Tigers fall in shootout, 43-42

Saturday, October 1, 2016
Fort Scott quarterback Jesse Jones, seen here in action in the season opener against Parsons, had his best game of the season versus Labette County Friday night, throwing for 160 yards and two touchdowns. But the visiting Grizzlies scored with 12 seconds remaining and took a 43-42 victory. (Tribune file photo)

It was the wildest offensive night of football in a Fort Scott High School game in at least 20 seasons at Frary Field Friday night. The Tigers and Southeast Kansas League foe Labette County combined to score 85 points and produce 965 yards of total offense. No game since 1996 has produced a greater total number of yards.

Labette County scored on every one of its possessions in the second half. So head coach Bob Campbell's decision to go for the 2-point conversion following Zarek Fewell's touchdown with 2:12 to go to try and stretch the margin to 9 points seemed justified. At the rate the Grizzlies were scoring, if they were successful on their 2-point conversion, one then risked giving Isaiah McPherson, the league's leading scorer, the ball on the 10-yard line in any and all overtime periods. And while the Tiger defense made many big plays on McPherson all night, he was still able to make big plays at crucial times.

However, there was an illegal procedure penalty on the initial try for 2. Then a pass on the re-try was knocked away. That left the Tigers' lead at 42-35.

Labette County (2-0 SEK, 4-1 overall) had to go 73 yards in 2:01 just to get a chance to tie or win. The Grizzlies did it in 1:49. McPherson's 20th touchdown of the season brought LCHS within 42-41. Then out of the swinging gate formation, Alex Carter ran behind his wall of blockers and scored the game-winning 2-point conversion with 12 seconds to go.

The Grizzlies tried an onside kick, hoping to recover and run out the clock. But the ball went only 5 yards and Fort Scott (2-2, 2-3) had one more chance. But Easton Dean and Caleb Hentzen broke up a pass intended for Fewell in the end zone on the last play of the game.

Fewell rushed for 145 yards on four touchdowns for the Tigers, who had 285 yards rushing and 445 yards of total offense. Quarterback Jesse Jones had his best game as a Tigers, completing 8 of 13 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns, both to Mason Ferguson --his first two catches on the varsity.

McPherson gained 213 yards on 32 carries and scored four times. Quarterback Logan Dean overcame a 5-for-14 performance in the first half to finish 16 of 31 for 248 yards and two scores. Kale Irwin and Tanner Russell each caught 6 passes -- Irwin for 86 yards and Russell for 80. LCHS finished with 520 yards in total offense, 353 of that in the second half.

The game started at a quick pace, with the Tigers needing just four plays and a little over two minutes to get on the scoreboard. Fewell's first carry of the night went up the middle from 19 yards out for the score but the extra point was unsuccessful with 9:45 on the clock.

LCHS decided to go for it on its first drive with McPherson getting stopped by the Tiger defense on fourth-and-2 from the Fort Scott 34. The Tigers punted at the end of their next possession, pinning the Grizzlies back at their own 2-yard line.

Dean struggled to complete passes in the first half but he found Owyn Back on two key plays during the drive --37 yards to get the ball to the 14 and 16 yards on a fourth-and-4 from the Tiger 18 after a penalty to keep the Grizzlies' drive alive. McPherson scored 2 plays later from 1 yard out and also ran in the 2-point conversion out of the swinging gate with 1:35 to go, putting LC up 8-6.

The Tigers' season-long struggles with getting the ball into paydirt when they get into the red zone continued on the next possession. A 11-play, 67 yard drive ended when Brandon Boyer recovered a fumble for LCHS at its own 2-yard line. This time, the Tiger defense held the Grizzlies to 4 yards and made them punt.

Ferguson's first score came with 3:21 left in the first half as he hauled in a Jones pass while streaking down the left sideline to complete an 84-yard play. The 2-point conversion was no good but Fort Scott lead 12-8.

Chris Stell sacked Dean on fourth down from the Tiger 32 on the next possession to give Fort Scott the ball at the 42. Gunnar Brown gained 34 yards on a reverse on the first play and four plays after that, Jones hit Ferguson across the middle from 9 yards out for their second score. Fewell ran in the 2-pointer to make it 20-8 with 39 seconds left in the half.

