Grizzlies Survive Second Half Scare

With Halloween just barely over, the Grizzly football team took to the gridiron for their first playoff game that ended up being full of its own set of thrills and scares.  For the second time this season Grace made the long bus ride to district two to face a White Pine Conference foe.  This go around the Grizzlies took on the Prairie Pirates.  Due to the states usage of maxpreps rankings to seed teams Prairie earned the right to host this match up due to their number six ranking in the state versus the Grizzlies ranking of number eight.  Despite going in as the lower ranked team most pundits gave the nod to Grace to win this game.  Prairie had the better record but Grace’s schedule was a brutal one this season and they have been battle tested.

Grace started this game on defense.  The Pirates struggled to move the ball against the Grace defense but were helped out by a horse collar penalty.  The penalty helped the Pirates get inside Grace’s thirty yard line before the Grizzly defense made a stand and turned the ball over on downs.  From there, Grace moved slowly down the field with a balanced offense eventually scoring on an eighteen yard run by Braden Kimball.  Gavin Draper followed the touchdown with a quarterback keeper for the two point conversion and the score was 8-0 in favor of the Grizzlies.  On the ensuing kickoff the Pirates return man put the ball on the ground and Grace recovered the fumble.  On the very next play Draper connected with Kimball this time through the air for a thirty-six yard touchdown pass.  Draper once again kept the ball on the two point conversion and Grace jumped out to an early 16-0 lead.  A few plays later and Kimball found himself crossing the goal line once again this time by way of a pick six from forty-nine yards out and the Grace lead went to 22-0.  The first quarter would end with the Pirates on the move and in scoring position inside of the ten yard line.  

As the second period of play began Prairie finally got on the scoreboard although it took them several goal line tries to get in and the lead was cut to 22-8.  The Grace offense sputtered a bit on the next drive and following a gutsy fourth and long call from their own side of the field the Grizzlies turned the ball over on downs.  Prairie now had great field position and would look to cut into the Grizzly lead.  The Grace defense had different plans as they forced a fumble inside the red zone giving the ball back to the offense.  The momentum would not last long however as once again the Grace drive stalled short of midfield and the Grizzlies turned the ball over on downs in their own territory once again.  The Grizzly defense now needed to make a stand and that is just what they did, stopping the Pirate drive inside the twenty and giving the ball back to the offense again.  The offense was finally able to strike on a third and twenty.  Draper found Cooper Andersen this time who took the ball seventy-three yards for another Grizzly score and the lead went to 28-8.  Following that score kicker Bodee Smith executed a perfect onside kick which he recovered himself.  Just two plays later Grace was inside the endzone again this time with a forty eight yard touchdown pass and run from Draper to Bryant Jensen.  The Grizzlies were unable to convert on the two point conversion but held a commanding 34-8 lead that they would take into the locker room at the half.

The wheels would fall off very quickly in the second half.  On their first play from scrimmage the Grizzlies fumbled a handoff exchange that the Pirates covered up quickly.  The Pirates turned that into six points just a handful of plays later and the score was now 34-14.  The next Grizzly drive was hampered by penalties and Grace was forced to punt the ball away.  The Pirates passing game began to click at this point and Prairie was able to drive down and add another score continuing to narrow the Grace lead that was now 34-22 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter disaster would strike again for the Grizzlies when they put the ball on the ground again and Prairie was able to recover and capitalize, cutting what was a large lead to just four points at 34-30.  Following that score the Grizzly offense was finally able to put together another drive after going scoreless in the third.  Chase Smith had a big catch and run that put Grace in scoring position.  From there Trevor Mathew took a handoff for the final eighteen yards for the score and Kimball added the two point conversion putting the lead up to 42-30.  The Pirate passing attack would continue to hurt the Grizzlies in the fourth and Prairie was able to complete a fourth down pass for a touchdown from thirty yards out and once again the lead was down to just four points at 42-38.  On the kickoff Carson Welch temporarily bobbled the ball but was able to gather it in and return it seventy-three yards for a quick Grace touchdown and the lead went back to ten at 48-38 with around six minutes left in the game.  The Grizzly defense made one final stand turning the ball over on downs just outside of the ten yard line.  The Grace offense stepped onto the field needing to just get a couple of first downs to run out the clock.  That is just what the Grizzlies were able to do with some hard running from Mathews behind his senior led line of Carson Welch, Landon Moss and Carson Reeves.  Grace was able to finish the game in victory formation and move on in the playoffs.  

Grace will now need to travel north once again this week.  This time they will head to the Kibbie Dome in Moscow to face off with the Logos Knights.  That game will take place on Friday at 4:30 p.m. pacific time.