Football Defeated by Tabor in Final Seconds

Sterling, Kan.-Rivalry games are supposed to be great. They are tough, hard-nosed football games with a lot of intensity and excitement. That is exactly what the Sterling and Tabor football game gave us. Sterling (0-3) looked for their first win, while Tabor (4-1) attempted to keep a hot start going. Both teams had great offensive, defensive and even special teams plays that were out of the norm. In the end, it came down to one yard, and Tabor got it. Tabor's running back, or should I say the offensive line, nudged the pile and nose of the football over the goal line as time expired in a Matt Leinert/USC-type fashion. The score tied the game at 20 and the ensuing PAT gave the Bluejays the 21-20 win.

Things were slow going for the Warriors to start. Penalties and incomplete passes kept Sterling from advancing the ball. Tabor moved the ball well, but the Warrior defense stood its ground causing The Bluejays to attempt a 38-yard field goal that missed. On the next possession, Sterling was stopped and punted the ball on a 3 and out, but a special teams mishap by Tabor gave Sterling the ball right back with much better field position. On the punt, a Tabor player did not run away from the ball when it came down and the Warriors recovered gaining them 38 yards from the previous line of scrimmage. The Warriors weren't able to move the ball forward and were even moved back with a series of sacks. Junior Kicker, Luis Franco, came in to take care of business for Sterling converting the 35-yard field goal, his first of 2 successful attempts on the night.

Tabor ran the rest of the first quarter clock out before kicking to Sterling early in the 2^nd quarter. Three straight 3 and outs followed before freshman punter, Mason Cobb, pinned the Bluejays back at their own 11 yard line. The Tabor offense thrived on this possession moving the ball 89 yards in just under 6 minutes of game time, culminating in a 28-yard strike on fourth down for a touchdown. Neither team was able to get another score before the half. Sterling turned the ball over on downs in Tabor territory, too far for a field goal, and not enough yards to gain with a punt. On Tabor's possession, they had one last shot to score but missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired. At the half, Sterling trailed 7-3.

The first 6 minutes of the second half were primarily spent in the middle of the field. Neither team was able to gain an advantage until Sterling's second possession of the half. Sterling took over on their own 45. Daniel Jackson found Ayden Rodriguez for a 12-yard gain and a first down. 5 more yards came from Tabor's defensive line being offsides. Three consecutive missed passes gave Sterling a 4^th and 5 on the Tabor 38. They were in that part of the field that is almost too deep for a field goal but not so far away that a punt gains you very much ground. Sterling opted to go for it on fourth down. Jackson found TC Smith for a 38-yard touchdown pass. Sterling recaptured the lead and a Franco PAT made it 10-7, Sterling.

Tabor followed with a 3 and out. Sterling gave the ball right back on a Rocklin Baptista interception as he was being taken down on the first play and Tabor ran out the clock on the third quarter. The Bluejays punted to start the fourth quarter but regained possession as the ball bounced off of a Warrior player, very similar to how the Warriors maintained possession in the first half. Two plays later, Tabor was back in the endzone and took the lead back, 14-10.

There was still plenty of time left and Sterling put a 5-minute drive together and moved the ball down the field effectively. Daniel Doriscar had his best possession of the night with a 15 and 19 yard rushing play on the drive. The Warrior possession stalled out and they called on the leg of Franco once again. This time for a 39-yard field goal. Franco pushed the ball through the uprights like it was nothing. He would have been good from 50 or better on the kick. Sterling was down just a point, 14-13, with over 8 minutes left in the game.

Tabor got a first down but quickly punted away after that. Sterling started on their own 16 on the next possession and quickly moved the ball down the field. Coach Darren Jackson would have been content to slowly move the ball down the field and let Franco finish it off, but the offense decided otherwise. Daniel Jackson quickly found Kenneth Arroyos for a 32-yard gain on the first play. A few plays later it was fourth down again and Jackson took care of things with his legs. Needing six yards, Jackson got seven to reset the downs. Doriscar rushed for another 5 yards on first down. On second down, Jackson scrambled and found veteran receiver, Myreik Goodwin-Lagree, behind the defense and placed the ball in his lap for the 36-yard score. It was the first career touchdown at Smisor Stadium for Goodwin-Lagree. Franco complete the extra point and just like that it was Sterling with the lead once again, 20-14, with 2:45 left in the game.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, all the pieces fell in place for Tabor. They steadily moved the ball down the field, picking up small chunks of yardage at a time. The big play happened with about 40 seconds left in the game. Tabor found a receiver streaking down the sideline in front of their bench, bobbled the one-handed catch, and brought it in while falling out of bounds. The completing gained 30 yards and put Tabor on their own 10 and it was first and goal. First down was an incompletion. There was a delay of game on Tabor before second down making it second and goal at the 15. Second down was a completed pass on the near sideline at the one with the tackle pushing the receiver out of bounds as he stretched to get the ball into the endzone. The tackle was considered in bounds so the clock continued to run so the Bluejays got to the line of scrimmage and spiked the ball with just over 3 seconds left in the game. Tabor had the ball at the 1-yard line with 3 seconds left and it was 4^th down. A Sterling stop would give the Warriors their first win of the season and a Tabor score would tie it up with a chance to win on the PAT. Tabor handed the ball off and the pile was stood up at the line by the strong Warrior front line. As time moved on, more offensive players got behind the running back to push the scrum and gain extra yardage. When the whistle was blown, Tabor had nudged the ball over the goal line and it was a tie game with no time left. Tabor completed the extra point and snuck out of Sterling with a hard fought 21-20 win.

Rivalry games are supposed to be close. They are supposed to be memorable. They are filled with emotion. And this one was everything a rivalry game is supposed to be.

Daniel Jackson ended the day 10-21 for 149 yards and 2 TD's. Rocklin Baptista was 3-9 for 21 yards with an INT. Daniel Doriscar led Sterling with 63 yards on 11 carries good enough for a 5.7 yards per carry. His longest run of the day was 19 yards. David Timmons caught 3 passes and four Warriors caught 2 each. TC Smith scored on a 38 yard TD and Myreik Goodwin-Lagree scored on a 36 yard strike.

Special Teams made an impact for the Warriors. Luis Franco was 2-2 on extra points and 2-2 on field goals (35,39). Mason Cobb punted the ball well for the Warriors averaging 43 yards on 4 punts, including a 67 yard punt. The Special Teams unit also had a key takeaway on a botched punt return. The leading tacklers for Sterling were Clinton Reese Jr. and Hunter Pullen with 8 total tackles.

Sterling plays again next Saturday in Kansas City when they travel to Avila University. The gametime is scheduled for 1 pm and it will be surrounded by the Avila University homecoming activities.

Be sure to check for news and updates on Sterling Warrior Athletics on Facebook (/SCWarriors), Twitter (@SterlingCSports), and Instagram (sterlingcsports), as well as the hashtag #SwordsUp. Watch the Warriors' live home events on the Sterling College Sports Network.