Worth County’s Tigers beat Albany in the most heartstopping of fashions Friday, first falling behind, then building a big lead, and then nearly losing it at the end before they finally hung on for the 56-54 win.
South/Nodaway-Holt beat Worth County up front and Albany started off right where the Spartans left off, moving the ball down the field on their opening drive behind their big line. Tryce Floyd got a first down run into Tiger territory at the 39, and Ethan Mercer carried the rest of the road to the 24. Finally, Floyd threw a 19 yard strike to Kaeden Hutchinson from the 21 to the two, and Mercer put it in the end zone on the next play with 9:07 left in the first to make it 6-0.
But Worth County had Andrew Alarcon, who hurt his ankle in the previous game, back. The Tigers marched right down the field from their own 19 to the Warrior 34. They were faced with fourth and six from there, but then Andrew Alarcon took a spread draw to the house with 7:24 left, bouncing down the right side. Alarcon ran in the extra points to make it 8-6.
This time, Albany went three and out, and Worth County started moving the ball again. This time, Braxton Hightshoe threw a 33 yard pass to Jackson Runde, who emerged more and more as a go-to receiver Friday night. That put the ball on the 17. Worth County was faced with fourth and one at the eight, but Hightshoe converted it to keep the drive alive. Worth County had a fourth down and goal at the 1, but then Hightshoe converted again for the score with 1:52 left to make it 14-6.
Albany marched right back down the field again as Tryce Floyd bounced outside for 39 yards to the four and Ethan Mercer was in the end zone from one yard out with 24 seconds left in the first. Nate Adwell broke up the extra point pass in the end zone to preserve the Tiger lead at 14-12.
Worth County was faced with fourth and three at their own 39, but this time, the blocking broke down and they were denied. Albany took advantage as Tryce Floyd picked up 10 to the 26, Ethan Mercer picked up another 15, and nobody guarded Kaeden Hutchinson, who was all alone for a strike early in the second to put the green shirts on top again at 20-14.
The Tigers found the yards harder and harder to come by as Albany assigned Tryce Floyd to shadow Andrew Alarcon and hit him every single time he touched the ball. On the next series, Floyd hit Alarcon on four straight plays, yet Alarcon converted a fourth and one at the Tiger 25. Worth County had another fourth and three at their own 32, but an offsides penalty gave them new life at the 37. That was all they needed as Alarcon bounced outside for a 43 yard score with 5:38 left to knot it at 20-20.
A costly 15 yard facemask penalty on the kickoff could have put Worth County in the hole, as the Warriors started with the ball on their own 36. Albany got as far as the Tiger 21, but on fourth and one, Justin Dye denied Ethan Mercer and the Tigers took over on downs. A pass from Braxton Hightshoe to Jackson Runde covered 34 yards, and then Andrew Alarcon took it the remaining 25 yards, hitting a big hole up the middle with 2:14 left. Braxton Hightshoe converted a keeper to make it 28-20.
But then Albany completely changed things up, inserting Kemper Cline at quarterback, and moving Tryce Floyd to a receiver and motioning Mercer out of the backfield a lot. The move paid off immediately as Mercer had grabs of 7 and 21 yards, and Hutchinson caught an 8 yard pass as the Warriors marched to the Tiger 5. Cline took it the rest of the way and Floyd caught the extra point pass to make it 28-28 again.
But with 40 seconds left in the half, Worth County set up a perfectly executed screen pass to Andrew Alarcon that went for 32 yards to the Warrior 24. Worth County grounded the ball to stop the clock, and then Andrew Alarcon took it five yards to the 18 before the Tigers took their final timeout of the half. With 11 seconds left, Braxton Hightshoe threw a strike to Jackson Runde, who was all alone in the end zone. Andrew Alarcon eluded Floyd’s rush and got into the end zone to convert the extra points and make it 36-28 at the break.
A fortuitous break got the Tigers in the end zone to start the second half, as they had a free possession thanks to ending the first half with a score and getting the ball to start the second half. Alarcon bounced outside and the black shirts got Floyd blocked this time as he took off 19 yards to the Warrior 33. The Tigers stalled there, and Floyd dropped through unblocked to stop Alarcon for a loss of three to set up fourth and 11 at the 34. A bad snap that could have given Albany good field position was recovered by Hightshoe, and he threw a pass which caromed off someone else and Jackson Runde brought it in for a score with 8:58 left. Hightshoe cut it up inside on an option play to make it 44-28.
Albany went back to their normal formation, and Floyd picked up 20 yards to the Tiger 33. It might have gone for a touchdown, but Chase Atkins came out of nowhere to make a shoestring tackle on Floyd to deny a score. Albany went for it on fourth and three at the Tiger 26, but Floyd was stopped by Austin Welch one yard short of the first down and Worth County took over.
The Tigers moved the ball again, getting to the Warrior 31, and then Andrew Alarcon dragged a Warrior defender 15 yards down the field for a 26 yard gain to the five. Braxton Hightshoe took it the rest of the way after getting a block from Justin Dye, and the Tigers were up 50-28 with 4:53 left.
But then Albany decided they were more effective with Cline as their quarterback in their spread formation, and they marched right back down the field again. A jet sweep to Hutchinson picked up 25 yards for a score with 2:01 left, and the Warriors were still in the game down 50-34.
Albany seemingly recovered an onsides kick, but the ball didn’t travel the necessary ten yards, and Worth County got the ball back at their own 35. The Tigers drove down as far as the 14, but then a fumbled handoff gave the Warriors the ball back at their own 12. Albany tried to go for it on their own 20, however, and tried to air it out. But Cline’s pass went too far, and Worth County used the short field to their advantage as Braxton Hightshoe threw a strike to Jackson Runde from 12 yards out with 9:54 left to make it 56-36.
A busted play on a handoff forced Cline to run with it, and he found plenty of daylight to the Tiger 16 on the next series. But on the next play, he overthrew his intended receiver, and Dylan McIntyre picked him off in the end zone. Nate Adwell burst through for a 43 yard run to the Warrior 22, but then Worth County couldn’t add to their lead, and proceeded to give up too many big plays down the stretch to make things interesting.
First of all, Cline threw a swing pass to Mercer out of the backfield, and nobody guarded him as he went for a 48 yard score with five minutes left. That made it 56-40. Then, Worth County tried a flea flicker on third down, but the pass was badly underthrown, and Kaeden Hutchinson returned it all the way to the Tiger 32. Cline then aired it out to Hutchinson for a score, Ethan Mercer ran in the extra points, and all of a sudden, it was still a ballgame at 56-48 with 3:11 left. The blocking broke down for Worth County on its next series, and they went three and out, giving Albany the ball on its own 25 with 2:01 left, still plenty of time left. Once again, they only needed one play to score as Cline aired it out to Kaeden Hutchinson for 55 yards with 1:51 left to make it 56-54. But then Dylan McIntyre and Jackson Runde tackled Cline short of the goal line to deny the game-tying extra points.
But then Albany proceeded to recover the onsides kick at the Tiger 37, and the game continued. An incomplete pass and a draw play went nowhere, and then Dylan McIntyre broke up a pass on third down to set up fourth and 14 at the Warrior 39. It looked like all was lost at that point, as a Tiger defender slipped and fell, and Tryce Floyd was all alone for what would have been the game-winning score. Nobody was within 20 yards of him. But the ensuing pass was thrown way too far, and the Tigers could finally kneel out the clock and claim the win.
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