ST. FRANCIS – St. Francis senior quarterback Quinton Cravens joined in his team’s celebration and then wore a smile outside the locker room shortly after the Indians’ thrilling 22-20 season-opening home victory against Wallace County on Friday.
The two ranked opponents produced a great contest that included a long wildcat touchdown run by Indian senior running back Taylor Rogers in the first quarter and a St. Francis Hail Mary to end the first half.
After intermission, an Indian second half safety provided the two-point margin, and a pick-six score by Wallace County with 5 minutes, 49 seconds left in the game produced the final points.
The Wildcats appeared to tie the score at 22 when senior quarterback Grady Hammer scored on the conversion. But a holding penalty negated the try, and Wallace County’s pass attempt failed.
“It’s a dream come true,” Craves said. “This is what you see: it’s Friday night lights.”
Cravens finished the game when he received a fourth down snap in punt formation with 6.8 seconds left.
Similar to the Michigan/Michigan State game last season, St. Francis had several options. Cravens wanted the safe route. He decided to rugby-style punt, found an opening and then tight roped the sideline as time ran out.
“That was the difference right there,” St. Francis coach Rodney Yates said.
St. Francis, ranked No. 1 in Eight-Man, Division I, carried a roster more than twice the size of Wallace County, ranked fourth in Eight-Man, Division II.
“It just helps us make better plays because we are not tired, and it’s just been really helpful,” senior Joel Hill said.
Junior Luke Lampe, bothered by a recent shoulder injury, saw a chiropractor this week, had his shoulder popped back in and was healthy for Friday.
He caught the Hail Mary and scored a 1-yard run in the second half. Hill delivered two key defensive plays on the final drive. They helped hold Wallace County without an offensive score after intermission.
“We made some substitutions bringing Hill in, and bringing Lampe in, and that really just solidified them running up the gut,” Yates said.
The Wildcats used just nine players and lost in the regular season for the first time since Week 4 of the 2011 season. Wallace County’s only rotation came with two sophomores on the line after an injury.
“I am pleased with these kids right now,” third-year Wildcat coach Jeff Hennick said. “I told them in the huddle there that they were born males, and there are certain times that you become men. I think all eight or nine of them that played for me, I think they definitely showed that they were men tonight. They played good. We are going to get into some film. You know what, I think we can get a lot better.”
Wallace County controlled the time of possession in the first half with 32 snaps, 14 more than St. Francis.
“Probably the best coached team I’ve ever coached against, and just tremendous respect for what they are doing,” Yates said.
With 3 minutes, 44 seconds left in the first quarter, Cravens lost his helmet on a three-yard run. By rule, he had to come out of the contest for one play. St. Francis called timeout and then lined up with an unbalanced set with Rogers the wildcat quarterback on 3rd-and-16. Yates’ goal was to move the ball and then try to pooch punt.
Instead, Rogers rushed 42 yards for the score. Rogers, who threw up on the field in the second half, finished with 15 carries for 66 yards.
“We will take it when you’ve got a Taylor Rogers who is just an extremely gifted player, and he can cut back like that, and three guys are waiting to tackle him, and he just runs by you,” Yates said.
In the second quarter, Hammer rushed for two scores from 13 and one yard. A former starting offensive lineman and fullback, he tallied 79 yards on 19 carries and passed for 57 yards. Down 14-8, St. Francis recovered a Wallace County fumble and then ran a hook-and-ladder to the Wildcats’ 22-yard line with one second left.
Cravens lobbed up a pass to the end zone. Wildcat junior defensive back Levi Johnson and Lampe went up for the ball.
“I just had a feeling in my gut that he was going to come down with it,” Cravens said.
Both players bobbled the ball and knocked in the air, and Lampe made the catch and score for a 14-14 halftime tie.
“I just came down with the ball and was happy,” Lampe said.
Hill said the play “definitely shifted the momentum” and allowed St. Francis to play “way better” in the second half.
“Our safety went up to knock it down, and I think he just got a little bit of it,” Hennick said. “If he would have got the whole thing…, they probably don’t catch that, but hats off to that kid who stayed with that ball and caught it. That was a heck of a play.”
After a scoreless third quarter, St. Francis took a 22-14 lead after Lampe scored from a yard out and junior lineman Trayton Doyle forced Hammer into an intentional grounding call in the end zone with 6:55 left. At first, the officials deemed it an incomplete pass, but after a conference, they threw the flag for the penalty and safety.
“That was on me,” Hennick said. “I put them in a bad situation. Basically, this loss is on me with that play.”
Wallace County closed the gap to 22-20 when junior Carlin Springsteel returned an interception 35 yards for a TD, but the penalty negated the conversion.
The Wildcats got the ball back one more time. On first down, Hill hit Hammer and forced a fumble. Wallace County recovered, but the ball went backwards and yielded a six-yard loss. On fourth down, Hill had a pass defended for the turnover on downs.
“I’ve just always been a downhill player, always liked contact, seemed to drive me harder,” Hill said. “I was just trying to get him down, and I didn’t even know that I forced the fumble at first, but all my teammates were talking, and you could hear them yelling, ‘Fumble.’ I looked up, and they got the ball back, but you could tell that it took some of the emotion out of them.”
The Indians could have punted to the Wildcats on the game’s final play. They conferenced before the snap.
Yates asked the team if they should punt and “risk” a block or a Wildcat touchdown. Cravens said no. He wanted a rugby style, and if no one was on the edge, he would run. Cravens ran for 22 yards, sealed the win and elicited a celebration when time expired.
“We all won the game as a team, the people in the stands, we are all a family,” Cravens said.
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