’Cats 14-point lead, victory vanish against visiting Tigers
ORRICK – Coach Eric Fairchild could think of a few reasons a 14-point halftime lead disappeared and his Bearcats lost 56-40 Oct. 2 to visiting Worth County/Northeast Nodaway County in varsity 8-man football action.
A third-quarter turnover after making a goal line stand was one. Failure to capitalize on a fourth-quarter onside kick was another. A fourth-quarter horse collar penalty was another still.
“Kids played hard,” Fairchild said. “They got after it. We just didn’t quite finish the way that we needed to.”
The Bearcats (4-2) had to overcome an 8-0 deficit within the first 18 seconds of the non-conference meeting before they built their 14-point lead. On their first play from scrimmage, they gave up a safety when junior quarterback Blake Buchanan was flagged in Orrick’s end zone for intentional grounding. After the ensuing free kick, Braxton Hightshoe connected with Dylan McIntyre for a 51-yard TD pass, making it 8-0 Tigers with 11 minutes, 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
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