So much for the tie games are boring axiom.
The Holy Trinity Academy Knights and Cardston Cougars played to a dramatic 38-38 finish in a battle of top-10 ranked Tier II high school football combatants with the visitors pouring it on via 20 unanswered points in the second half yet stymied on a goalline stand in the dying moments on Oct. 15 in Okotoks.
“It was a really good first-half, I thought our offence played really well, especially in the second-quarter getting two scores against the wind,” said Knights head coach Matt Hassett. “Defensively, it was good at first and man they’re tough. We knew what they were going to do and they rammed it down our throats.
“The good part about it, they’re very highly ranked and we’re right there with them. We’ve grown up, I told them on the sidelines we’re no longer a young football team, we’re a good football team and we’re really close to being a great football team and we’ve just got to clean it up.”
The No. 7 ranked Knights couldn’t have drawn up a better first-half performance, led by a four-touchdown half from fleet-footed slotback Michael Eagle Bear, giving the home team a 38-18 lead at the break.
“It was definitely with our passing game and playing with the speed we can play,” said Eagle Bear. “I think we’re a really fast team and fast-tempo team and can out-run a lot of teams and I think we showed that in the first-half.
“If we continued to in the second-half it would have been a different outcome.”
Eagle Bear opened the scoring on a 50-yard connection with quarterback Ryan Petersen down the left sideline and he added his second major of the first quarter on a 56-yard run up the gut before countering to the outside and turning on the afterburners.
He showcased his prowess on special teams for his third trip to pay-dirt with a 65-yard punt return touchdown.
The trio of touchdowns along with a single off a strong kick-off from Gabriel Marquardt and a safety from the Cougars gave the Knights a 24-0 lead through the first-quarter on the fourth-ranked Cardston.
The second-quarter saw the Cougars start to make headway in its ground game with Jace Nish proving to be a menace with his interior running.
The tailback found his way into the end-zone from 65 yards out before the Knights countered quickly through Eagle Bear on a 30-yard pass from Petersen.
“It’s good to have an individual (game) like that, but I’d rather win,” Eagle Bear added.
Cardston would punch its way in again through Nish late in the quarter, but squandered a bit of momentum when an onside kick went awry leading to a Petersen touchdown run to make it a 38-18 advantage at the break.
A steady diet of Nish runs was on the table in the second-half and the tailback added three more touchdowns to bring his total to five on the night in a tremendous performance.
“We were hitting hard and meeting them in the hole and in the second-half we kind of let up because we were up,” said Knights middle linebacker Marshall Hartwell. “He got real low, lowered his shoulder and ran hard.
“It’s definitely a kick in the mouth to know they’re going to be running so we play a run formation and they still run it down our throats. We’ve got to take away from it that we’ve got to be more physical, and that’s the bottom line.”
The Knights did bear down in the final moments to prevent a loss.
Cardston had a first-and-goal situation at the three-yard line and after being stuffed twice had a third and inches opportunity to take the win only to have the Knights front-seven step up and force a turnover.
Hartwell was able collide with quarterback Joe Cook and force a fumble inches from the end-zone with all of 12 seconds on the clock.
“I told the D-line to cut block and I just came over the top and just hit and laid the haymaker and Caleb Jones was able to pick the ball up,” Hartwell said.
“I think it’s really going to bring us together, make us stronger, makes us more of a pack and going through into the future make us a lot more calm in these situations so we don’t have to worry about making that stop and we’re good in the fourth quarter.”
The Knights, 4-2-1 on the season, are home to another storied program this coming week as the Raymond Comets charge into Okotoks on Oct. 22 in what will be the regular season finale.
“They’re kind of like Cardston,” Hartwell said. “They don’t have a very big roster, but they play hard, they hit hard and they’re going to play to the whistle so we’ve got to bring our A-game.”
