Elks Trip up Indians
Elkhart Outlasts Frankston, 31-28
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
ELKHART – Down by four with just over four minutes left to play in their game against the Frankston Indians, things looked bleak for the Elkhart Elks.
Elkhart had possession of the ball but it was on their own one yard line. Still, they had a chance. After narrowly avoiding a safety on first down Elkhart QB Cade Starr picked up 11 yards on second down and added eight more on the next play.
A third consecutive run from Starr moved the ball to the 25 but also saw the clock dip under the 90 second mark. The Elks had been inconsistent in their passing game all night, but when it counted most they came up big.
With time running out, Starr found RJ Moore streaking down the sidelines. He threw a rocket that Moore caught in mid-stride. From there, Moore took the ball the rest of the way for a 75-yard TD which gave the Elks a 30-28 lead.
The extra point was good and with under 45 seconds remaining, Elkhart led 31-28. Still, the Indians had one last chance. After back-to-back incompletions, a pass interference call on third-and-ten gave Frankston a new set of downs. A turnover on the next play, however, ended the Indians’ hopes and gave the Elks the win.
It was an improbable finish to a game that saw Frankston jump out to a 14-0 first quarter lead using a balanced offensive attack.
Frankston struck first on a 1-yard blast and with the extra point, took an early 7-0 lead. After the Elks turned the ball over on downs, the Indians added another score on a 45-yard passing TD. The XP was good and after the first quarter, the score was 14-0 in favor of Frankston.
While the opening period belonged to the Indians, the Elks dominated the second quarter and cut the lead to 14-12 at the half. Elkhart scored a rushing TD as the quarter got underway and added a late score thanks to an interception to cut the lead to two by halftime.
After the break, the Elks launched an eight minute, 76-yard drive to take their first lead of the night by a score of 18-14. Frankston fired back with a score of their own to retake the lead at 21-18. The two teams then traded scores to make it 28-24, Frankston and set up the game’s final minute of drama.
The Elks are now 2-0 on the season and will hit the road next Friday as they travel to Troup to take on the Tigers. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
