Terra Linda Defeats Drake in Last Quarter

Terra Linda's coaching staff made a gamble to go for it on the fourth-and-15, with four and a half minutes left near midfield and their team down 13-17. Not only did they convert for a first down, but ended up with the victory, winning 21-17.

"It was a heartbreaker, but a fun game. I wish we hadn't kept it that close though," said Terra Linda's coach Tim Bosque.

The Pirates looked like they had the momentum going into the fourth as junior wide receiver Ross MacAusland scored his second touchdown to put them up 17-14 with under five minutes to go.

But the Trojans had a great kick return that put them just past midfield, were aided by a couple tough calls against Drake, had a spectacular catch, and finally scored on junior Cole Charlton's quarterback sneak that sealed it with less than a minute left in the game. 

"There were a couple big penalties near the end, but it just came down to Terra Linda making plays down the stretch," said Drake's coach Dan Kenilvort.

In the first half, Terra Linda's senior running back Dylan Shapiro scored on a long running play and Drake's junior kicker Matt Acord blasted a 40-yard field goal for the only scores of the half.

The Pirates then got themselves into early trouble in the second half when Terra Linda returned the opening kickoff near midfield. A few plays later they suffered the consequences when Charlton hooked up with senior tight end Jon Milsap for the score.

Drake answered quickly with a touchdown of their own, courtesy of MacAusland. They successfully recovered an onside kick after the score, but weren't able to take advantage of it and were forced to punt.

"That was a big stop," Bosque said. "Our defense played well."

The Trojans were then forced to punt and Drake capitalized on another touchdown by MacAusland.

That set up the last possession for the Trojans and the sealed the deal for Terra Linda.

Up next: Drake plays Justin-Siena on Friday.