Warriors are district champs
Staff writer
By defeating the Canton-Galva Eagles in Canton Thursday night, the Peabody-Burns Warriors finish regular season play at an impressive 8-1, and claim a district championship.
The Warriors also finish as co-league champions tied with Ell-Saline. The PBHS team now prepares for bi-district play Tuesday against Herington.
The Warriors began the contest at Canton on defense. The Eagles scored first on a long drive that began at their own 23-yard line. The two-point conversion pass connected and the Eagles went up on the Warriors 8-0.
It took two offensive possessions for the PBHS squad to get things going. Working with a short field at the Eagle 35-yard line, Chris Hamm carried left to the 19-yard line. Nolan Hurst and Hamm traded ground duty and the first quarter ended with the Warriors close to the goal line.
A penalty early in the second quarter pushed the line of scrimmage back to the 25-yard line. On fourth and 10, Mario Nava picked his way through the defense behind good blocking to put the football on the four-yard line.
Nava scored through the middle with 11:31 to go in the half. The two-point conversion failed and the Warriors were down by two, 8-6.
Both teams took turns on offense for the rest of the half, but defensive plays kept the score of 8-6 at the half favored the Eagles.
A fired-up Warrior team came out in the second half. The first scoring opportunity for the PBHS squad came on a drive that started at their own 13-yard line.
Mario Nava earned two first downs, the second one moving the sticks down field to the Eagle 23-yard line. Hamm, Hurst, Nava, and Kurt Phillips gained some ground, but the drive came up short. Chris Hamm kicked a field goal with 1:01 left in the third quarter to put the Warriors up by one, 9-8.
The Warriors held the Eagles and secured the ball back at their own 41-yard line to start their next series. A Warrior fumble was alertly scooped up by Caleb Good and advanced down field.
A penalty on the Eagles added more yardage and the Warriors had first and goal on the 10-yard line. On third down, Nick Conquest ran a reverse to the left side of the end zone for the Warrior score. The PAT was good and the Warriors lead 16-8 with 9:40 left in the contest.
With a long field to cover, the Eagles connected on a big pass play and added six to their total. The two-point conversion failed and the Warrior lead was cut to two, 16-14, with 9:22 left in the game.
The Warriors started their next drive at the 49-yard line. Faced with a key fourth and four, the Eagles jumped off sides and kept the Warrior drive alive. Hamm, Hurst, and Conquest carried on the drive and with 3:59 left in the contest, Hurst punched the ball in for the touchdown. The PAT was good and the lead favored the Warriors, 23-14.
The defense, playing tough all through the game, came up with a huge series to stop the Eagles. Adam Carroll, Philip Unruh, Ryan Gaines, Adam Jones, Good, Hurst, and Conquest had big defensive stops.
The Warriors ended the game with possession of the ball. With two seconds left on the clock, Nick Conquest intercepted the ball and the Warriors took a knee to become district champions, 23-14.
Mario Nava had seven carries for 88 yards and one touchdown. Nolan Hurst had 23 carries for 86 yards and one touchdown. Chris Hamm carried 16 times for 71 yards. Kurt Phillips was six for 12 yards. Nick Conquest carried one time for eight yards and one touchdown.
Caleb Good had one fumble recovery.
Adam Carroll, Adam Jones, and Philip Unruh were credited with one sack each.
Tackles for the team include Brandon Crabtree with seven, Adam Jones, six, Matt Kangas and Nolan Hurst, five each, Justin Mayfield, Philip Unruh, and Nick Conquest, four each, Ryan Gaines with three, and Chris Hamm and Adam Carroll, each with two.
