It was a bitterly cold night, with the temperature at 20 degrees with a wind chill of 7 degrees. The temperature steadily dropped throughout the evening, falling to 15 by the end of the game. The last time the Tigers had played in conditions this cold, with the field covered with snow, was back in 1995, when Worth County successfully invaded Nodaway-Holt and won 38-26 in the State Semifinal Game. They would go on to win the State Championship Game that year over North Andrew. Worth County lost a 26-24 game to North Andrew in conditions that were nearly as cold in 1997, although no snow was on the ground for that one.
Worth County has struggled in bad weather before, and it looked like a long cold night was in store after Trey Schieber ran back the opening kickoff for a score and ran in the extra points uncontested to put Stanberry up 8-0 just 14 seconds into the game.
But then Worth County pushed the ball right down the field and scored. On third and seven at the 26, Caleb Parman bounced outside for 17 yards for a first down to the Bulldog 37. Andrew Alarcon continued his late-season rise, picking up 16 more to the 21. A holding penalty set the ball back to the 30, but then Andrew Alarcon burst through a big hole for a score with 9:07 left to make it 8-6.
In the first game, Stanberry would threaten, Worth County would nearly hold, only to give up a big play on third and long or fourth and long. Stanberry marched into Worth County territory as Cole Durbin aired it out to Collin Sager for 18 yards to the Tiger 30. But then Jaxon Anderson sacked Durbin to set up fourth and 13, and the Tigers got off the field after a bad snap led to a misfired pass to an open Kameron Wallace to give the ball back to the Tigers on downs. Worth County was able to get off the field enough on Stanberry’s long yardage situations to keep the game under control; they put much better pressure on Durbin this time and did a much better job of containing him after he had burned the Tigers in the semifinal game last year and in the regular season game this year.
Worth County marched down the field as they overcame a false start as Andrew Alarcon spun out of a tackle and picked up 18 to the Stanberry 34. They got as far as the 16 on fourth and three at the 16, but Bryant McCord was stopped for no gain on fourth and three. But Stanberry went three and out and Worth County got the ball back at their own 30 to start the second quarter. On their first play, Caleb Parman shot through a hole past his left guard and outran everyone to the house from 50 yards out with 11:45 left in the second to make it 12-8.
Stanberry marched down the field and threatened to take the lead, but a goal line stand by Worth County kept them out of the end zone. The tackling broke down and Durbin found some rare daylight for 12 yards to the 33, and Schieber converted a fourth and one to the 21 with a quick burst up the middle. Durbin converted another fourth down to the eight for first and goal.
But then Durbin lost yardage on consecutive plays and Stanberry turned to a play they had burned Worth County with, when they slipped Trey Schieber out of the backfield and into the end zone for a critical score. This time, however, Worth County covered it perfectly and Colton Wilmes got a coverage sack back to the 29. Stanberry lined up to pass long, but a bad snap turned into a busted play, and Durbin could only get to the 21 before he was stopped on downs.
Worth County was faced with third and eight at the 23, but Bryant McCord caught a clutch catch for 10 to keep the drive alive. Then, on fourth and two at the Stanberry 38, Andrew Alarcon picked up three to the 35 to keep it going again. Worth County overcame a false start with an eight yard option pitch to Andrew Alarcon to the 24 for another first down with time winding down in the first half. But with 12 seconds left, Caleb Parman was stopped at the 15 on fourth and three and the Tigers went into the locker with a 12-8 halftime lead.
The lead was precarious, since Stanberry has usually adjusted to enemy teams and finished games strongly during the past two seasons. But Worth County got the ball to start the second half, and Andrew Alarcon returned a squib kick all the way back to the Stanberry 36 to put Worth County in good field position. With the Tigers facing third and six at the 32, Jacob New scrambled and broke two tackles to pick up 19 yards to the 13. On third and eight at the 11, Andrew Alarcon picked up five to the six to set up fourth and three. But Stanberry jumped offsides to give Worth County the first down at the three.
