by Jeremy Benson, GrandRiverConference.com
Sponsored by
St. Joseph Christian 78 Pattonsburg 70
The game between the St. Joseph Christian Lions and the Pattonsburg Panthers was on pace to break the Missouri state record for most points in a game at halftime, but it was key defensive stops that secured the win for the Lions.
The game started with the Lions recovering an onside kick. They immediately capitalized. Cy Carlson almost scored on the first play of the game, but Gage Iddings chased him down at the 4-yard line. But Peyton Hausman found a hole in the middle and cut back to find the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown. After a Hausman 2-pt conversion, the Lions led 8-0 with 11:29 left in the first. However, the lead was short-lived. The Lions attempted another onside kick again. This time Landon Preston scooped the ball and returned it for a touchdown. After the conversion, the game was tied at 8 with 11:25 left.
It took a little longer for the next score. The Lions added another score with 6:54 when Carlson ran to the wide side on the left and had all kinds of room from 27 yards out. Hausman added another conversion to put the Lions up 16-8.
Pattonsburg fumbled on their next possession, and Carlson scored his second touchdown of the night from 10 yards out. After the conversion failed, the Lions led 22-8 with 4:43 left. Pattonsburg would answer when Iddings would find Wyatt Maize in the end zone from 1 yard out. He then connected with Maize again on the conversion. Pattonsburg would cut the Lion lead to 22-16 with 1:22 left. That is where the 1st quarter would end.
The Lions would score early in the 2nd when Cy Carlson ran wide to the left again to score a 3-yard touchdown. Carlson would convert the 2 points to put the Lions up 30-16 with 11:35 left in the half. Pattonsburg would strike back when Iddings connected with a diving Camden Griffith in the end zone. Iddings ran in the conversion to cut the Lion lead to 30-24 with 10:19 left in the half.
The Lions would strike again on a toss sweep to Shaden Morris. He evaded a defender to score from 40 yards. The conversion failed making it 36-24 Lions with 8:42 left in the half. But it didn't take long for Pattonsburg to answer (stop me if you heard that before). Iddings evaded a defender, dumping it to Griffith on a screen pass. Griffith took it down the sideline 71 yards for the score. Iddings connected with Gavin Humphrey on the conversion to cut the Lion lead to 36-32 with 7:41 left in the half.
Carlson ran it in from the 7-yard line with a quick sweep, again on the left side. Carlson converted the 2 points to make it 44-32. Once again, the Panthers answered when Iddings connected with Maize from 13 yards out with 4:41 left. The same two players also connected on the conversion to make it 44-40.
Pattonsburg got their first stop with 4:20 left when Preston ripped the ball from Hausman when he was fighting for yards. The Panthers capitalized when Iddings connected with a wide-open Griffith with 1:05 left. The conversion failed, but Pattonsburg had their first lead at 46-44 with 1:05 left in the half. The lead would be short-lived. Levi Miller found Carlson, and he outran the Panther defenders for a 67-yard touchdown reception. Carlson ran in the conversion to make it 52-46 Lions with 49 seconds left.
Pattonsburg had plenty of time left when Iddings found Preston on the right side. Preston broke a tackle and evaded some defenders with a spin move to take it in the end zone from 43 yards out. The same two would connect on the conversion to put Pattonsburg up 54-52 with 28 seconds left. The Lions were unable to score before the end of the half. With 106 total points in the first half, the game was on pace for a state record.
The Lions continued the scoring onslaught in the 2nd half when Hausman took the ball straight up the middle on a fullback trap. The conversion failed. Lions led 58-54 with 11:52 left in the 3rd.
The Lions defense held Pattonsburg on downs on their next possession. Carlson would put the Lions up 10 when he ran the ball in from 9 yards. With the failed conversion, St. Joseph Christian led 64-54 with 7:54 left. But once again, Pattonsburg would not go away. Facing another 4th down, Iddings found an open Preston who high-stepped it into the end zone. Iddings converted the 2 points to make it 64-62 Lions with 6:53 left in the 3rd.
Pattonsburg recovered an onside kick after their touchdown. They had a 1st and goal at the 1-yard line, but on the next play, Iddings was sacked by several Lions. The Panthers were unable to score, turning it over on downs. The Lions scored on their next possession when Cy Carlson swept around to the left side (again), and ran it 65 yards to the end zone. After a Hausman conversion, St. Joseph Christian led 72-62 with 1:24 left in the 3rd.
Pattonsburg fumbled on their first play of the next possession when the snap hit the motion man. The 3rd quarter ended with the Lions leading 72-62.
The Lions were unable to capitalize when the Panthers recovered a fumble 6 seconds into the 4th quarter. Iddings would make the Lions pay when he found Griffith on a fade route in the end zone from 10 yards out. Iddings found Humphrey for the conversion to make it 72-70 with 9:29 left.
Pattonsburg converted their second straight onside kick. However, they were unable to take advantage of it, turning it over on downs with 7:39 left.
Cy Carlson took advantage when he once again ran to the left and found a hole taking it to the house from 44 yards out. After the failed conversion, the Lions led 78-70 with 5:44 left.
Pattonsburg appeared to strike back quickly when Iddings connected with Preston for a long pass play, but Preston was knocked out of bounds by Shaden Morris at the one-yard line. The Panthers fumbled on the next play which was recovered by the Lions with 5:01 left in the game.
The Lions then ran some time off of the clock driving the ball down the field. They eventually got to the Panther 19-yard line, but turned it over on downs with 41 seconds left in the game.
The Panthers would drive into Lion territory. They got to the Lions 29-yard line with 21 seconds left facing a 3rd and 1. However, the next two plays resulted in incomplete passes, turning the ball over to St. Joseph Christian with 12 seconds left. The Lions would end the game in victory formation with the final score 78-70.
In a game that had 70 points for both teams, you wouldn't think the word defense would be talked about, but the Lions defense came up big in the 2nd half, only allowing 2 scores on 8 possessions including stopping the Panthers on their final 3 possessions.
Postgame Coverage
Photos I took at the game
Livestream of the Game:
No comments:
Post a Comment