Staff writer
On a rainy Tuesday night, PBHS football lost 42-26 at home in a bi-district matchup against Clifton-Clyde. The team ended the season 8-2 overall.
A winding low kick was returned by Kiefer Larsen to the Warrior 23. Fred Winsor gained three on first down. A second-down Braxton Kyle pitch to Winsor ended in a 50-yard score down the right sideline. The conversion pass was incomplete, but PBHS took the 6-0 lead just seconds into the competition.
The ensuing Enrique Palazon kickoff rolled into the end zone. A touchback put the Eagle offense at their own 15-yard line.
Kevin Baatrup tackled the runner after an 8-yard gain. Larsen stopped the second down run with a gain of 1. A false start pushed Clifton-Clyde back to the 19. Larsen got the tackle on third down for no gain. An Eagle fourth-down punt was not returned and set PBHS up at its own 30-yard line.
On first down Winsor was tackled for a loss. An incomplete second-down pass was followed by a false start penalty. On third-and-22, Kyle was intercepted.
Winsor and Baatrup teamed up for tackles, but the Eagles set up first-and-goal at the 10. Two downs later, Clifton-Clyde tied the ball game at 6. The conversion pass failed. With 5 minutes, 42 seconds left in the first, the score was even at 6-6.
Philpott returned the kickoff to midfield. Winsor gained 13 on two runs to earn a new set of downs at the Eagle 29. Winsor gained five on first down, but was stopped for no gain on second. Kyle had a one-yard gain on third down to set up fourth-and-4 at the Clifton-Clyde 23.
Baatrup snagged a Kyle pass on a crossing pattern to continue the drive and set up first-and-goal at the Eagle 9-yard line. On fourth down, Winsor got the ball almost to the goal line. Kyle finished the drive with a second-down sneak up the middle. The conversion run was stopped, but the Warriors took the 12-6 lead with 2:29 left in the first quarter.
An offsides penalty on the PBHS kickoff resulted in a re-kick. The second kick was returned for a score.
The conversion run resulted in 2 points. Clifton-Clyde took the 14-12 lead with 2:17 on the clock.
Larsen fielded the kickoff, and the Warrior offense began at the PBHS 28. A fumble on first down resulted in a one-yard loss. Kyle ran a second-down keeper that earned extra yards due to a Clifton-Clyde facemask penalty.
Kyle Seeney gained two yards on the first-down run from the Eagle 31. Baatrup caught a third-down Kyle pass, but gained only six yards to set up fourth-and-3 at the Clifton-Clyde 23-yard line. A Kyle keeper added six and set up first-and-10 at the 17. Winsor gained two yards on the first 2 downs, and Kyle found Philpott in the right side of the end zone for a score. The conversion pass was dropped. The Warriors regained the lead 18-14 early in the second period.
Xavier Jabary kicked off and also made the tackle of the return man at the Eagle 33. Colton Terronez, Jabary, and Winsor made plays on the first three downs. Winsor intercepted the ball on the fourth play of the series, but a PBHS holding penalty kept the Clifton-Clyde offense on the field. The Eagles finished the drive on a third-and-4 score form the 5-yard line. They added two on the conversion pass. PBHS trailed 22-18 with 6:59 left in the second quarter.
The Eagles scored again one series later on a 43-yard drive. The conversion pass fell incomplete, but the Warriors were down 28-18 with 2:28 left in the quarter.
A touchback set up the Warrior offense at its own 15. PBHS had no gain on the first two downs. Baatrup caught the third-down pass for a gain of 16. A first-down offsides penalty set up first-and-5 at the Warrior 36. A Baatrup catch moved the ball to the Clifton-Clyde 39. Another Baatrup catch set up first-and-goal at the Eagle 10. Winsor finished the drive through the middle of the defense for the touchdown. A reverse to Philpott added the conversion. PBHS went in at halftime trailing by two, 28-26.
Despite stops by Larsen, Philpott, Jabary, Kyle, Winsor, Seeney and Kaden Gibson, Clifton-Clyde scored on the first drive of the second half. They also added a conversion pass. PBHS trailed 36-26 with 8:08 left in the third.
One series later, the Eagles added the final score of the ball game, going up 42-26 with 4:02 left in the third quarter.
Kyle was 11-for-25 in the passing game for 124 yards. He ran for a 1-yard score. Winsor rushed 16 times for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also caught a 4-yard pass. Philpott caught 3 passes for 21 yards and a score. He also ran twice for 6 yards. Newman caught 2 passes for 37 yards. Baatrup snagged 5 passes for 72 yards.
Jabary led the defense with 13 tackles. Winsor followed with 9. Seeney and Philpott each earned 8. Kyle added 6 and Larsen and Baatrup each had 5. Gibson recorded 4. Terronez had 3. Newman and Reynolds each added 1.