Eagles comeback falls short in 41-34 loss to Indians

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News
 
Things were not looking good for the Grain Valley football team.
 
It was in a battle with Suburban White Conference Fort Osage Friday on the road.
 
Fort Osage junior running back Nico Burt scored on an 8-yard run to put Fort Osage up 34-13  at the 11:20 mark in the fourth quarter in a home contest against Grain Valley. Up to that point, the Eagles shot themselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties.
 
At that point, the Eagles had a large hole it needed to dig out of. Even with an uphill battle, they didn’t go away quietly.
 
The never-say-die Eagles scored 21 unanswered points and tied it at 34-34 with just 6:08 remaining. All the momentum was on their side.
 
However the Indians and quarterback Jonathan Ross kept their composure and scored the game winning touchdown with 49 seconds left, which ended up being the game winner as Grain Valley fell 41-34.
 
“We couldn’t get out of our own way,” Grain Valley head coach David Allie said. “Penalties got us behind the chains.
 
“We were down two scores going into the second half and some teams would have folded up the tent at that point, not these guys. They came out, stayed together and look what we did. They believe in each other.”
 
The Eagles front seven put pressure on Ross on some occasions, but he consistently used his mobility to extend plays and escape the pressure. That’s exactly what he did on his 20-yard touchdown pass to Burt as he rolled to his right to evade the Grain Valley pass rush and threw a dart to his open running back for the game winner.
 
“He just wouldn’t go down,” Allie said of Ross. “We had him contained and then he would break it. Then that puts pressure on our defensive backs to cover their receivers for a long period of time. We have to figure out how to get quarterbacks on the ground.”
 
After a short kickoff, the Eagles made it to the Fort Osage 28-yard line but had to go back 10 yards after an illegal forward pass penalty was called on backup quarterback Cohen Morris. With 5 seconds left, Morris hit running back Dawson Head on a short pass. The sophomore was tackled around the 20-yard line as Fort Osage sealed the victory.
 
Grain Valley’s comeback was jump started by a 66-yard TD run from Head, who got a pitch to the right and he got the edge along the sideline
 
The Eagles defense did its part by forcing two three-and-outs. Head added to his career night with scoring runs of 4 and 45 to tie the game. On both runs were physical and Head broke multiple tackles on his way to pay dirt.
 
Head had 261 yards and five scores on 22 attempts as he powered the Grain Valley offense.
 
“That was one thing he needed to work on was running through physical contact,” Allie said of Head. “He’s doing that now.”
 
Head began his big day when he broke off a 69-yard run on Grain Valley’s opening drive to go up 7-0. A muffed punt from Grain Valley wide receiver Terrell King resulted in a Fort fumble recovery, which set them up at the Eagles’ 17-yard line. Burt later made it into the end zone on a run from 16 yards out to tie it.
 
For the rest of the first half, the Grain Valley offense sputtered and Fort Osage took advantage. Ross evaded pressure from the Eagles once again as he dodged two tackles, set his feet and hit senior wide receiver Trace Smith for a 24-yard passing score.
 
Grain Valley went for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 39-yard line on the ensuing drive, but senior defensive lineman Maui Sua, who was put into a jumbo package, was stuffed on a run of the middle, which gave the Indians a short field.
 
Late in the half, Grain Valley had Fort Osage in a tough third-and-24 situation, but a pass interference call gave the Indians life. The Indians got a first down on the next play and later, senior linebacker Isaac Ward scored on a 4-yard run on fourth-and-1 to put his team up 21-7, a score that held until halftime.
 
The home team received the opening second half kickoff, but senior defensive back Colin Stratton fumbled and it was recovered by Grain Valley senior Austin Smith at the Fort 31. The Eagles took advantage and Head scored on a 6-yard run a few moments later to pull within 21-13 after place kicker Colton Clyman’s extra point attempt was unblocked.
 
Fort scored the next two touchdowns on a 55-yard pass from Ross to senior Nicholas Penamon as Ross once again escaped multiple sack attempts and Burt scored on the 8-yard run. From there, the Indians staved off Grain Valley’s comeback and hung on for the victory.

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