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Home > Archive > Oct 19, 2006

Flyers Take a Bad Landing against Pine View
By Doug Radunich
Staff Writer
Last week’s much-anticipated varsity football game at Dixie High took an unexpected turn near the end when the Pine View Panthers beat the Dixie Flyers 20-14.

What looked like a victory for Dixie near the last few minutes of the game ended up in a surprising turn of events, thanks to Pine View’s strong defense.

For the first quarter of the game, it was impossible to tell who would leave the field with the win. A close call touchdown from Pine View at around a minute left in the quarter left the first quarter scoreless.

Points finally got on the board once the second quarter started, and Pine View’s Trevor Orr scored the first touchdown of the game, followed by a field goal kick by Michael Stephenson. Twelve seconds later, Dixie’s Tanner Aplanalp made a 26 yard return and a close run for a touchdown, but was tackled out of bounds. During most of the second quarter, both teams handled the ball, but the defense kept other touchdowns from adding to the score. besides Pine View’s opener. The quarter ended 7-0 with Pine View in the lead.

In the third quarter, Pine View’s Robert Evans brought the ball in to the endzone at a little under 8 minutes left in the quarter, and Mike Stephenson got the field goal kick for a score of 14-0. Dixie got their chance to shine when at three minutes left in the quarter, Tyler Hukill got their first touchdown, followed by a field goal. But Pine View’s Jarron Udy followed with touchdown, bringing the score to 20-7.

Dixie fought back for the rest of the quarter, with Dixie’s Nate Carter bringing the ball closer and closer to the goal, starting from the 36 yard line to the 29 and eventually the 23. At 33 seconds left in the quarter, the ball was on the 23 yardline, and this looked like a surefire opportunity for a touchdown for Dixie,

Right as the clock hit zero, Nate Carter crossed the goal line for a touchdown. A field goal followed, and the score was now 20-14.

At the start of the fourth quarter, it was starting to look like anybody’s game again. At around seven minutes, Jarron Udy and Panthers offense tried for touchdowns while right by the goal line, but Dixie’s defense just wouldn’t give in. It didn’t look like the Panthers were going to achieve a touchdown, and just as suspected, they didn’t. Once again, it became Dixie’s ball and no touchdown was scored by Pine View.

There were five and a half minutes left in the game, and there was a feeling in the air that this would be Dixie’s game. Once Pine View got the ball again, the Dixie Flyers turned into tackling madmen, and by the last three minutes, they were dogpiling Pine View and crushing every chance the Panthers had at another touchdown. Their hard defense paid off when at two and a half minutes, the ball became Dixie’s again without a touchdown scored by Pine View.

With two minutes left in the game, the tension was electric, and the score was 20-14, with Pine View in the lead. However, the ball was still in Dixie’s possession and all they would need was one touchdown and one field goal to win the game. Judging by the way they had been dodging and ramming through Pine View’s defense, it seemed Dixie could easily get a touchdown. As Dixie kept getting closer to their end of the field, it started look more and more like curtains for Pine View.

However, at around 35 seconds left, a five yard penalty against Dixie started a chain of bad luck for the Flyers.

Ruthless defense plays from Pine View and several incomplete passes kept hindering Dixie’s push toward the goaline, and the game ended 20-14, with the Panthers taking the win.

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