| Arrows Fall In Opener To Fairborn |
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| Written by Jim Dabbelt |
| Saturday, 28 August 2010 14:28 |
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When the opening kickoff landed in the hands of Zeke Eier, things looked upbeat as the Tecumseh senior took it back 75 yards for a game opening touchdown. Unfortunately for the Arrows, that was one of the rare highlights on opening night, as the host Arrows lost to Fairborn 15-12, when the Skyhawks scored late for the win.
“It was a great football game for both teams, unfortunately for us, we came out on the wrong end of the score,” said Tecumseh coach Kent Massie. “It was a heck of a game, but we need to find a way to win games like this.” For the Arrows, they struggled offensively all night, but scored midway through the fourth period to take the lead. They watched as the Hawks drove the field in the final minutes for the win.
Eier’s kickoff return gave the Arrows the early lead, as neither team could get an offensive attack going in the opening period.
Tecumseh (0-1) came out defensively and pressured starting Hawks quarterback Kendrick Williams, as Alex Peters had a big sack to force a punt on their opening series. This was the basic tone for the first 12 minutes, as neither team could produce much offense.
As the second period started, Fairborn was driving, pushing the ball inside of Arrows territory. Williams gained a pair of third-down conversions, and later looked at a fourth down and 10 at the Arrows 34 yard line.
Williams floated a long pass down the sidelines to Devon Hamilton, who caught it inside the five yard line. Three plays later, Dillon Bayard scored from a yard out, and with 9:11 left in the half, Fairborn took a 7-6 lead.
The Arrows then picked up the first of two costly penalties, as a long kickoff return by Mike McKee was called back, forcing Tecumseh to begin at their own 32 yard line.
Tecumseh took the ball down to the Hawks 33 yard line, and on a fourth down, McKee was stopped short, turning the ball over on downs.
“We have to eliminate the penalties,” Massie said. “It cost us on that long return. We have to be fundamentally sound.”
After a quiet third period, the Arrows were driving as the fourth quarter started. Tecumseh used first down runs by McKee and Eier to move inside the Hawks’ 30 yard line. It came down again to a fourth-down and short, and again, the Fairborn defense stepped up and stopped McKee short, forcing the ball over on downs again.
With 7:18 left, Fairborn gained a first down, but on their pass attempt in their territory, Codi Frank picked off a pass from Williams, giving the Arrows great field position with 5:33 left.
Staring at a third down at the Hawks 19 yard line, Tony Evans hit Frank with a 19-yard scoring strike, and the Arrows took a 12-7 lead.
The Hawks came back with a 10-play drive, highlighted by a fourth-and-inches run by Billy Jackson which went for 19 yards, setting the Hawks up for the go-ahead score. A pass from Williams to Hamilton found the endzone, with 1:15 left, and the Hawks led 15-12.
Tecumseh stalled at the Hawks 42, as they turned it over. The Hawks ran out the clock.
“Fairborn put together a nice scoring drive, and made the plays they needed to win,” Massie said. “We are a young team, and capable of getting better. We need to fix things as quickly as possible.”
Tecumseh hosts Vandalia-Butler on Friday at 7:30.
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 29 August 2010 14:30 |
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