Late score lifts Tigers

By: By Gary Olinger | Record Sports Correspondent
Published: October 10, 2009

NEWTON --

After having trouble holding onto the ball in the first half, Fred T. Foard High put it in the capable hands of Quentin Owens.

Owens rushed for 127 yards in Foard's last three possessions and knifed for a 5-yard, tie-breaking touchdown with 30.9 seconds to play as the Tigers defeated St. Stephens 24-17 on Friday night.

Owens, a 175-pound senior, finished with 189 yards on 30 carries as the Tigers (3-5, 1-2 Northwestern 3A-4A) broke a three-game losing streak.

"When you've got Quentin in the game you've always got a weapon," Foard head coach Ryan Gettys said. "He's a power runner and we give him the ball whenever we can."

But Foard also gave the ball to St. Stephens (also 3-5, 1-2) four times in its first seven possessions and the Indians led 14-7 at the end of the second quarter.

"I told the team at halftime, the defense was playing well," Gettys said. "Offensively we were shooting ourselves in the foot.

"I told them to go out and play our game and do our job and we can win this game."

St. Stephens, which beat Foard 10-7 on a touchdown pass with 20 seconds to play last season, outgained the Tigers 322-250. But the Indians were penalized 103 yards while the Tigers were assessed 38.

"We made too many mistakes," St. Stephens head coach Fred Whalen said. "Between the interceptions and penalties, they'll kill you."

Although he threw three interceptions, St. Stephens' Tanner Miller completed 13-of-21 passes, including nine in a row during a stretch in the second and third quarters, and ran for a team-leading 49 yards. He passed for 221 yards.

"Tanner can be a great quarterback for us," Whalen said. "He'll come out there and give you all he can."

Parker Kersey caught four passes for 113 yards and Kalyn Hoyle had six receptions for 76 yards.

Kersey scored on a 34-yard pass from Miller, breaking a 7-7 tie, with 5:39 remaining in the second quarter. Kersey's 58-yard gain on a reception set up Keith Cooper's 23-yard field goal, which put the Indians ahead 17-14 with 1:06 left in the third quarter.

Foard had scored on its first play of the game, when Owens bolted 34 yards for a TD after Orville Arel intercepted. After that, the Tigers didn't make another first down until 7:03 remained in the third quarter.

An interception by Matthew Fussell and Mark Cloninger's second fumble recovery led to St. Stephens' first two TDs. After Fussell's theft, he Indians drove 44 yards, the last 10 of them on a scoring run by Antonio Sherrill, and Cloninger's recovery was immediately followed by Kersey's 34-yard TD.

The Indians, who were stopped at the Foard 4 in the first quarter, held the Tigers to 53 yards, including the 34 for the TD by Owens, in the first half.

"I thought we'd come out a little more fired up the second half," Whalen said. "It seemed like we came out trying to protect the lead, instead of being aggressive.

"Obviously, Foard came out the aggressor."

The Tigers drove 72, 70 and 72 yards in 11, 14 and 10 plays for 17 points in their last three possessions of the game.

"That's the kind of football we like to play here — control the clock with our running game," Gettys said.
Foard tied it at 14 after Arel scored on a 1-yard run with 3:15 left in the third quarter and the Tigers' Jordan Thacker tied it again by kicking a 27-yard field goal with 6:47 to play.

Foard marched for its winning TD after Arel's second interception gave the Tigers the ball on their 28.