It was a last minute touchdown that knocked the breath out of the Luther Lions. The team traveled across the state to Alva for a district game that the crowd and teams will not soon forget whether it was the great plays, Tyler Becker back on the field, the refereeing or the sunset on the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Ranger field where the teams played. The Lions fought until the very last second but a last-minute touchdown from the Goldbugs swiped the Lion victory away. It was a 41-36 loss.
The Lions started the first quarter on top, getting a 68-yard touchdown pass from receiver Cole Mills in the first two minutes. Receiver Coleman Stastny had a 15-yard pass before the touchdown to get the Lions to Goldbugs territory. After the touchdown, the Goldbugs followed with a touchdown and extra point. To answer back, Drew Scheer had a big kickoff return and the Lions scored again. On the drive to the touchdown, Tyler Becker, who just returned from a leg injury, had a 36 pass, followed by a nine yard run from Braden Browning.
Quarterback Peyton Wilson ran two keepers to get first downs, and then Becker made another catch to get the touchdown. On defense, right before the quarter ended, Browning made an interception in the Goldbugs’ endzone for a touchback.
The first play of the quarter Stastny had a 20 yard run, but the rest of the quarter was uneventful for the Lions offense. On defense however, the Lions kept the Goldbugs from scoring. Gerald McCauley had a tackle for loss. He and Becker blocked a pass from being caught, but Becker was going for an interception and ran into McCauley. They both stumbled off the field for a play and went back out to finish the half.
The third quarter was rough but ended well. Stastny ran a long touchdown, but a controversial block-in-the-back penalty brought the ball back, and Scheer fumbled the ball soon after, which the Goldbugs recovered. DJ Scott sacked the quarterback, but on the next play the Goldbugs scored and got the extra point. The Goldbugs scored two more times after that, one resulted from an interception. Becker had another big pass run, 41 yards, for a Lion touchdown to end the third quarter.
Going into the fourth quarter, the score was 27-20 with the Goldbugs in the lead. QB Wilson pitched to Stastny, who ran in a Lions touchdown, and the two point conversion as well, to put the Lions in the lead with 28 points.Then Stastny caught a pass for a 41-yard touchdown to put the Lions at 36, while the Goldbugs trailed behind with 27. That touchdown was scored with three minutes left in the game.
The Lions tried an onside kick, but the Goldbugs recovered it and they ran in a touchdown during that possession to bring the score to 36-34 with the Lions still with a narrow lead.
Then, the Goldbugs tried an onside kick, and they recovered it.
With 26 seconds left in the game, the Goldbugs scored and got the extra point, to take a 41-36 lead.
The Lions tried some trick plays to get one last touchdown, but time ran out.
The Lions lost 41-36.
They will play Perry Friday, October 19, at home at 7 p.m.
