It all depended on a fourth-down throw. Saint John’s had the ball on the Patriot 15-yard line with just over four minutes left in the game. The Saint John’s quarterback was flushed out of the pocket and threw the ball.
His pass fell incomplete beyond the outstretched hands of his receiver.
The game was action-packed from the start. The ball was snapped over the head of the Saint John’s punter and kicked out of the end zone. The Patriots got on the board with a safety, making the score 2-0.
Saint John’s had to kick the ball back to the Patriots following the safety. On the ensuing drive, the Patriots drove downfield and senior quarterback Ryan Kirby scored a touchdown on a two-yard run. The extra point from sophomore kicker Alex Gambrell was good, resulting in a 9-0 lead.
However, Saint John’s wasted no time. They quickly drove the ball downfield and scored a touchdown on a pass to the back corner of the end zone. The two-point conversion was no good, making the score 9-6 Patriots.
On the next Patriot possession, Kirby scored again on a 53-yard touchdown run. However, Gambrell missed the extra point, keeping the score at 15-6.
Saint John’s immediately responded with another back-of-the-end-zone touchdown catch. After making the two-point conversion, the two teams were separated by only one point. JC led 15-14.
The Patriots then proceeded to score another touchdown, making the score 22-14 after the extra point.
Saint John’s once again drove down the field, but this time their quarterback threw an interception in the end zone. The interception was returned to the Patriot 15-yardline.
Kirby ran the ball 48 yards before being tackled, which eventually set up a one-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good, giving the Patriots a 29-14 lead with four minutes left in the first half.
However, the scoring was far from over. After Saint John’s failed to convert on a fourth down, senior running back Brian Hunt ran for a 20-yard touchdown. After Gambrell made the extra point, the score was 36-14 Patriots with one minute to go in the half.
Once again, Saint John’s responded. With 27 seconds left, Saint John’s scored a touchdown and made the two-point conversion. The score at halftime was 36-22, in favor of the Patriots.
Saint John’s recovered their own onside kick at the beginning of the second half. The running back ran the ball in for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, making the score 36-28 Patriots.
The Patriots then lost the ball on a failed fourth-down attempt, and Saint John’s took advantage of the opportunity. The touchdown was scored on a 61-yard reception, and the two-point conversion was good. The score was all tied up, 36-36.
The Patriots then patiently drove down the field. Hunt finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The Patriots decided to go for two, and they made it. The score was 44-36, Patriots.
But the game still wasn’t over. After a few fruitless drives, the Patriots faked going for it on a fourth down. Kirby flipped the ball to the punter, and the punt was downed at the Saint John’s one-yard line.
Most teams would probably try to get away from the end zone a little before running any big plays. However, Saint John’s immediately threw the ball down the sideline. A Patriot defender fell down trying to block the pass, and the receiver ran the remainder of the 99 yards for the touchdown. Following a successful two-point conversion, the score was tied at 44-44.
But the Patriots were far from being done. Hunt scored his fourth and final touchdown of the night on a 21-yard run. The two-point conversion was stopped just short of the goal line, making the score 50-44 Patriots.
Saint John’s quickly drove the ball downfield. It culminated on a fourth down and seven from the 15-yard line, and they did not convert.
The Patriots got two first-downs while running the ball to kill the clock. The game ended in a Patriots victory, 50-44.
Hunt scored four touchdowns including the winning score. “We worked really hard during the week to try to get a win.” Hunt said. “We made a few mistakes, but we managed to dig deep and pull it out in the end.”
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