Staff writer
The Peabody-Burns High School football season ended Oct. 30 in Mankato with a bi-district loss to Rock Hills, 72-26. The squad finished the season at 6-4.
The first three PBHS offensive drives ended in interceptions but the Grizzlies only led PBHS 6-0 with 2 minutes left in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, a Rock Hills’ punt resulted in a touchback. The Warriors’ offense had the ball at their own 15-yard line.
Hunter Pickens pitched the ball left to Braxton Kyle for a first-down gain of 3 yards. Kyle followed with a second-down reception to move the ball to the Warriors’ 29-yard line. After an incomplete first-down pass, Pickens ran a quarterback keeper to gain 6 yards. Kyle ran up the middle on third down and set up first-and-10 at midfield. Pickens gained 3 yards on a run. Seth Topham caught a second-down pass to move the sticks to the Grizzlies’ 25-yard line. Two keepers by Pickens set up first-and-10 at the Rock Hills 12-yard line. Pickens finished the drive with a run up the middle for a touchdown. The conversion pass fell incomplete but PBHS tied the contest 6-6 with 8:02 left in the second quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Kiefer Larsen stopped the return man at the Grizzlies’ 9-yard line. Despite tackles by Xavier Jabary, Kiefer Larsen, Pickens, Kyle, Colton Terronez, Lucas Larsen, and Tommy Morris, the Rock hills 4-minute drive ended with a touchdown. Morris intercepted the PAT. With 4:36 left in the quarter, PBHS trailed 12-6.
A net gain of 2 yards forced a Kyle punt on the next drive. With no punt return, Rock Hills set up at their own 23-yard line.
Two plays later, a Grizzlies’ run that skirted the left side of the field added 6 points. The conversion run was successful. Rock Hills led 20-6 with 3 minutes remaining in the half.
With 1:46 on the clock, Rock Hills added 6 more on a 50-yard pass play. The Grizzlies went up 26-6.
The Rock Hills kickoff sailed into the end zone. The Warriors’ offense began their next scoring drive at their own 15. Kyle caught a first down Pickens pass to move the ball to the PBHS 26. Morris caught the next pass to get the Warriors another first down in Rock Hills’ territory. Pickens gained 5 yards on a first-down keeper. Kyle had back-to-back receptions to set up first-and-goal at the Grizzlies’ 10-yard line. After a first-down pass fell incomplete, Pickens connected with Morris in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. Pickens ran the two-point conversion. With 47 seconds left in the second period, PBHS trailed 26-14.
Topham and Brooks Hodges downed the return man on the kickoff at the Rock Hills 10-yard line. On first down, a big Grizzlies’ gain set up first-and-10 at the Warrior 22. Four downs later, with 1 second left on the clock, Rock Hills added six points on a first-and-goal from the 15. The two-point conversion was successful. The Grizzlies had the 34-14 lead at the half.
The first two scores in the third went to Rock Hills. The Grizzlies led 46-14 with 7:06 left in the period.
PBHS followed with a 65-yard drive that included pass receptions from Kyle, Topham, and Gard. On first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Kyle scored a rushing touchdown. The conversion failed and PBHS trailed, 46-20.
Rock Hills added three more scores in the third quarter. The Grizzlies were up 66-26 going into the fourth quarter.
All of the scoring in the fourth quarter went to the Grizzlies. With 7:35 left in the quarter, Rock Hills added the second of two final period touchdowns. The contest was stopped due to the 45-point rule. PBHS was defeated 72-26.