By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Despite the pregame hype, rivalry clashes typically don’t end up resembling heavyweight prizefights.
The 49th edition of the Glendale-Kickapoo matchup was certainly an exception.
Glendale was able to pull away late from a pesky Kickapoo squad for a 46-35 victory at Pottenger Stadium Friday night.
Glendale’s air assault once again put up big numbers, with quarterback Alex Huston throwing for 469 yards and seven touchdowns.
On their very first series, the Falcons stormed down the field on a 7-play, 77-yard drive. Huston found Max Nichols on a 13-yard strike for the game’s first score.
Nichols would finish the contest with 7 catches for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns, giving him five straight games with over 100 yards receiving. Winston Quinn also had a big night, adding 194 yards on 10 catches.
Huston and Glendale’s offense worked at a rapid pace to establish tempo early on in the half.
“What was working for us was just getting the ball in and out,” Huston said. “Getting them worn out in the first half and tired for the second. We were just trying to get the ball in and out, go down and score and then keep scoring so our defense had a chance to stop them.”
While Kickapoo’s defense was under siege in the first half, the Chiefs’ offense also managed to find the end zone enough times to keep pace on the scoreboard.
Kickapoo answered Glendale’s opening salvo with a 15-play, 59-yard drive that ended with a Dalton Coates 1-yard plunge into the end zone.
Both offenses found repeated success throughout the half, with Glendale scoring through the air and Kickapoo on the ground.
Four different Glendale receivers scored touchdowns, highlighted by Quinn’s 64-yard bomb from Huston to put the Falcons up 14-7.
Still, Kickapoo answered, as Coates scored on another short touchdown run.
As the half wore on, both teams continued to trade scores and the lead.
Late in the second quarter, the Chiefs managed to steal momentum when quarterback Mason Auer hooked up with Adrian Davis on a 24-yard touchdown. The score gave Kickapoo the lead at 28-26, and with just over a minute left in the half, the Chiefs were set to get the ball back in the third quarter.
Unfortunately for Kickapoo, it left the Falcon offense with too much time on the clock.
Huston hit Quinn on a 47-yard strike to get to the Kickapoo 3, and then Nichols scored his second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard pass to the corner.
In the blink of an eye, Glendale was back up 32-28 with its own share of momentum heading into the half.
Kickapoo head coach Nate Thomas talked about the difficulties presented by Glendale’s receiving corps.
“Obviously, when one kid goes off, you’ve got to stop him,” Thomas said. “And then it goes on to the next one, so it’s kind of a never-ending cycle with those guys. They’re very talented.”
The second half picked up right where the first one let off, with each team scoring on an early, third-quarter possession.
Glendale struck first when Huston found Corbin Lukes for an 18-yard score, capping an 8-play, 85-yard drive.
Kickapoo returned serve on its next series, finding the end zone on an Adrian Davis 7-yard rush.
At that point in the contest, both offenses ground to a halt.
While the first half was chock full of offensive fireworks, the second told a different story; one of repeated penalties and incompletions for both teams.
While both offenses were struggling to put drives together, both coaches credited defensive adjustments made by their opponents for some of the frustrations.
Glendale head coach Mike Mauk talked about containing Kickapoo’s speed on the exterior.
“In the second half, we were able to make some adjustments, especially on the perimeter, to keep them from getting outside on us,” Mauk said. “It made them try and go inside, where that was a little bit to our advantage.
Mauk also credited the Chiefs for forcing his own offense into some difficulties down the stretch.
“You have to give a lot of credit to Kickapoo,” Mauk said. “They did a good job with their defense and put a lot of different looks on us, with coverages and the like. We just didn’t get in sync, and that’s a tribute to what they were doing.”
Fortunately for Glendale, it only needed to be in sync one final time.
Following a Kickapoo punt early in the fourth quarter, Huston found Nichols on a 79-yard strike to put the Falcons up for good at 46-35.
For Kickapoo and Coach Thomas, the late touchdown proved to be a back-breaker.
“We knew we had to control the ball and keep it out of their offense’s hand as much as possible and try to slow it down a little bit,” Thomas said. “I thought our defense played lights-out in that second half. We went out and got a bunch of stops, with the exception of that one long one down there that went over the top.”
Next week, Glendale (3-2) hosts Parkview, while Kickapoo (1-4) travels north to face Hillcrest.
Glendale – 46, Kickapoo – 35
Glendale 14 18 8 6 — 46
Kickapoo 14 14 7 0 — 35
First quarter scoring
Glendale – Alex Huston 12-yard TD pass to Max Nichols (Huston 2-pt conversion rush)
Kickapoo – Dalton Coates 1-yard TD rush (Sam Cybulski kick)
Glendale – Huston 64-yard TD pass to Winston Quinn (2-pt conversion failed)
Kickapoo – Coates 4-yard TD rush (Cybulski kick)
Second quarter scoring
Kickapoo – Coates 8-yard TD rush (Cybulski kick)
Glendale – Huston 1-yard TD pass to Nader Leali (2-pt conversion failed)
Glendale – Huston 3-yard TD pass to Corbin Lukes (2-pt conversion faled)
Kickapoo – Mason Auer 24-yard TD pass to Adrian Davis (Cybulski kick)
Glendale – Huston 3-yard TD pass to Nichols (2-pt conversion failed)
Third quarter scoring
Glendale – Huston 18-yard TD pass to Lukes (Huston to Jake Kizer 2-pt conversion pass)
Kickapoo – Davis 7-yard TD rush (Cybulski kick)
Fourth quarter scoring
Glendale – Huston 79-yard TD pass to Nichols (2-pt conversion failed)
