Eagles Top Indians in Overtime Battle
Tagged under: District 6, News, Scoreboard, Scores
Brad Strawser | September 15, 2018
The offense clicked early this week for the Juniata Indians, but their early success was not enough for them to get the win against the Line Mountain Eagles on Friday, September 14th. The Eagles were able to take the win in overtime against the Indians, standing tall defensively on the last drive of the game.
The game got underway looking hopeful with the Indians taking their opening drive 60 yards for the game’s first touchdown. That was the first time this season that the Indians opened the game with a touchdown.
Following up the offense, the Indian defense were able to get behind the Eagles’ line on 3rddown and sack the quarterback. It seemed as though all the momentum would be on the Indians’ side to start the game.
However, the tale of the night for the Indians seemingly had a lot to do with the penalty flag that kept flying from the officials. Multiple fouls were called on the Indians on Friday night, keeping them from sustaining any momentum that they would start to build.
The Eagles would take the ball at towards the end of the first quarter and drive their way to the Indian 25-yard line. From there, junior quarterback Evan Herb would throw a touchdown pass to level the score.
Opening up the 2ndquarter, Indian quarterback Jeremiah Parson would match Herb’s throw with a 25-yard touchdown pass of his own to take the lead.
The Indians defense stayed strong to end the first half as senior Jim McLaughlin would force a fumble and recover it while defending in the red zone.
Starting the 2ndhalf, Herb would connect on a pass to one of his receivers who would run the ball into the Indians’ red zone. 2 plays later, the Eagles would rush their way into the end zone to level the score.
After empty drives by both teams, the Indians found themselves within the Eagles’ 25-yard line after a short punt. Coach Gary Klingensmith decided to have faith in his quarterback Parson who would not let him down. Parson would connect for a touchdown pass on 4thto regain the lead.
The extra point for the Indians following the touchdown sank the hearts of the away fans’ moments later. A bobbled hold left senior kicker Chris Esh with no time to kick, and the PAT would be blocked by the Eagles.
It would prove to be a tough night for kickers however, after the Eagles scored on another 25-yard touchdown pass from Herb, sophomore kicker Nick Williams’s extra point try was blocked and never made it pass the line of scrimmage.
With time ticking down, Klingensmith went with the run game and pounding his team down the field onto the Eagles’ 20-yard line with 20 seconds left. Kicker Chris Esh stepped in to seal the game for the Indians and win 300 for Klingensmith. But the kicking woes would continue as the Eagles got through the line and blocked Esh’s kick to send it to overtime.
The Eagles would start with possession in overtime and only need 2 plays to score. This would mean that the Indians would need to score a touchdown to stay alive in the game.
Klingensmith decided to try and run the ball in, since it was successful for him throughout the 4th. However, the Eagles stood up to the task and kept the Indians out of the end zone for the week 4 win.
When asked after the game about the hard-fought loss, Coach Klingensmith had this to say: “We stepped up our game again this week. We were just a tiny bit short. I’m proud of the way they played and the way they fought. If they can carry that pride into the coming weeks, I think we have a chance to win all 6 of our upcoming games.”
Klingensmith also said that he believes this would be the last week the team would go without senior captain Bryson Clark. The Indians (0-4) have their homecoming game on September 21stat Dietrick Field when they face Williams Valley (3-1).
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