Longhorn football team loses heartbreaker in Malcolm

    It was a cold windy night in Malcolm Friday when the Chase County Longhorns took on the Malcolm Clippers.
    The first half of the game the Longhorn offense struggled to get anything going but the defense kept the team within striking range.
    CCS received the opening kick and got good field position when the kick went out of bounds giving the Longhorns the ball at the 35 yard line.
    After picking up five yards running on first down, a procedure penalty backed them up five on the next play. Christensen completed a pas for seven yards to bring up third and three.
    Cooper Dillan took the pitch on third down but was met by a wall of Malcolm defenders forcing a punt on fourth.
    Dillan hit a beauty and Logan McGreer muffed the punt but got back on top of it at the six yard line.
    The Clippers mixed the run and pass and a bit of luck on their first drive as they put the ball on the ground twice but where able to cover it both times. After picking up a couple first downs, the Longhorn defense stiffened and forced the Clippers to punt.
    The Longhorns took over on their own 27 but the defense of Malcolm held them to a three and out. Dillan’s punt was returned to the Malcolm 35 to end the first quarter scoreless.
    Malcolm was able to move the ball down the field until the defense held on a fourth and short giving the Longhorns the ball at the 26.
    Again the offense went three and out and this time punting into the wind, Dillan’s punt from the 25 hit at the 50 and  Cole Tideman returned it to the 45.
    Again the Clippers started to move the ball down the field and again the defense held on a fourth down at the 25 of the Horns.
    The Longhorns dipped into the bag of tricks with a pitch to Dillan who then passed to Thomas Reeves coming off his block. The play developed a little to slow and McGreer came up with the underthrown pass and returned it to the Chase County 32.
    Malcolm decided to try one of their own trick plays with a double reverse and Carson Frank throwing the pass but the Longhorn defense dropped him back at the 40. Once again Malcolm was forced to go for it on fourth down but this time the Horns got called for pass interference, giving Malcolm a fresh set of downs at the 16.
    The Clippers took advantage of the penalty with a keeper for six yards and a 10 yard scamper from Dalton Amen for the score.. The extra point attempt hit the bottom rail of the upright and fell short leaving the score 6-0.
    On the next Longhorn possession Reeves returned the kick to the Longhorn 36. After coming up just a yard short on third down, the Horns went for it on fourth and one. Malcolm’s line held strong and stopped the Horns for no gain.
    The Clippers offense rolled with the momentum shift and drove the ball down for their second score of the night, capped off with a 17 yard touchdown pass to Noah Vanevery. The two point conversion failed leaving the Longhorns trailing at half 12-0.
    Malcolm got the ball to start the second half at their own 37. The Longhorn defense held them on three downs forcing a punt on fourth.
    A bobbled snap was recovered by the Longhorns setting them up at the Malcolm 24. Reeves picked up six on first down, but a stray pitch to Tucker Mollendor backed the horns up 10 yards. After getting 12 yards back on a pass, the Clippers stuffed Reeves on a fourth and two to take over possession.
    Malcolm started to move the ball down field but Tristan Jablonski dove in front of a pass from Meyer and drug his toes in bounds for an interception at the Longhorn 40.
    The Clippers shut down the Longhorn offense, but the punt from Dillan was muffed and the Longhorns jumped on it at the 11.
    After an incomplete pass on first down, Mollendor carried to the three on second. Christensen called his own number on third and came up a yard short. The Horns ran a quarterback sneak on fourth and a yard and it looked like Christensen got inside the one, but the ref spotted the ball at the one and a half giving the Clippers the ball on downs.
    The clippers moved the ball out from the goal line, but on third down Reeves busted through and hit Meyer causing a fumble which took a good bounce into the waiting arms of Jaret Peterson, who ran it in for the first touchdown for Chase County. The kick by James McArthur sailed wide left making the score 12-6.That ended the third quarter.
    On the clippers next drive the pressure was getting in on Meyer but he got rid of the ball just as he was hit and Kole Clevenger came up just short of tipping the ball before it fell into the hands of Mcgreer, who took it in for the score. Meyer hit Amen with a pass on the two point conversion leaving the score at 20-6.
    The Longhorns mounted their best drive of the night, going the length of the field before Christensen was intercepted at the one yard line.
    Malcolm picked up a first down but a holding call backed them to the four. McGreer was dropped at the one on first down and the clippers where called for back to back motion penalties. On the next play Meyer got hit hard causing a fumble that Tyler O’Neil picked up and ran in for a TD. The Horns went for two but were stopped short. With less than a minute to play the Horns tried the onside kick but it shot past all the Clippers and went of bounds. The Clippers ran out the clock winning the contest 20-12.
    Malcolm will advance to play Fillmore Central in the next round.
    Mitchell advanced after beating Bishop Nueman 58-20 and will travel to Ord this Friday.
    The Longhorns ended a successful season with a 7-3 record.