LEGEND PREVAILS
Pine Creek misses extra point
PARKER » With both schools’ playoff hopes possibly on the line, the reigning Class 4A champs met an undefeated 5A team on Saturday — and the big school survived by the slimmest of margins.
A Pine Creek extra point sailed wide right late, and 5A No. 7 Legend hung on to win 21- 20 over the 4A third- ranked Eagles.
“This win means a lot, they’re the defending champs,” said Legend quarterback Kalen Shoemaker, who threw three touchdown passes in the win. “They’re a powerhouse.”
Legend ( 5- 0) only possessed the ball only three times in the second half. Their three plays in the third resulted in a punt, sandwiched in between two bruising Pine Creek ( 2- 1) touchdown drives that tied the game at 14.
Legend’s first touch in the fourth quarter resulted in a 40yard touchdown connection from Shoemaker to Jackson Brush, their second of the game. Shoemaker took a play- action fake and found Brush, who ran upfield and into the end zone to take the lead back, 21- 14.
“We fired back,
“Shoemaker
said. “We expected to come put a drive together and get it in, but we got the big play.”
Big plays were Legend’s forte. Their first touchdown came late in the second quarter after a fourth- down conversion from Connor Eise. A few plays later, Shoemaker hit Carter Helfrich on third- and- goal in the end zone for the game’s first points.
On the ensuing Pine Creek possession, a penalty forced the Eagles deep into their own territory
and then a fumble gave the ball away. Shoemaker and Brush hooked up for their first Titan touchdown after that to give Legend a 14- 0 lead at the half.
“We were firing on all cylinders,” Shoemaker said. “Our defense was lights out. One of the best defenses in 5A.”
Pine Creek came back in the second half by converting on a fourth down via a fake punt. That passing play marked the Eagles’ first reception of the game. The
Eagles needed another fourthdown conversion a few plays later to keep their drive alive. Josiah Roy rolled right and hit Beau Freyler, who not only got to the sticks, but reached the goal line as the Eagles cut the Titans lead in half.
After a three- and- out, Pine Creek got the football right back. A quick strike from Roy to Ian Carroll went for 45 yards. Knocking on the red zone, the Eagles needed a third straight fourthdown conversion to keep moving. They got it. A few plays later, Roy kept it for a short touchdown to start the fourth quarter knotting the game up at 14.
Shoemaker and Brush responded with their big play that would eventually be the game- winner.
Pine Creek then bruised its way down the field. Using their timeouts, the Eagles slowly got to the end zone with minutes left. Roy hit William Kea to get an extra point away from tying it. High winds forced a long Pine Creek field goal to sail right in the first half. The potential game- tying extra point suffered the same fate. All Legend had to do was ice it from there.
“That’s a great football team,” Shoemaker said. “It wasn’t easy.”