Jacob New got nowhere with a keeper, and Caleb Parman was stopped one yard short at the 1, setting up fourth and goal. An offsides penalty put the ball at the one half yard line. Stanberry had been in this situation before in 2015, when they made a goal line stand at the 1 against North Andrew four times to win the State Championship that year 46-42. Stanberry was lining all eight players up close, with everybody shooting a gap. But Jacob New took a quarterback sneak and followed a line surge from Colton Wilmes and Dakota Auffert into the end zone to make it two possessions and put Worth County up 18-8 with 5:36 left in the third. Worth County had taken six minutes off the opening drive of the second half.
Stanberry struck right back, as Cole Durbin, for one of the few times Friday night, got loose on an option play with 5:19 left and scored from 46 yards out to bring his team back to within 18-14. But then Worth County took advantage of another short field as Stanberry overran Bryant McCord on the ensuing kickoff and he ran it into Stanberry territory at the 35. A false start put them back on the 40, and a third down screen to Bryant McCord picked up ten to the 30 for fourth and five. The Tigers went into the bag for their next play as Bryant McCord took a reverse pass and aired it out to Caleb Parman. It was a strike and Worth County was back in front by two possessions at 24-14.
Stanberry marched into Tiger territory at the 38, but then turned to the same option play that Durbin had scored on earlier. This time, Jaxon Anderson drilled him for a loss back to the 40 and Bryant McCord broke up Stanberry’s fourth down pass to give the ball back to Worth County.
There was a heartstopping moment as the Tigers fumbled the ball right back to Stanberry, and the Bulldogs set up shop with a chance to make a game of it at the Tiger 33. But Rueben Gage was stopped for two, a pass was incomplete, and Cole Durbin ran into a wall of white shirts at the 32 for a loss of one. On fourth and nine, Gage took a reverse, but he was tackled three yards short of a first down at the 26.
This time, it was Stanberry who couldn’t get off the field as Andrew Alarcon was stopped for a loss of two, only for Caleb Parman to take it nine to the 33 and Bryant McCord to take an option to midfield for a first down. A holding wiped out a first down run and made it third and 12 at the 37, but Bryant McCord caught another clutch catch for 14 for a first down to the 29. Once again, Worth County was backed up third and 11 at the 30 as Sam Oldham was turning into a wall on defense for Stanberry, making tackle after tackle during this stretch. But then Jacob New dropped back to pass and came under a heavy rush. He was hit as he was throwing, but somehow got it off and threw a perfect strike to Bryant McCord over the middle, and he took it to the house to make it 30-14. Needing to make it three possessions, Worth County went back to pass and Jacob New threw a strike to Andrew Alarcon in the right flat to make it 32-14 with 6:44 left in the game.
But then Stanberry switched to their passing game and it paid immediate dividends as Kameron Wallace caught one for eight to the 32 after Worth County squibbed the kickoff and Stanberry covered at the 40. A blow to the head penalty put it on the 18, and then Stanberry was faced with third and six at the 14. But then Cole Durbin threw a strike to Zack Oldham for a score to make it 32-20. Stanberry had taken just 42 seconds off the clock, and there was plenty of time left.
There was another heartstopping moment as Stanberry covered the onsides kick at the 40. But then Kameron Wallace’s catch and run to the three was called back by offensive pass interference to the 25. Durbin scrambled for five yards to the 30, and then Bryant McCord broke up a pass to set up third and 20. A pass interference made it third and five at the Tiger 35 with 5:07 left, but then Colton Wilmes dropped Trey Schieber for one yard to set up fourth and four. Stanberry dropped back to pass, but then Colton Wilmes came through and got a sack with 4:25 left, giving Worth County a chance to run out the clock.
A power sweep by Caleb Parman got a first down to the 27, and then Caleb converted another sweep for a first down to the 17. Worth County was backed up by a delay of game and a false start back to the 27, but on third and nine at the 16, Andrew Alarcon got the necessary yards for another first down, and Worth County was able to kneel down to run down the clock.
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