Garden County rallies late to top Potter-Dix

Potter-Dix gave unbeaten Garden County all it could handle for more than three quarters. But in the end, the visiting Eagles scored the final 16 points of the game to spoil the Coyotes' homecoming with a 32-26 victory on Friday.

"I feel great about the way we played," Potter-Dix coach Dale Frerichs said. "We had a few breakdowns here and there that gave them some points, but I think everybody outside Potter and the media and everybody expected us to lose by 30 points tonight. We didn't do that. Our kids fought hard and we just came up a little bit short."

The Eagles (6-0 overall, 3-0 district) entered the game averaging 58.8 points offensively through their first five games of the season. The only game Garden County did not score more than 30 points was a 30-27 win against Maxwell on Sept. 12.

The Coyotes (3-3, 2-1) took the initial lead after Jake Johnson forced a Garden County fumble, which was recovered by Sam Gingerich. That gave Potter-Dix the ball at the Garden County 23-yard line. After a loss on the first play and a gain of a yard by Noah Nelson on the second play, Johnson took the handoff from quarterback Cameron Purcell and then pitched it to Nelson, who ran down the sideline for the Coyotes' first touchdown of the game. Purcell found Johnson on the two-point conversion as Potter-Dix took an 8-0 lead with 7:44 left in the first quarter.

The teams each had three possessions to end the first quarter, but neither team crossed the goal line. Nelson picked off a Garden County pass three plays into the second quarter, but Potter-Dix was forced to punt on the following drive. The Coyotes continued their defensive prowess on the Eagles' next drive. Garden County drove to the Potter-Dix 15-yard line, but was then thrown for a loss of two yards on each of the next two plays. On a fourth and 13 play from the 18-yard line, Cooper Hicks pressured Eagle quarterback Mason Zorn as the pass sailed incomplete to stop the scoring threat.

Garden County got on the scoreboard on its next drive to tie the game. The Eagles moved 45 yards on seven plays, scoring on a 3-yard Matt McCarthy run to get on the score board. Zorn found Dustin Bleit for the 2-point conversion to knot the game at 8-all with 2:27 left until halftime.

The game was not tied long. Potter-Dix responded on its next drive to retake the lead. On the first series of the drive Purcell kept the chains going as he scampered 20 yards down the sideline on a third down and eight play. The Coyotes converted another big third down play as Purcell tossed a 21-yard pass to Kelsey Rozelle on third and 11 from the Eagles' 36-yardline. After a false start penalty, Purcell tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Coby Hicks on a screen play as the Coyotes retook the lead. The Eagles stopped Johnson on the 2-point conversion run as the Coyotes held a 14-8 advantage with 27.6 seconds left in the half. They held the same lead at the break.

Despite a 14-8 halftime lead, the Coyotes had several other opportunities thanks to turnovers by the Eagles. Three of Garden County's seven drives in the first half ended in turnovers. Potter-Dix scored just one touchdown off those turnovers.

"Anytime you can force turnovers, whether it's a mistake by them or a good play by your defense, you want to take advantage of it," Frerichs said. "But that's the way the game goes. You've just got to keep fighting and keep fighting and that's what we did. You've got to be proud of our guys for not giving up. It could've been real easy to roll over."

Garden County took its first lead of the game on its second drive of the third quarter. The Eagles used a seven-play, 45-yard drive to surge ahead, ending on a 3-yard McCarthy run to tie the game. The 2-point conversion was successful as the visiting team held a 16-14 lead with 5:58 left in the third quarter.

The Coyotes surged back quickly. Purcell connected with Cooper Hicks for a 48-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the ensuing drive as Potter-Dix retook the lead. The 2-point play was not successful, and the Coyotes held a 20-16 advantage with 4:57 left in the third quarter.

Garden County drove to the Potter-Dix 34-yard line on its next drive, but the Coyote defense held firm and the home team took over on downs. Potter-Dix responded with an 8-play drive to extend its lead. On fourth and five at midfield, Purcell ran around the right side for six yards to keep the drive alive on the fourth down play. He followed that up with a bootleg of 13 yards, and later ran for 12 yards to the Garden County 12-yard line. Purcell scored on a 12-yard run on the next play to extend the Coyotes' lead. The two-point conversion pass was incomplete, and Potter-Dix led 26-16 with 8:47 left in the game.

The Eagles quickly answered that score. Zorn connected with McCarthy on a 63-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the ensuing Garden County drive to cut into the Potter-Dix lead. Elliot Epp ran in the 2-point conversion to make it a 26-24 game with 7:57 remaining.

The Coyotes gained just two yards on their next drive and were forced to punt. After getting the ball back at its own 10-yard line, Garden County wasted no time in taking the lead. Zorn tossed a 39-yard pass to Dustin Bleidt on the second play of the drive to move to the Potter-Dix 30-yard line. Two plays later, McCarthy scored on a 26-yard run to give the Eagles the lead. Zorn found Bleidt on the 2-point conversion pass to give Garden County a 32-26 advantage with 4:15 left in the game.

Potter-Dix turned the ball over on downs after four plays on its next drive, and Garden County took over with 3:07 left in the game. The Eagles ran out the clock as they held on for the win.

The Coyotes are back in action Friday with a 6:30 p.m. contest at South Platte (1-5, 0-3).

"We're a good football team," Frerichs said. "We've got some good wins on the year, but, you know, that's probably one of the best teams we've played this year and we hung with them. We're a good football team. We'll ice up the boo-boos and watch film for South Platte next week and go get them."

Score by quarter

Garden 0 8 8 16 - 32

P-D 8 6 6 6 - 26