CHURBUSCO, Ind. (Oct. 9, 2009) — Senior night was played on a soggy field, and both teams had exhausted, muddy warriors who entertained the crowd with a very exciting high school football game.
When it was over, Fairfield had squeaked out another win over Churubusco, this time by a 24-22 count. If Busco had one more play, just one more, it might have been different.
Quarterback Kyle Monk was tackled inbounds with 34.5 seconds left, Busco having driven down to Fairfield’s 34 yard line. By the time the ball was put in play and the team able to line up and spike it to stop the clock, there was just 2.4 seconds left. Monk’s pass to Hunter Nicodemus was complete to the 5 yard line, and that is where the ball game ended, just one play too early in the opinion of most Eagle fans. It was the third time in the game that Busco had driven down to the 5 yard line and not come away with points, and you just knew it was going to bite ‘em in the end.
Churubusco had taken the lead for the first time in the game with just 3:26 to go, Spencer Conrad recovering a fumble in the end zone for the go ahead score. Just for good measure, he caught a 2 point conversion pass from Monk to make the score 22-17. The Eagles had started the drive from their own 46, and one play in particular stood out.
Jordan Hamilton was pushed down the field in a sea of humanity, picking up 15 extra yards after the play was seemingly over. Kyle Mathewson was a man among boys, breaking tackles repeatedly and dishing out numerous headaches to Falcon defenders. It sure looked like it was going to be a happy ending for the guys in black.
It was not to be. A well designed play to #17 Tanner Foust of Fairfield got him alone in the flat with just one defender between him and the end zone, and it gets really hard to make tackles one on one in space. Foust scored his second touchdown of the night, outrunning two other Busco defenders who looked like they might have an angle on him.
Fairfield had started the night by recovering an onside kick and driving down to the Eagle 10 yard line before the defense stiffened and forced a 27 yard field goal. Busco took over and drove into Falcon territory, converting a gutsy 4th down and 3 at midfield, but turned the ball over at the 40 on a lost fumble. A bubble screen on Fairfield’s next play got them in the end zone, and it was 10-0 with 5:30 to go still in the first quarter. At this point, it looked like it might be a long night.
Busco recovered a punt that touched a Fairfield defender at the 27 yard line. They again picked up a first down at the 18 on a 4th and 3, but Fairfield stopped the Eagles on downs inside their 5 yard line. After a punt, the Eagles took over and drove down into Falcon territory, but looked stalled on a 3rd and 10 with 7:34 to go in the second quarter.
If you look in the Busco playbook, there aren’t too many sure things to get you a first down on third and long. Kyle Mathewson is about as good as it gets when you have to have tough yards, and he got 25 on the third down, with the next play slamming into the Falcon end zone to put the Eagles on the scoreboard.
Fairfield immediately answered with a drive of their own, Micah Noble taking the ball in from the 26 to make it 17-6. Again Churubusco drove the field, Mathewson breaking numerous tackles and moving the pile timer after time. This time again, Busco stopped short of the goal line, just inside the 5 of Fairfield and turned the ball over on downs.
Story Brian Graham ~ Photos Tim Michael
