Final Away Game Ends in Disappointment
by Patton Engel | October 28, 2019 9:42 am
Our Elkhorn Antlers lose their second to last game of the year to the Papillion-LaVista Monarchs. The Antlers actually started out strong with a 69 yard rushing touchdown on just the third play from scrimmage. Unfortunately, this would be the only time the Antlers would see the endzone. Soon after the Monarchs would put together a strong, 65 yard drive that tied the game up. The Antlers were then able to make it into the redzone but were stuffed on 4th and 3 at the 19 yardline. Immediately aftter, the forced a fumble and managed to recover it, but the offense was unable to do anything and were hit with another turnover on downs. Elkhorn’s defense continued playing well, managing to force a punt. However, on just the 6th play of the drive, the turnover bug hit the Antlers when Grant Gutschow threw an interception. The Monarchs came out strong with a screen play that surprised the Antlers and led to a 53 yards gain. Then, after two penalties, the Monarchs managed to convert a 3rd and 30 with a 31 yard pass to wideout Zach Krogman. Another screen pass secured the Monarchs second touchdown, and a swing pass was ran in for the 2 point conversion to give the monarchs a 15-7 lead going into the half. The Antlers defense came out with a big stop, but, despite the excellent field position, barely moved the ball. The subsequent field goal was wide left and the Monarchs had the ball again. A strong 5 minute drive led to another Monarch touchdown, again from Cole Price. Another 2 point conversion gave the Monarchs a 23-7 touchdown. In an attempt to get themselves back in the game, the Antlers went on a 72 yard drive to get themselves inside the 10, but were stuffed by Papillion LaVista just one yard away from the endzone on fourth and four. From here, Papillion LaVista ran out the clock on 98 yard drive that ended in a fumble. The Antlers had time for just one play before the game was over. Overall, this game came down to execution in the opponent territory. The Antlers had the ball in a position to score at least three times, yet came away with nothing. On the other side, a few big plays and clock management were the main factors for the Monarchs victory. The Antlers only had the ball three times in the second half, and the Monarchs took over 9 minutes off the clock in their final 4th quarter drive. The Antlers were also dominated in total yardage, mostly due to the number of plays ran. The Antlers ran 46 plays for a total of 258 yards as the Monarchs ran 60 plays for 415 yards. Had the Antlers managed to take advantage of the field position they were gifted with, the outcome of this game could have been very different. With the win, Papillion LaVista moves up to 4-4. The Antlers move down to 3-5, looking to end the season on a high note when they play the Fremont Tigers this Friday.
The Antler defense brings down number 24 Jake Koory for a short gain. The Antler defense played extremly well for much of the game. Big pass plays and a 98 yard drive in the 4th quarter make the yardage difference seem a lot worse than it really was.
Coach Mark Wortman lectures the Antler defense before they head back out and try and hold the Monarchs to a three and out. The Antler defense came out and played much better than usual against the Monarch. A few plays really burned the defense though, and a poor offensive performance often gave the Monarchs a short field to work with.
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