Dramatic Finish In Grace

Two weeks ago the Grace Grizzlies suffered their first loss of the season to Adrian Oregon who is currently the number four ranked eight man team in the nation.  Regardless of the opponent it is always hard when your undefeated run ends.  It is even harder if you lose back to back games after starting 5-0.  Facing another top opponent from out of state last weekend the Grizzlies were determined to avoid that fate.  Rich County Utah is a small school powerhouse in their home state.  Going into Grace last Friday the Rebels had only suffered one loss this season that came against Mt. View Wyoming who would be a 3A school in Idaho.  Just a week prior to playing Grace, Rich had beaten 4A Bear Lake.  Sufficeth to say the Grizzlies were going to have their hands full with the Rebels.

As the game got underway the Grizzlies took possession of the ball first.  On their first three plays the Grizzlies looked to have a case of the jitters.  Fortunately Rich bailed them out on a third and long by roughing the passer and giving Grace a fresh set of downs.  From there the first quarter would be all Grace.  The Grizzlies took advantage of the Rich penalty and marched down the field and scored.  After a defensive stop the Grizzlies would score again and at the end of the first quarter the Grizzlies led 14-0.  As much as the first quarter was all Grace, the second was all Rich.  The Grizzlies struggled in the second to stop the ground game of the Rebels while the offense failed to make many plays.  By the halftime break the Grizzly lead had evaporated and Rich was now in control of the game and had a 22-14 lead.

In the third quarter of play the teams played evenly back and forth until the Grizzlies finally were able to break through with a score and tied the game up at twenty-two points a piece.  Not to be outdone the Rebels answered right back once again taking the lead.  In their first possession of the fourth quarter the Rebels scored again and pushed the lead to 36-22.  The teams then traded possessions before the Grizzlies finally found the endzone again with Gavin Draper finding Keathen Edwards in the corner of the endzone on a fourth and goal.  Now trailing 36-30 with just two and a half minutes left in the game the Grizzlies needed a lucky bounce on the ensuing onside kick.  That is exactly what happened.  Grace came up with the onside recovery and needed to go sixty yards for a potential go ahead score.  The Grizzlies kept the Rebels on their heels all the way down the field while trying to eat up some clock.  With under a minute left in the game the Grizzlies pushed the ball across the goal line on a quarterback keeper.  With the game now tied at thirty-six the Grizzlies needed the p.a.t. to take the lead, something not common among eight man teams.  Grace called on Bradley Schiele to do the kicking duties and he was true down the middle of the uprights.  Grace now led the game by one point.  A few desperation passes downfield for the Rebels fell incomplete and the comeback victory for Grace was complete. 

Draper went fifteen of twenty-two for two hundred thirty-two yards and two touchdowns through the air.  Draper added two more scores on the ground with Chase Smith adding one of his own.  Kade Kimball and Keathen Edwards caught the two touchdowns through the air.

This week is homecoming week for the Grizzlies as they host Clearwater Valley where Grace will be the heavy favorites to win.