Sports
Logan Elm Wins in Final Second Hail Mary
By: Blake Baker
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A thrilling final two minutes from Logan Elm was just enough to edge a strong second half from Zane Trace as the Braves topped the Pioneers 26-24.
Trailing 24-14 with 2:42 to play, Logan Elm quarterback Logan Holbert found Jakob Sheumaker across the middle for a 36-yard touchdown, cutting Zane Trace’s lead to four after a missed extra point. Forcing a three-and-out and putting together a short drive gave the Braves a final shot at the end zone with 10 seconds to play. Rolling to his left and just outrunning Zane Trace’s Austin Harris, Holbert launched a 27-yard bomb, finding Terry Willison for the game winning score.
The touchdown pass was Holbert’s fourth score of the game. A 73-yard carry in the first quarter put the Braves on the board, and he beat all Pioneer defenders to the corner of the end zone after nabbing an improvised jump pass from running back Nick Vagnier to pull within three points in the middle of the final quarter. Holbert finished the night with 385 all purpose yards and four touchdowns.
Aside from three turnovers, Harris also put together an impressive stat line from the quarterback position, racking up 191 all purpose yards. He was responsible for all of Zane Trace’s touchdowns, including two rushing scores and an 85-yard kickoff return in the fourth.
Harris put together impressive drives in the second half, once marching his offense 81 yards on four of his own rushes and a pass to Drew Rittenhouse. These drives jolted the Pioneer offense and put them ahead for most of the second half.
Zane Trace struggled most of the game to find an offensive spark that wasn’t named Austin Harris. Running back Etheridge Games had a negative rushing total until a 35-yard scamper in the fourth, but still only finished with 33 yards on the ground. Rittenhouse led the Pioneer receivers with three catches for 51 yards.
Special teams proved to be imperative as field position became a deciding factor on several drives. Darby Pillow booted three punts over 60 yards, pinning the Braves deep in their own end. For Logan Elm, Sheumaker returned three kickoffs over 40 yards, and solid field position set the Braves up for necessary scoring drives.
Along with turnovers, penalties plagued Zane Trace all night, cutting short multiple drives and even calling back two Pioneer interceptions.
The Pioneers look to reverse their luck when they travel to Waverly next Friday. Logan Elm guns for a 2-0 record when it takes on Westfall at home.