Only one of our three area high school football teams won its game last Friday night. If we’re talking about the big picture, not just this season, I’d say it was the team that most needed it.
For the first time since they started high school, Strawberry Crest students got to see the Chargers win at home in the regular season. I said before the season I was hoping to be there for this losing streak to end, so I’m really glad I went to Dover last week.
Crest’s defense played well throughout the game, holding the Longhorns to 54 passing and 82 rushing yards. Most importantly, the Chargers kept running back Corey Freeman in check, holding him to 63 yards one week after the junior tore up Gaither’s defense for nearly 200.
I thought Crest running back Zane Tapper did a good job with a hefty workload. He didn’t score Crest’s touchdown but came about as close as you can get — he punched one in from three yards out following a nice drive, but it was wiped out by an offensive holding call. Jarrett Rappe threw his first touchdown pass of October, a ball floated into the left side of the end zone and hauled in with a great effort by Jamar Hart. It was clearly a confidence-booster for both players, who continued to play well down the stretch.
My favorite moment of the game had nothing to do with any offensive or defensive play, though. I’d never seen an animal invade the gridiron in a high school game until that night when a southeastern pocket gopher somehow found its way into Crest’s defensive backfield. It was amusing to watch the secondary’s players jumping around the gopher and freaking out as it scampered through the grass, then Kagan Lioy calmly walks over and scoops it up like it wasn’t his first rodeo.
I had no idea what a southeastern pocket gopher was until coach Ron Hawn showed me his Google research. Seeing its long tail, I figured it was a weird-looking rat. I wish today’s teens were familiar with Caddyshack.
Maybe the gopher was a good-luck charm for Crest. Not long after Lioy set it free in a patch of grass past the home bleachers, Lennard attempted what would have been the game-tying field goal from Crest’s 20-yard line and missed. The Chargers were then able to eat up the clock and secure the win.
Everyone involved with the program can be happy with last week’s effort. With at least two wins this year, plus the preseason win over Seminole, it looks like Crest is finally starting to turn things around out in Dover. I’m excited to see how things play out for this team going forward.