When the Lowry High School football team hosted rival Elko on Saturday afternoon, the biggest unknown was how the play on the field would be.
After a 15-month layoff, the two rivals put on a good show for the small crowd as Lowry held off Elko in the final minutes for a 29-22 victory.
“It has been some time since we have seen some real football,” said LHS coach Taua Cabatbat. “Our kids are excited to be out here. We are taking every opportunity to get better and taking the opportunity to just be out here and play. We didn’t know if we would be able to play. This is not only for the seniors but for the future of the program.”
Lowry had to shake off a rusty start as a bad snap on a punt on its initial drive of the day led to Elko scoring the first points of the contest.
The Indians’ Kaiden Cervantes did it all on his own on the short 20-yard drive with a handful of rushes from the quarterback spot to give Elko a 7-0 lead after a 1 yard touchdown run.
Lowry looked poised to tie the game on its next drive and were deep in Elko territory.
Buckaroo quarterback Caden Ricci connected with Giovanni Sapien for 14 yards to start the drive. Sapien, who played soccer, for the past two seasons, had another big play for Lowry later in the game.
However, a Buckaroo fumble at the Elko 20-yard line, stopped the drive.
Elko was generous enough to give the ball back to Lowry moments later on a fumble of its own.
On the next play, Anthony Peterson broke free for what was thought to be a 41-yard touchdown run. But, it was called back on a penalty.
Lowry shook off the penalty and on the third play of the second quarter, Ricci connected with fellow senior Anthony Gildone on a 49-yard pass to tie the game after a Braden Hammargren extra point.
After forcing Elko to punt on its next possession, Lowry took the lead for the first time when Ricci connected with Sapien for a short pass and the junior did the rest as he weaved his way through a number of tackles and back across the field for a 49-yard touchdown and a 14-7 Buckaroo advantage.
Elko continued to grind time off the clock, using Cervantes as its primary runner from the quarterback position.
After converting a fourth down to keep the drive going, Cervantes scored on a 1-yard run to tie the game with 4:34 left in the first half.
The back-and-fort affair continued, as Lowry scored 63 second later to cap off a short 44-yard drive. Ricci and Gildone found each other again to move the ball inside the 20-yard line run. A run by Peterson, put Lowry at the 1-yard line and a play later Ricci and Gildone connected again for a 21-14 lead with 3:46 to go.
That left enough time for Elko to drive 65 yards at the end of the half, but did not score in a chaotic ending. The Indians continued to run the ball and not show any kind of a passing attack in the first half.
Elko used the legs of Cervantes again on the drive and were at the 1-yard line with :00.7 left in the first half.
The Indians used their final time out, but fumbled the snap on the final play and did not score, giving Lowry a 21-14 halftime lead.
Elko moved deep into Lowry territory on its first drive of the third quarter, but fumbled inside the Buckaroo 10-yard line to stop yet another drive.
However, two plays later, Lowry fumbled and recovered the ball in the end zone for a Elko safety.
The Indians cut the lead to 21-6 with the two points.
On the ensuing drive, Elko used a Lowry personal foul to its advantage and capped off a 49-yard drive on a 1-yard run by Lincoln Ratliff to go in front 22-21.
The Indians went for 2 points and looked to have converted the conversion was ruled short of the end zone.
“We made a couple mistakes, but that is going to happen,” added the coach. “We have had a limited amount of practice and no scrimmage to get ready.”
The advantage was short-lived, as on the ensuing kickoff, a short kick landed in the hands of Peterson and the senior returned it 65 yards for a touchdown as time expired to end the third quarter.
Ricci and Gildone converted the 2-point conversion to give Lowry a 29-22 lead.
Elko marched back down the field and had a Cervantes touchdown called back on a penalty. The Indians were inside the Buckaroo 5-yard line, but a fumble and sack moved them back past the 30-yard line. A pass attempt in the end zone fell short, giving the ball back to Lowry with four minutes to play.
Lowry managed to take just 90 seconds off the clock, giving the ball back to Elko with 2:16 to play but the Indians could not muster any offense on the four plays, handing the win to the Buckaroos.
“We are looking at this as spring ball, with pads on and live action,” Cabatbat said. “I can’t complain, it’s better than nothing and the kids are out here competing.”
Lowry is scheduled to travel to Dayton on Saturday. The Dust Devils did not play this past weekend.