A flag fest featured a frenzied finish. Dustin Flowers provided two big plays in the frenetic final four minutes to spark Rising Sun to a 34-27 triumph over visiting Bohemia Manor in a penalty-plagued contest Friday night. The Eagles rallied back from a 19-7 deficit to tie the game with two fourth quarter scores including a 29-yard TD pass from halfback Tyler Kelley to Damian Zimmers with 4:14 remaining in regulation.
Bo Manor missed the go-ahead conversion attempt when an errant snap could not be handled and a pass into the end zone was incomplete. Rising Sun took over on its 25-yard line with 4:04 to play. After a four-yard pass play, Flowers scampered 56 yards down to the Eagles' 15. The game-changing play came on a "speed left" play call, a jet sweep which is one of the staples of a Wing-T offense. "I got the ball, and it's designed to go to the outside, but I just saw this opening that my line opened up for me," said Flowers. "All props to the line (Nate Husfelt, Joey Husfelt, Sean McDaniel, Devlin Foster, and John Falker). I saw it and I just took off with it." Noah Boyd gained 10 yards on the next play. An offsides penalty pushed it down to the 2 where Boyd scored to put Rising Sun back in front. Boyd tacked on a two-point conversion and the Tigers led 27-19 with 2:13 left. Starting from its own 30, Bohemia Manor advanced into Tiger territory on a 21-yard gain by James Baglio on a draw. On the next play, the Eagles completed a short pass in the left flat. Boyd grabbed the ballcarrier around the ankles and Jaelon Jones came up and jarred the ball loose. The ball bounced toward the sideline and Flowers scooped it off the grass and sped untouched down the sideline for a 55-yard touchdown. "It was being at the right place at the right time," Flowers said. "I don't know who made the play, Cole Stafford or one of the safeties or linebackers, they knocked the ball free and it just rolled right into my lap, so I just picked it up and ran. All Glory to God. He put me in that position. I'm just grateful." Rising Sun held a 34-19 edge with 1:35 to go. Game over? Not quite. Josh Blackston returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to give the Eagles a glimmer of hope. After a Tiger penalty, Baglio added a two-point conversion to narrow the gap to 34-27 with 1:21 remaining. The teams combined to score 23 points in a 52-second span and a total of 29 points in 2 minutes, 53 seconds. Rising Sun sealed it when Dakota Douglas pounced on an onside kick and Boyd carried three straight times for a clinching first down. Boyd finished with 56 yards on 15 carries while Flowers rushed 13 times for 136 yards. "Physical. Nailbiter. Back and forth. Hard-hitting,' Flowers described the game. "Bo Manor is a great team. They came out, they punched us right in the mouth. I'm not going to lie. But this team's strong. It's a new team. We just kept playing. We had each other's back. We came out with a victory." Rising Sun struck first by taking the opening kickoff and marching 69 yards on 16 plays, capped by Boyd's six-yard run. The Tigers converted two fourth downs along the way. Bohemia Manor countered quickly. Baglio gained 55 yards on 2nd and 15 then scored from seven yards out three plays later to level the score at 7-7. Rising Sun regained the lead on a one-yard sneak by quarterback Eric Williams 4:22 before halftime. The PAT was missed leaving the Tigers with a 13-7 edge. The middle of the game was riddled by sloppy play and unnecessary penalties, including numerous personal fouls on both teams. "It was very exciting," Rising Sun coach Clem Vaughan said of the fourth quarter. "But I'm disappointed in the way we acted and the way we handled ourselves. That's really where I'm at. Actually, I'm rather embarrassed. The kids know that. The penalties can be avoided that we had. That's not me. That's not how I coach. That's not how we act…I can't sit here and celebrate this win. We won. We're 2-2. Haven't done that in a long time." Said Flowers: "We really just started beating ourselves. Stupid flags after the play is over. Bullcrap like talking smack. We've just got to learn to get back to the huddle. Our coaches were telling us all week. All week, they said just said, 'Get back to the huddle. Don't talk trash. It's a rivalry game.' It's not like they're dirty or anything, it was just back and forth." Rising Sun lengthened its lead to 19-7 on Cole Stafford's 17-yard TD jaunt with 3:41 left third quarter Bohemia Manor did not go quietly. Quarterback Jake Harris scored on a fourth down one-yard plunge on the play of the fourth quarter, but the Eagles missed the PAT and trailed 19-13. After the Eagles had battled back to forge a 19-19 deadlock, Rising Sun displayed the poise Vaughan wished they had exhibited earlier. "It's in them," the coach said. "They definitely have it in them. It's just letting things get to them. They did a nice job. We executed as well as we could. Give Bo credit. I knew it was going to be tough and physical...We squeaked one out." The Tigers squeaked one out in large part because of the clutch plays by Flowers. "He's a really good kid," Vaughan said of Flowers. "He works hard. He was in the right spot at the right time (on the last touchdown). Finally got a sweep of that left side he hit for a long run. That fumble scoop and score was fantastic. Difference in the game. He did a great job. He's a good kid." The Tigers improved to 2-2 after winning one game all of last season The difference this season? "Confidence," Flowers said. "We're a stronger together. We talk about being one huge chain link. It can be a hundred-yard chain link but [if] that second chain link goes down, the chain is useless. We're strong. We fight together and we don't give up at all. This team has no quit in it." Comments are closed.
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