Just your normal five-quarterback thriller...
SC took the opening kickoff and marched down the field, scoring on a 22-yard pass from Tull to Spalding. Cobbs was covering Spalding and managed to get a hand to the ball but Spalding caught it on the tip. Extra point was no good. Hayfield's Pringle took the ensuing kickoff all the way back for a touchdown and I thought we were on course for a 50-46 game like last year. Extra point was good and Hayfield was up 7-6. Cobbs played quarterback in the first half, he had some good runs and completed some short passes but surely they are better off with him at receiver, plus that is a lot of responsibility to put on him when he was also guarding one of the top receivers in the state much of the night. South County scored late in the quarter on a 51-yard pass from Tull to Dunn, and then with a couple minutes remaining in the half, after SC had stopped Hayfield on fourth and goal, Tull hit Spalding in stride down the sideline and no one could catch him, 97-yard touchdown pass. Two-point conversions on both scores were no good and SC was up 18-7 at halftime.
Byers came in to play QB for Hayfield in the second half and promptly led them on a scoring drives, cutting the margin to 18-14 90 seconds into the third quarter. After the teams exchanged turnovers, SC embarked on a clock-eating drive into Hayfield territory, but it came to a stop when Tull threw an odd-looking interception--seemed like he was trying to throw the ball away but got too much air under it and it was easy pickings for the Hayfield defender. Byers keyed another scoring drive with a spectacular run where he put a spin move on an SC tackler, and his 10-yard TD pass to Cobbs put Hayfield back on top 21-18 late in the third quarter.
Ball took over at QB for SC, and his long run put them inside Hayfield's 10, with Sheffield running the ball in a few plays later. Two-point conversion was no good and SC was up 24-21 early in the fourth. Around this point Gleason replaced Byers at QB for Hayfield--assuming Byers got hurt as he was effective--and SC embarked on another long run-based drive, with Spalding taking it in from the 9-yard line to make it 31-21 with about four minutes left.
With Hayfield down two scores and on their third quarterback of the night, some fans headed for the exits, but those who stayed were rewarded, as the Hawks answered with an 80-yard scoring drive, Pailin dancing around several SC tacklers to cut the margin to 31-28 with 1:45 left. SC recovered the not-quite-onside kick (thanks, NFHS?), but needing just a first down to ice the game, they were stuffed on 3rd-and-1 and again on 4th-and 2. Hayfield took possession just over midfield with less than a minute remaining, and one catch later they were down to the SC 25, but a penalty pushed them back ten yards and a couple shots into the end zone were broken up as time ran out.
I don't remember SC having guys go both ways a lot in the past, but their receivers played a lot of defense and both Spalding and Dunn had interceptions to go with their touchdowns.
SC took the opening kickoff and marched down the field, scoring on a 22-yard pass from Tull to Spalding. Cobbs was covering Spalding and managed to get a hand to the ball but Spalding caught it on the tip. Extra point was no good. Hayfield's Pringle took the ensuing kickoff all the way back for a touchdown and I thought we were on course for a 50-46 game like last year. Extra point was good and Hayfield was up 7-6. Cobbs played quarterback in the first half, he had some good runs and completed some short passes but surely they are better off with him at receiver, plus that is a lot of responsibility to put on him when he was also guarding one of the top receivers in the state much of the night. South County scored late in the quarter on a 51-yard pass from Tull to Dunn, and then with a couple minutes remaining in the half, after SC had stopped Hayfield on fourth and goal, Tull hit Spalding in stride down the sideline and no one could catch him, 97-yard touchdown pass. Two-point conversions on both scores were no good and SC was up 18-7 at halftime.
Byers came in to play QB for Hayfield in the second half and promptly led them on a scoring drives, cutting the margin to 18-14 90 seconds into the third quarter. After the teams exchanged turnovers, SC embarked on a clock-eating drive into Hayfield territory, but it came to a stop when Tull threw an odd-looking interception--seemed like he was trying to throw the ball away but got too much air under it and it was easy pickings for the Hayfield defender. Byers keyed another scoring drive with a spectacular run where he put a spin move on an SC tackler, and his 10-yard TD pass to Cobbs put Hayfield back on top 21-18 late in the third quarter.
Ball took over at QB for SC, and his long run put them inside Hayfield's 10, with Sheffield running the ball in a few plays later. Two-point conversion was no good and SC was up 24-21 early in the fourth. Around this point Gleason replaced Byers at QB for Hayfield--assuming Byers got hurt as he was effective--and SC embarked on another long run-based drive, with Spalding taking it in from the 9-yard line to make it 31-21 with about four minutes left.
With Hayfield down two scores and on their third quarterback of the night, some fans headed for the exits, but those who stayed were rewarded, as the Hawks answered with an 80-yard scoring drive, Pailin dancing around several SC tacklers to cut the margin to 31-28 with 1:45 left. SC recovered the not-quite-onside kick (thanks, NFHS?), but needing just a first down to ice the game, they were stuffed on 3rd-and-1 and again on 4th-and 2. Hayfield took possession just over midfield with less than a minute remaining, and one catch later they were down to the SC 25, but a penalty pushed them back ten yards and a couple shots into the end zone were broken up as time ran out.
I don't remember SC having guys go both ways a lot in the past, but their receivers played a lot of defense and both Spalding and Dunn had interceptions to go with their touchdowns.
