end zone. Pardeeville also suffered a host of mistakes from dropped balls to penalties to turnovers. The Bulldogs committed 8 penalties for 85 yards.

Kath threw an interception on Pardeeville's third play from scrimmage and Jarrett Kuhl returned it to the Bulldogs' 10-yard line to set up the Pirates' first touchdown, Travis Karls pass to Eric Toben that gave Waterloo at 6-0 lead.

The Pirates struck again midway through the second quarter when - on a 3rd-and-1 play - Waterloo's Bernard Lincks IV broke through for a 17-yard touchdown that gave Waterloo a 12-point lead.

The Bulldogs offense struggled mightily throughout the first half but garnered some momentum when sound clock management led to a touchdown as the first half expired.

Zach Weihert - who had a pair of sacks - blocked a punt that gave Pardeeville possession on Waterloo's 28 with 21 seconds remaining in the first half. The Bulldogs marched to the 6-yard line with one second left when a Pirates player was injured and the clock was temporarily stopped. The Bulldogs lined up on the line of scrimmage and hiked the ball the moment the clock started again and Kath found Michael Knutson in the end zone as time expired.

Jordan Genrich tied the game late in the third quarter when he took a punt on one hop, sprinted to the sideline and ran past the Waterloo coverage for a 58-yard punt return. That's the way it stayed until overtime, when Waterloo scored and Banks was stopped one foot shy of earning Pardeeville the win on the two-point conversion.

"Yeah it makes it even harder," said Kath, who went 11-of-24 for 97 yards and three interceptions in his first start at quarterback. "I mean we were right there, we just didn't do what we needed to do."

WATERLOO 19, PARDEEVILLE 18

Waterloo 6 6 0 0 7 - 19

Pardeeville 0 6 6 0 6 - 18

Waterloo - Toben pass from Karls (kick failed)

Waterloo - Lincks IV 17 run (run failed)

Pardeeville - Knutson 6 pass from Kath (pass failed)

Pardeeville - Genrich 58 punt return (kick failed)

Waterloo - Medrano 1 run (Kuhl kick)

Pardeeville - Kath 15 run (run failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs - W 8, P 15. Rushing (Att.-Yds.) W 37-102; P 44-201. Passing yards - W 24, P 97. Passes (Comp.-Att.-Int) - W 4-11-0, P 11-24-3. Fumbles - W 1-0. P 2-1. Penalties-yards - W 9-67, P 8-85.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: W - Medrano 13-68; P - Banks 28-143. Passing: W - Lincks IV 4-11-0 24. P - Kath 11-24-3 97. Receiving: W - Toben 4-24. P - Genrich 6-38.