Warriors lose to Celtics in overtime
Staff writer
The PBHS Warriors suffered their second loss Friday night in a road game against Hutchinson Trinity. The Warriors were defeated in overtime, 9-6. The PBHS squad is now 5-2 on the season with a district match-up this week against Moundridge.
The Warriors and the Celtics were strong defensively in the first half. Each team moved the ball throughout the half. The Celtics had possession six times but the Warrior defense held each time.
Isaiah Eldridge, Adam Jones, Chris Hamm, Kurt Phillips, Ryan Gaines, Brandon Crabtree, Mario Nava, Jonathon Foth, Caleb Good, and Michael Unruh were credited with first half tackles. Warrior defense also came up big against the Celtic air attack, breaking up several big pass plays.
Warrior offense, however, struggled against the Trinity offense. Nava, Phillips, Hamm, and Good all gained ground for the PBHS squad but didn't convert on any of their five possessions in the first half.
Brian Baker punted four times in the half.
Both teams went to half-time with no score.
In the second half, the Warriors went on the offense first. Hamm, Phillips, and Nava ran the ball but on fourth and one at mid-field, Baker punted the ball to the Celtics.
The first Celtic drive of the second half produced the first points of the tight contest. The Celtics moved the ball starting on their own 33-yard line. The Trinity squad received some help from penalties assessed to the Warrior sideline and an unsportsmanlike conduct call.
Warrior defense did stop the drive to the endzone, but the Celtics kicked a field goal on fourth and 12 to take the lead 3-0 with 4:27 left in the third quarter.
Once again both teams traded the ball, neither team finding the endzone. With just under nine minutes in the fourth quarter, the Warriors started a drive at their own 43-yard line.
Gaines made a big catch on third and eight to keep the drive alive and moved the line of scrimmage to the Celtic 35-yard line. Nava and Hamm earned a second set of downs on the ground. More yellow flags impeded the Warrior drive, but Good kept it alive again with a quarterback keeper on a fourth and inches at the Celtic 10-yard line.
A penalty moved the Warriors back to the 14-yard line. A run and two pass plays gave the Warriors nothing. On fourth and 14 Hamm attempted a field goal. The kick went wide right and the score remained 3-0 in favor of the Celtics with just three minutes left in the contest.
Eldridge made a big defensive move on the first Celtic down, recovering a fumble to give the ball back to the Warriors at the Celtic 20-yard line.
The Celtic defense held the Warriors. However, with just 48 seconds left in the game, Chris Hamm hit a field goal to tie up the score.
Job Hilliard, Good, and Jones made big stops near the end of the game. Eldridge made the game-ending sack on the Celtic quarterback to put the contest into overtime, 3-3.
The Warriors took the ball first on the 10-yard line. On first down, a fumbled exchange gave the Warriors a gain of only one. Nava ran on second and third downs, but the Warriors came up short of the endzone. On fourth and five, the Warriors connected on a field goal to go ahead of the Celtics, 6-3.
The Celtics now had a try from the 10-yard line. Jones stopped them on first down, but on second down the Celtics connected on a pass play for the score and the victory.
"That was one of the best defensive teams we've seen," stated Coach Chris Young. "They scouted us well. We'll be making changes this week. We have a big district game with Moundridge Friday. We'll need to make some adjustments to what we need to do."
stats
Chris Hamm, two field goals.
Tackles — Isaiah Eldridge, 16; Brandon Crabtree, 12; Chris Hamm, Kurt Phillips, seven; Adam Jones, Adam Carroll, six; Ryan Gaines, Jonathon Foth, four; Caleb Good, Job Hilliard, three; Mario Nava, two; Ryan Johnson, one.
Sacks — Eldridge, one; Crabtee, three; Jones, one.
