OTTUMWA — The Ottumwa Bulldog football squad — united they stand, united they fall.

Tight, cohesive teams represent like that — win or lose.

Schafer Stadium stood silent late Wednesday night — Bulldog seniors kneeling on the grass, just one last time.

A terrific season wasn’t supposed to end on Ottumwa’s home turf, but it did.

The Johnston Dragons stunned Ottumwa (7-3) with 28 unanswered points to move on in the first round of substate play in Class 4A with a 28-13 victory.

The 7-5 Dragons play at fifth-ranked Ankeny (9-1) on Monday in the first round of the state playoffs.

Ottumwa senior captain Michael Wetrich summed up the disappointment and hurt after the crushing loss ended the Bulldogs’ season prematurely.

“We put everything we had into this team,” said Wetrich. “Things didn’t go our way. It hurts everybody — hurts the whole town. We just couldn’t get the job done.”

A late score before the half and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown propelled Johnston back from a 13-0 hole.

“We’ve been a team that’s been behind all year. We’ve dug ourselves many holes,” said Johnston head coach Brian Woodley.

Johnston’s Derek Temple picked up the blocked field goal — a 34-yard kick by OHS senior Joe Roark. The try was an attempt to give the Bulldogs a 16-14 lead with just over 1:30 left in the third.

James Garlock and Zach Stitz rushed through the Bulldog line to cause the mayhem and turned the game upside down.

“They came from the middle, I don’t know how,” said Wetrich, Roark’s holder on the play.

Temple picked up the loose ball, with Wetrich trying in vain to stop him. Temple ended up celebrating a 75-yard score a few tide-turning seconds later.

“I did the easy part — I got the ball and ran. The teammates had the block,” said Temple, who would pick off a pass late in the game to kill an Ottumwa drive.