Last Friday was Senior Night for the Bethel Wildcats. As the parents, players, and managers all lined up for the celebration, the Bethel coaches seemed to be celebrating something else. Luther’s dominant wide receiver, Quintin Richardson, was not suited up.
Bethel coach Joey Ginn said, “We were certainly happy to see that, but we weren’t sure if it was gamesmanship, like Community did to us the year before.” It wasn’t.
The mood was shortlived. After winning the toss and electing to take the ball first, Bethel quarterback Cale Duncan’s first-down pass was intercepted and returned for a Lion touchdown. With only fifteen seconds off the clock, Luther led, 7-0.
Ginn said, “That was disappointing, and it wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was just bad execution that happens sometimes. Our kids kept their heads up though.”
Bethel then marched down the field on a long, 12-play drive that saw John Allred and Gavin O’Rorke trade eleven consecutive carries. But on the 12th play, facing a fourth-and-13 inside the Lion twenty-yard line, Duncan was intercepted again.
“It was a long fourth down, and our thinking was we had to throw it, and we either convert, score, or pin them deep,” Ginn said.
Coach Joey Ginn’s defense bent a little when the Lions got the ball back, but they did not break, forcing a punt after an eight-play drive into Bethel territory.
Allred fumbled on Bethel’s next possession, and Luther wasted little time reaching the end zone, scoring on a three-yard run on a quick, four-play drive that began at Bethel’s 29-yard line.
Allred, who went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season, made up for the fumble on the first play of Bethel’s next possession, exploding for 42 yards to the Lion’s 35-yard line. Offensive Coordinator Brandon Blizzard dialed up nine runs on this ten-play drive. Allred, Brady Lower, Duncan, and Luke Quinter all shared the load, and Allred carried the final two yards to bring the score to 14-7 after Luke Drew’s successful point after kick with 9:30 remaining in the second quarter.
The Lions scored once more before halftime on a 34-yard pass. Most of the second quarter was old-school football: hard-hitting defenders and tough-running in the mud while a steady rain fell. Gabe Palomares, Hunter Luschen, and Austin Melson put on a tackling clinic for the fans.
Bethel had a final chance at reaching the end zone just before time expired. Reagan Curry had an unfortunate drop near the Lion’s end zone after the ‘Cats put together a 12play drive that included a hook-and-lateral from Duncan to Curry, who then pitched back to Roger Brooks.
Though the ‘Cats trailed 21-7 at the half, the mood was optimistic. Bethel had rushed for 189 yards on 30 attempts and had thirteen first downs. And though the Lions had the lead because of the pick six and the fumble they received, they were struggling. They had only 139 yards of total offense and only five first downs The third quarter began with a 37-yard completion for the Lions to the Bethel 38-yard line, but Alex Tollett ended their momentum with a big sack of the Luther quarterback and forced a punt.
The trio of Allred, O’Rorke, and Lower reached the Lion oneyard line, and Bethel faced a fourth-and-goal to go. Duncan kept the ball and scored, and Bethel trailed 21-14 with 9:29 left in the game.
Curry ended a scoring threat from the Lions on their next series, but the ‘Cats were pushed back after the play when the officials threw a flag for an unsportsmanlike foul because a few excited Bethel players stepped onto the field to celebrate.
It looked like Bethel was going to tie the game, but after a tenplay drive that reached midfield, Duncan’s pass attempt on fourth-andfourteen fell incomplete.
The most controversial call of the game then occurred. Bethel, needing a stop on defense to get the ball back, forced Luther into a third-and-ten. Cornerback Jonathan Harris, defending a deep pass and looking to the ball with his hands in the air, ran into the receiver. The incidental contact was initially viewed that way, but the back judge talked himself into throwing a flag. I’ll editorialize here: If an official has to think about whether or not to throw a flag, he shouldn’t. It’s either an obvious foul, or it’s not.
Ginn said, “I don’t ever want to blame an official, but I think those two calls, the pass interference and the unsportsmanlike because a kid came on the field a few steps in celebration, should never be called in a game like that.”
Ginn is correct. The first flag stopped Bethel’s defensive momentum; the second one ended any chance of a comeback and a chance at a win or overtime.
Six plays and six short runs later, Luther scored a final time with nine seconds remaining in the game. The twopoint conversion guaranteed the Lions their fifteen district points as well.
RUSHING: Allred 22-142-1, Lower 12-50, O’Rorke 4-27, Duncan 4-24-1, Quinter 5-24 PASSING: Duncan 7-15-27-0-2 RECEIVING: Curry 3-17, Harris 1-14, Easterling 1-4, Brooks 1-(-2), Quinter 1-(-6) TACKLES: Melson 19, Allred 14, Luschen 11, Palomares 10, Curry 7, Tollett 4, Compton 2
