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KINNIKINNICK — So close, yet so far.
That all but describes the ending to Zane Trace’s down-to-the wire matchup with Purcell Marian on Friday night.
The Pioneers fell into a 21-0 hole in the first half. But they wouldn’t back down, rallying all the way back to take a 28-27 lead in the game’s final minutes. However, Purcell Marian would spoil the comeback. Tyler Rude’s game-winning field goal as time expired lifted the Cavaliers into Week 13 with a 30-28 victory.
CREDIT: Marissa Spradlin/SOSA
What a win for Purcell Marian. What a heartbreak for Zane Trace.
“I’m really proud of the way we fought back,” Zane Trace coach Dylan Wears said. “It does not diminish the hurt that I have going for our seniors that we’re hoping to play another week. We were so close to getting it done.”
The majority of the first half was all Cavaliers.
After forcing a Zane Trace three-and-out, Purcell Marian (10-2) marched right down the field and capped off the scoring drive with a 12-yard touchdown carry from quarterback Sonny Ward at the 8:33 mark in the frame. Another three-and-out came from the Pioneers, and Ward showed off his legs once more, dashing straight to the end zone from 54 yards out to put the Cavaliers out to an early 14-0 lead — one they took into the second quarter.
The second quarter started no different as Purcell Marian moved the ball straight into the red zone and faced a 4th and 2 from the Pioneers’ nine-yard line. From there, Jayel Harris got the carry and finished off the drive with a touchdown to put the Cavaliers up 21-0 with 9:02 remaining in the half.
“We just weren’t playing hard enough defensively,” Wears said. “We weren’t playing physical enough and we weren’t playing with fundamentals. We told the guys that unless they wanted to be on the couch on Monday, that’s what they needed to fix.”
Zane Trace (8-4) wasn’t ready to roll over just yet.
With 1:50 left until halftime, the Pioneers got the ball back and the offense finally began to click. Using a heavy dosage of Blake Phillips in the wildcat, ZT marched straight into the red zone, where Phillips would roll out and find Aaden Dunn over the middle for a score with 25 seconds left, cutting the deficit to 21-7 heading to the break.
That was exactly what the Pioneers needed to climb back into the game.
Zane Trace came out in the second half looking like a completely different team, and it was Gunnar McCullough leading the charge. On defense, McCullough intercepted a Cavalier pass in the end zone with 9:40 left in the third.
“We made no adjustments at all. The defense stayed the same the entire game,” Wears said. “The guys got it figured out at halftime.”
From there, McCullough led the Pioneers into enemy territory, hitting Aaden Dunn on a screen pass, who went 35 yards the rest of the way and cut the deficit to 21-14 at the 3:33 mark.
After taking a couple of blows, however, Purcell Marian had an answer.
The Cavs found themselves in the red zone once more, and Jayel Harris capitalized by finding pay dirt for an eight yard touchdown rush — his second of the game. A failed two-point conversion would keep Purcell’s lead at 27-14, one the Cavaliers carried into the final quarter.
With its season on the line, Zane Trace was in need of an answer.
The Pioneers found one in the form of Blake Phillips.
After getting the ball back with 10:24 left in the game, ZT advanced the ball into the red zone and all the way down to Purcell Marian’s three-yard line, where Phillips found the end zone on the ground for the first time, shortening the lead to 27-21 with just over six minutes remaining.
Zane Trace’s defense needed to return the favor, and they did just that, recovering a Purcell Marian fumble at the Cavaliers’ 39-yard line. When the offense took over, Riley Hartsaugh set his team up in perfect position, taking a carry all the way to the three-yard line. After that, Phillips punched it in again to give the Pioneers a 28-27 lead with 1:55 to go.
But that was 1:55 too much.
Purcell Marian had one final possession and wasted no time marching down the field. Using as much time as possible, the Cavaliers drove all the way to Zane Trace’s 11-yard line and burned its final timeout with three seconds left on the clock.
Senior kicker Tyler Rude trotted out to attempt a 29-yard field goal from the right hash. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, he buried the attempt as time expired, sending Purcell Marian to Week 13 with a 30-28 victory.
After a heartbreaking loss, Zane Trace finishes the 2023 season with an 8-4 record in Dylan Wears’ first season at the helm.
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” Wears said to his team. “I’m proud of these guys and I love them, and I thank the seniors for the time and effort they’ve given to the program.”
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