Indians Win Tough Battle Over Louisiana
Clopton-Elsberry Defeats MMA; Bowling Green Falls To Palmyra
Van-Far and Louisiana hooked up for a four-quarter slugfest that came down to the final minutes as the Indians pulled off the 44-34 win to remain undefeated.
The teams played to a scoreless tie after the first quarter, which included a 30-minute lightning delay, but came alive in the second frame.
It was the Indians striking first as the quarter moved toward it’s halfway point. Verlyn Johnson broke loose for a 60-yard score to put Van-Far up 6-0 after a failed two-point conversion.
After holding the Bulldogs down in the following possession, the Indians got the ball again and Johnson busted away for a 63-yard touchdown to double the lead. The Bulldogs were once again able to foil a two-point try following the TD.
Down 12-0, the Bulldogs needed a boost and found one when Devin Cropp scored on a 24-yard run with just over a minute left in the half.
The boost triggered and immediate change in momentum and on the next play, the Bulldogs got the ball back.
Van-Far fumbled the kickoff back to to Louisiana, leading to a quick score when Cameron Henderson found Jordan Luck from 13 yards out to tie the game.
Louisiana kicked the extra point for 13-12 lead going into halftime.
Johnson put Van-Far back ahead early in the third quarter on a six yard score and added a two-point conversion for a 20-13 score.
It took the Bulldogs just over two minutes to strike back when Derek Richards ran the ball for a nine yard score to knot the game at 20 each.
Louisiana again grabbed the lead with 3:44 left in the third as Cropp picked up his second touchdown on a 12-yard run.
The lead, however, wouldn’t go to the end of the quarter as Eric Hombs ran the option to score a 37-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Johnson added another two point conversion and the Indians led 28-26 at the end of the third quarter.
The Bulldogs, looking to end their season’s-long winless streak, took back the lead early in the fourth quarter.
With just over eight minutes to play, Derek Richards scored his second touchdown of the night with a five-yard run. The Bulldogs added the two-point try to lead the game 34-28.
That lead lasted less than a minute thanks to another long score from Indians quarterback Eric Hombs.
Hombs ran for 35 yards to tie the game, then Johnson scored on the conversion attempt for a 36-34 Indian lead.
The Bulldogs failed to score on their next possession and a clock killing offense went to work for Van-Far. The Indians burned over five minutes off the clock and Hombs scored with 1:38 left to seal the win when he found tight-end Treyson Culwell for the two-point conversion.
The Bulldogs took shots upfield for a quick score, but couldn’t answer late, falling by 10 despite a great effort to end their streak.
The Bulldogs fell to 0-2 while the Indians improved to 2-0 in the young season.
Verlyn Johnson accounted for over 150 yards rushing and 24 total points, earning the senior running back the Community State Bank TribCast Player of the Game.
Van-Far will host Wright City on Friday, Sept. 7. Louisiana will host Mideast for their home-opener on Friday, Sept. 7.
In other action, Bowling Green was blanked by Palmyra in their home-opener on Friday, falling 39-0 to the Panthers. The Bobcats will take on Mark Twain on Friday, Sept. 7 at home.
Clopton-Elsberry was victorious on the road with a 38-6 win over MMA. The IndianHawks will travel to North Callaway on Friday, Sept. 7.
