Peterson spoils MacArthur gamble, 22-13
Posted on 02. Sep, 2010 by Brian Porter in '10 Fall Season
IRVING — Strategy, gambles, luck and reward are all part of football. It played a big role here Thursday in the junior varsity’s 22-13 victory over Irving MacArthur at their home field.
Greg Peterson (6) scored on a 19-yard run and the successive two-point conversion Thursday and MacArthur's gamble failed in a 23-13 loss to Plano. / Thad Fenton
A failed conversion kick would eventually put the MacArthur coaches into a late 14-13 jam. If they wanted to have a chance to play for the win they needed to make something happen quickly.
A time-consuming drive in the fourth quarter resulted in a Jordan Baird interception that had the makings of putting the game away. Then the MacArthur defense got the stop it needed and forced a punt. As luck had it, officials ruled the ball was legally touched and not grounded before Plano recovered.
The only bullet left in MacArthur’s belt was a gamble that backfired. Still trailing, 14-13, and with Plano knocking on the door deep in their territory with less than two minutes to play, they decided on a risky maneuver. After a 10-yard Greg Peterson keeper to move to the MacArthur 19, he was allowed to score virtually untouched on the next play. The logic was it would give MacArthur an opportunity at one possession to tie.
That’s where JV head coach Tanner Craven made the call to put MacArthur away. He gave Peterson the nod again on a keeper and with 47 seconds left Plano had changed a tight 14-13 advantage into a two-score lead, 22-13. MacArthur never recovered.
The defense needed quite a few key plays in the second half as MacArthur virtually shut down Plano’s offense. MacArthur scored on the opening drive of the second half and with 6:53 left in the third quarter it had rallied almost all the way back from a 14-0 first quarter deficit. But, the conversion kick missed its mark. And behind defense and special teams play in key situations Plano was able to hold MacArthur out of the end zone from there.
Cole Eckeberger (32) and Jake Dinucci (5) participate in the coin toss Thursday prior to the start of the junior varsity game. / Thad Fenton
Corbin Whitehair got Plano on the board early when he hauled in a 46-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Alexander with 2:43 left in the first quarter.
And 1:28 later Tyler Grant followed a number of critical blocks on a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown – his third defensive score in two games, all coming on interceptions. Cole Eckeberger’s conversion kick following the touchdown proved to be the game-winner.
MacArthur was limited to one big play the entire first half, a 42-yard touchdown run that cut into the deficit. But the defense opened the game with a Brandon Laures sack and a tackle for loss by Francis Mtuke. The Grant interception ended the next drive. Mtuke opened the third drive with a sack followed by Baird’s tackle for loss on a punt attempt prevented by a poor snap.
Grant, who is showing a knack for being in the right place to make big plays, had two chances at interceptions in the second half. Jordan Stiff also had a chance at an interception.
Ultimately, successive holding penalties on a late fourth quarter drive and the ruling on the punt inside the final two minutes changed the game, forcing MacArthur to the only option it had left – the gamble against Peterson that it lost.
