Horns fall to late game rally

Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 25, 2007

LINDEN &8212; In the match up between Marengo Academy and Patrician Academy yesterday, each half ended with a team in the lead running down the clock on a quarterback kneel. The Longhorns had theirs in the first half, leading 14-6 going into the locker room, and the Pirates had theirs at the end of regulation, winning 15-14.

After several minutes of back and forth play in the first half, the Longhorns marched up the field with several big runs from Andy Flowers, who ended up placing the ball on the one yard line, and help from the Pirates in the form of a personal foul. Marengo academy quarterback Clayton Crocker kept the ball and punched it in to put up the first points of the game, 7-0.

After receiving the kick and moving the ball, Patrician Academy threw an interception on first down on their own 49 that put Marengo Academy on their own 31. The Horns moved the ball to a first down before a fumble on their 42-yard line was picked up by Patrician Academy and ran back for a touchdown, but no extra point, 7-6.

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Marengo and Patrician then swapped possessions, with Marengo holding the Pirates on a fourth down attempt on the Longhorn 30. The next play Andy Flowers broke it to the outside after breaking a tackle and ran down to the Pirate five-yard line before being brought down. Jesse Morgan followed the run up with one of his own, in the form of a six-yard touchdown scramble, 14-6.

Patrician, again, couldn&8217;t get anything going, and the Horns sat on the ball to end the half.

Little was right. The Horns opened the half with the ball but turned it over on a fumble on their third play. Patrician got the ball on their own 25 and drove to the 14 before kicking a field goal, 14-9.

After Beau Digmon laid down a solid return on the kick off, catching the ball at the five and moving to the 41 before being brought down, the group moved the chains to the pirate 34. When the charge stalled and the Horns faced fourth and four, the group racked up a delay of game and off sides to make it fourth and 14, before a pass interference call brought back a Pirate interception and placed the Horns on the 22 with four downs.

The group moved the ball down to the eight-yard line and got a first down but threw an interception caught at the two-yard line that was returned to the 15 a the end of the third quarter. Patrician then grappled the momentum and eventually the lead.

For the game Marengo had 162 rushing yards off of 37 carries and 52 passing yards off five throws. In the first three quarters Patrician Academy managed five, 15 and 14 yards of total offense. In the fourth quarter the group amassed 150.

After the interception the group mounted an 11:30 minute march down the field and eventually scored off a diving run to the outside. Marengo tried to answer and even tossed in a trick play, in which the quarterback tossed the ball to the back who then tosses it to the receiver in what appeared a reverse before it was thrown 34 yards to the Pirate 44.

But the Patrician Pirates were not to be dissuaded, and the group held the Longhorns and then drove into Marengo Academy territory before kneeling to run the clock.