The Blazers played in an instant classic football game on Friday. It was full of big plays, momentum shifts and a lot of scoring. "It was a great game to be a part of and one that these players and coaches will remember for a long time." Coach Spenn also reminded the team in the post game huddle that "The scoreboard does not define our identity. That is found in Christ alone. The grit we showed in never giving up and competing to the end does reveal great things about our character." The Blazers were playing from behind all night after an early uncommon turnover. The Lakeside Lions had a trio of seniors that where hard to bring down and made a lot of plays on the night.Â
The Blazers found themselves down 28-12 at half but the offense would heat up as
Ben Milliken would find both
Colton Loftus and
Travis Miller through the air to cut into the deficit. SCS trailed 35-24 but another turnover and tough running by the Lions put the Blazers in a big hole down 47-24 midway through the 4th. The Blazers put together a 75 yard drive on 5 plays with a big 40 yard catch by Miller and a short TD run by
Austin Kerle. The 2-point conversion would make it 47-32 and the defense came up with a stop as
Austin Kerle and
Carson Spenn were in on 4 tackles each. Kerle led the team with 15 tackles and Spenn had 13 on the night.
The offense went to work and again put together big plays but would fumble going for extra yards. However, this set up the first ever safety in school history as
Carson Spenn pinned the Lions in the end zone with help from
Trey Featherston. The offense went back to work and Milliken quickly found Collins for a 34 yard TD and then
Noah Spenn for the two point conversion to bring the score to 47-42 with just under 2 minutes to play.
While there are no kickoffs in 8-man there is a special version of the onside kick that the Blazers elected to try. Instead of kicking you get one offensive play that is a 4th and 15 from your own 25 yard line. If the offense picks up the first down they keep the ball and the drive continues.
Ben Milliken took the snap and the Lions dropped into coverage. Milliken scrambled out of the pocket and found Miller down the sideline for a thirty yard gain but was flagged for being across the line of scrimmage. This penalty took away the play and the chances of a third straight Blazer victory. The video showed the play was very close and like many things in football it came down to inches.Â
Regardless of the outcome, Coach Spenn had this to say about his team, " I am really proud of how they fought back and battled to the end. We continue to grow as a team and a football program. It is obvious if you spend time with the team we do not consider ourselves a first year program anymore. We believe we are a good football team that is only getting better."
The Blazers will be back on the field this coming Friday against Four Corners who the Blazers defeated earlier in the season for their first ever victory. It is Homecoming and the game will start at 7pm.Â
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