By BRENDAN McGAIR

Sports writer

WARWICK – As gamely as quarterback Ryan O’Dell was, he alone couldn’t lift Lincoln past Pilgrim Friday night.
The Patriots, winless coming in, staged an improbable 22-20 overtime victory, sealing the upset bid on the game’s final snap when Jonathan Stevens wrapped up Lions running back Brandon Jutras on a two-point conversion attempt. Lincoln was seeking to send the Division II-B clash into a second overtime after O’Dell plunged into the end zone from a yard out.
O’Dell accounted for all three of his team’s scores, his most impressive coming with 1:09 left in regulation when he connected on a game-tying 20-yard score with wideout Kyle Jackson in the left corner of the end zone. O’Dell’s heroics came two plays after he needed assistance off the field after absorbing a shot to his right leg.
“He’s always been clutch like that for us whenever we’ve needed a play,” said Lincoln head coach Dave Waycott.
The loss could prove costly for the Lions in terms of the playoff picture. Currently Lincoln (2-3) sits in the No. 5 position, one game behind Cumberland, whom the Lions face to close out the regular season on Nov. 6.
“The way things are going, we’ll see what happens,” said Waycott.
On the flip side Pilgrim picked itself off the canvas, improving to 1-4 in league play. “I told our guys Pilgrim is better than their record indicated,” said Waycott.
O’Dell gave the Lions an 8-0 lead in the first quarter after a 10-yard run and a two-pointer. The Patriots tied the game in the second when quarterback Justin Martin ran 60 yards and Mike Natale added the conversion run.
The game stayed tied at eight until midway through the fourth quarter when both sides picked up the pace offensively. The Patriots surged ahead 14-8 after Martin found a wide-open Derek DaSilva across the middle. DaSilva shed several tackles on his way to a 65-yard catch-and-run. Martin’s long toss came two plays after O’Dell was intercepted in the end zone.
O’Dell kept the Lions’ hopes alive when he rumbled 43 yards on a third-and-5, a scamper that brought the teams down to the Pilgrim 25 with under two minutes remaining. O’Dell took a shot two plays later, leaving Anthony Palumbo to take the snaps. Still ginger, O’Dell reported back in, orchestrating the score that pushed the contest into overtime.
Martin, who matched O’Dell’s three scores, called his own number from two yards out on Pilgrim’s third play in overtime, then threw himself right into the fray for a successful two-pointer, which ended up being the deciding factor.
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Lincoln    8 0 0 6 6 – 20
Pilgrim    0 8 0 6 6 – 22
L – Ryan O’Dell 10 run (O’Dell run)
P – Justin Martin 60 run (Mike Natale run)
P – Derek DaSilva 65 pass from Martin (run failed)
L – Kyle Jackson 20 pass from O’Dell (kick failed)
P – Martin 2 run (Martin run)
L – O’Dell 1 run (run failed)