BY BUDDY TABLER
Special to the Tribune
HOLCOMB – Despite a 14-6 halftime deficit, the Holcomb Longhorns rode great second-half field position to a 26-14 victory over the Larned Indians Friday on a cool, windy, damp evening.
Holcomb’s 20 second-half points were aided by great field position as those three touchdowns started on Larned’s 29, 34 and 49-yard lines.
Holcomb (2-3, 1-1 District) plays Kingman (1-4, 0-2) and Larned (0-5, 0-2 District) plays Nickerson at home Friday.
The halftime advantage blew up for Larned as they pushed back to their own 5-yard line. A Brock Skelton punt to the 49-yard line set up Holcomb and with 8:48 remaining in the third stanza, Holcomb’s River Amos rambled 56 yards on a pass from Kobe Hands to the end zone and the Longhorns trailed 14-12.
On the ensuing kickoff, Larned was penalized, this time back to the 11-yard line. A loss on a sack of quarterback Dillan Smith and the Indians punted to the 36 yard-line. Drew Hill slashed 36 yards on the first play for an 18-14 lead.
On Larned’s next series, Holcomb’s Caleb Clumsky intercepted a tipped Indian pass and returned it to the Larned 35-yard line, once again setting up the Longhorns with great field position.
With 3:34 remaining in the third period, Drew Hill ran 13 yards for his third touchdown of the game and followed with a 2-point conversion run for a 26-14 margin.
“The first few minutes of the third quarter really hurt,” said Larned coach Tad Remy. “We needed a first down to get away from our own goal-line. We had it, on a pass reception but our receiver circled back, trying to get more yards and gave up that first down. Just inexperience. If we could have gotten better field position in that third quarter, the game might have turned out different but, I am so proud of the way these kids keep fighting. We’re getting better.”
Penalties and turnovers plagued Holcomb in the first half as they had 2 turnovers and 67 yards in penalties. They would amass 134 yards in penalties for the game. Those turnovers and penalties allowed Larned to grab the 14-6 halftime edge despite only 4 yards of rushing at halftime.
Larned opened the scoring in the first quarter after they capitalized on a Longhorn fumble that was recovered by Sebastian Whittington at the 19-yard line. After a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Brayden Rupp gave the Indians a first down at the 2-yard line, Brock Skelton skirted the end for a touchdown and , following a Logan DeMond conversion kick, Larned had an early 7-0 lead at the 10:25 mark.
Larned’s passing game again set up their second touchdown. Quarterback Dillan Smith connected on a 30-yard pass with Brock Skelton that set the Indians up on Holcomb’s 3-yard line.
Smith connected with Skelton for the 3-yard touchdown and following a successful DeMond kick, the Indians had a 14-6 lead. Larned stopped Holcomb inside the 5-yard line before halftime. The emotion and motivation from that stop was taken into the halftime break but did not return to the field in the third quarter as the Longhorns used the dominating field position to regain momentum, and the ball game.
Holcomb garnered 15 first downs behind 41 rushing attempts for 142 yards. They completed 6 of 13 passes for 125 yards. Hill led the Longhorns with 111 yards.
Larned struggled trying to run the football and finished the game with 18 yards rushing , led by Jace Snyder’s 16 yards. Quarterback Smith was eight of 22 passing for 83 yards and two interceptions by Clumsky.
Larned 7 7 0 0 – 14
Holcomb 0 6 20 0 – 26
L—Brock Skelton 3 run (Logan DeMond kick)
H—Drew Hill 17 run
L—Skelton 3 pass from Dillan Smith (DeMond kick)
H—River Amos 56 pass from Kobe Hands
H—Hill 36 run
H—Hill 13 run (Hill run)
RUSHING—L—31-12; Skelton 6-14; Jace Snyder 12-12; Tristan Burger 4-8; Chance Sanger 1-2; Brayden Lemuz 2-(-8); Dillan Smith 4-(-16); Jace Snyder 13; H—Hill 20-111; Henson 4-43; Hands 11-8; Ortner 7-11.
PASSING—L—Dillan Smith 7-17-2, 79; Lemuz 1-2-1, 3; H—Hands 6-12-2, 125.
RECEIVING—L—Skelton 2-33; Brayden Rupp 2-30; Lemuz 1-17; Sanger 1-6; H—Amos 3-95; Chlumsky 2-24; Henson 1-3.
