Longhorns upend Chargers for Homecoming win
Linden – The Marengo Academy Longhorns notched their second win in a row with a 24-7 Homecoming victory over the Cornerstone Christian Chargers. Offensively, Hayden Campbell scored twice and Casey Cramer scored once, while Tate Jordan had a defensive touchdown as the Longhorns surpassed last year’s win total with three games to go in the season.
The Longhorns won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. The Chargers’ first possession ended with a punt, as did the Longhorns’ first possession. On the Chargers’ second possession, Jordan got a sack back to the Chargers’ 7-yard line. On the next play, Jordan again pressured the Charger quarterback who fumbled the ball into the end zone where Jordan recovered the ball for a touchdown. The PAT was no good and the Longhorns took a 6-0 lead with 6:00 to go in the first quarter.
On the Chargers’ ensuing possession, Mason Glass recovered a Charger fumble at the Chargers’ 40-yard line. The first quarter would end shortly thereafter, with the Longhorns holding the 6-0 lead. On the first play of the second quarter, Campbell took off on a 30-yard scamper and crossed the goal line with 11:46 to go in the second quarter. The 2-point attempt failed, giving the Longhorns a 12-0 lead.
After forcing a Cornerstone punt, the Longhorns lost a fumble on their own 24-yard line. That fumble resulted in a 13-yard touchdown run for the Chargers. A successful PAT closed the Longhorn lead to 12-7 with 7:12 to go in the first half. The half would end with that score.
The Longhorns received the opening second half kickoff and methodically marched the length of the field, consuming 8:02 off the third quarter clock. Casey Cramer capped the drive with a 3-yard run with 3:58 to go, but the 2-point try failed. The Longhorn lead climbed to 18-7.
On the Chargers’ next possession, Trey Etheridge hit the Charger punter before he could get his foot on the ball, but the follow-through sent the ball straight up and Ethan Biggs recovered the ball at the Charger 20-yard line. However, the Charger defense held and an incomplete Longhorn pass in the end zone turned the ball over on downs.
The Chargers’ resulting possession ended with a punt. The Longhorns would lose a fumble to give the ball back to the Chargers at the 45-yard line. But, Longhorn Kristofer Harvell would then pick off a Charger pass to return possession to the Longhorns. The teams would swap scoreless possessions until Jordan recovered another Cornerstone fumble in the Charger end zone, but the ball was spotted about a foot from the goal line. Campbell dove in on the next play and the Longhorns scored their final points of the night. The PAT was blocked and the Longhorns effectively put the game out of reach at 24-7 with 2:31 to go in the game.
The Longhorns took a knee to run out the clock after Longhorn Parker Phillips recovered a Charger fumble with 38 seconds to go.
After being doused with icy water, a cold and wet but otherwise pleased head Coach David Akins talked about the progress of his players. “Our kids are getting better every week. We played really hard defensively last week. We came out tonight and carried that intensity on.” Akins noted the one Longhorn turnover that resulted in the only points for the Chargers, but said that the team was working and getting better. “I couldn’t be any more proud of a bunch of kids. It’s a huge win,” Akins said.
The Longhorns (3-5) will travel to Pickens Academy next week.