LCHS went 65 yards in 13 plays with the first possession of the second half with McPherson scoring for the second time on a 3-yard run with 8:23 on the clock. Carter ran in the 2-point conversion to bring LCHS within 20-16.

After forcing the Tigers to punt. the Grizzlies scored quickly with McPherson going around the left side from 70 yards out. Carter's extra point kick made it 23-20 with 5:26 to go in the third.

Jessie Lawrence's 27-yard kickoff return set up Fewell's second touchdown with 3:04 to the clock to put the Tigers back on top. Jones found Taylor Engstrom for the 2-pointer that made it 28-23.

A trick-play, Russell's 34-yard pass to Josiah Rexwinkle to get the ball to the Fort Scott 35, set up Dean's 12-yard scoring pass to Kale Irwin with 32 seconds in the third. The 2-pointer failed but LCHS was up 29-28.

Lawrence's 43-yard return put the ball at the LCHS 30 to start the next Tiger drive. Derek Bollinger converted a third-and-2 by going left, balancing himself on a hit and dragging a couple of defenders to the 4. Four plays later, Fewell went over the left side of the line for his third score and Jones scored the 2-point conversion to make it 36-29 with 8:47 remaining in the game.

Dean found Back wide open for the Grizzlies' next score, a 47-yard pass play with 7:26 to go. Andrew Callahan sniffed out the run on the swinging gate and stopped the 2-pointer, leaving the Tigers ahead 36-35.

Fort Scott then consumed over five minutes on 11 plays on its ensuing possession, the final one that resulted in Fewell's fourth score.

The Tigers will be back at home next Friday night to face Coffeyville as their Homecoming opponent.


LABETTE COUNTY............ 8 0 21 14 -- 43

FORT SCOTT..................... 6 14 8 14 -- 42

Team statsLCHSFort Scott
First downs1915
Rushes-yards41-20155-285
Passing yards319160
Total offense520445
Passing (c-a-i)18-33-08-13-0
Sacked-yards lost3-141-5
Punt returns0-00-0
Kickoff returns6-845-114
Interception returns0-00-0
Punts-avg.2-42.52-44.5
Fumbles-lost3-02-2
Penalties-yards6-527-49

Scoring plays

First quarter

FS -- Fewell 19 run (kick failed), 9:45 [4, 46, 2:07]

LC -- McPherson 1 run (McPherson run), :58 [5, 98, 1:35]

Second quarter

FS -- Ferguson 84 pass from Jones (pass failed), 3:21 [3, 84, :51]

FS -- Ferguson 9 pass from Jones (Fewell run), :39 [5, 58, :47]

Third quarter

LC -- McPherson 2 run (Carter run), 8:23 [13, 65, 3:29]

LC -- McPherson 70 run (Carter kick), 5:26 [4, 84, 1:11]

FS -- Fewell 15 run (Engstrom pass from Jones), 3:04 [5, 43, 2:13]

LC --Irwin 12 pass from L.Dean (run failed), :32 [10, 70, 2:27]

Fourth quarter

FS -- Fewell 1 run (Jones run), 8:47 [7, 30, 3:33]

LC --Back 47 pass from L.Dean (run failed), 7:26 [4, 70, 1:17]

FS -- Fewell 8 run (pass failed), 2:07 [11, 56, 5:19]

LC -- McPherson 1 run (Carter run), :12 [11, 73, 1:49]

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Labette County -- McPherson 32-213, Russell 1-2, L.Dean 8-minus 14. Fort Scott -- Fewell 25-145, Lawrence 9-56, Brown 3-41, Stoughton 7-26, Bollinger 4-23, Jones 7-minus 6.

PASSING: Labette County -- L.Dean 16-31-0-248, Russell 2-2-0-71. Fort Scott -- Jones 8-13-0-160.

RECEIVING: Labette County -- Irwin 6-86, Russell 6-80, Back 4-114, Rexwinkle 2-39. Fort Scott -- Brown 3-17, Ferguson 2-93, Engstrom 3-50.

MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.