The Hornets held off a third-quarter charge by the Phoenix (4-3), who suddenly came to life after halftime, to lock up a 26-6 victory in a football game on a cold Friday evening.
“We were up against it tonight pretty good,” Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway said. “Our best lineman was out. We lost our tailback, probably our best player, the first two plays into the game.
“For our kids to battle like that, says a lot about them. They are a good team. They have three or four outstanding football players there. I thought they played tough. We played well up front and that was the difference.”
Levitt (2-5) was holding onto a 14-0 lead thanks to two second-quarter touchdowns, but the Phoenix suddenly got their second wind in the third quarter and got back in the game.
On the opening set downs, Spruce Mountain got the ball on the 42 and moved it to the 14 where quarterback Caulin Parker threw the ball to Austin Darling at 9:40 for a touchdown.
The kick failed, but Leavitt’s lead didn’t feel so comfortable.
Not to be outdone, the Hornets came right back and scored when quarterback Tim Albert fired off a 16-yard pass to Steven Parshall for a touchdown. Leavitt’s extra-point attempt was blocked, but now the Hornet’s were back in the driver’s seat with a 20-6 lead.
Then came two quick turnovers that made fans’ heads spin. The ball exchanged hands faster than money at a local casino.
When the Phoenix got the ball back, a Parker pass was intercepted and the Hornets got the ball back where they fumbled it on the next play.
Spruce Mountain mounted a long drive from their 32-yard line, which included a Parker pass for 26 yards to Kayle Stewart.
The Phoenix moved the ball all the way to the Leavitt 10-yard line where the Hornets made a stand and stopped Spruce Mountain cold.
It went that way in the fourth quarter for the Phoenix, too. They had another long drive and were stopped at the 28. But things got worse for Spruce. A kick on the punt gave the Hornets perfect field position at the Phoenix 28 where Leavitt shoved its way to the 4-yard line.
Parshall came across again with a 4-yard touchdown with 1:22 left in the game. Leavitt’s kick was blocked, but time was on its side.
In the second quarter, Leavitt collected a pair touchdowns when James D’Andrea scored from the 5-yard line and Albert connected with Caleb Bowen for a 24-yard TD pass with 21 seconds left in the first half.
“At times, we didn’t execute well,” Spruce Mountain coach Dave Frey said. “I mean, they played hard, but at the start of the game, I don’t think we were ready to play.
Frey said Leavitt is a great team and the Hornets’ record doesn’t mean a thing.
“I knew it was going to be tough game,” Frey added. “That first half, I thought we moved the ball a little it, but there were some plays that we didn’t execute well on.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
