By Nolan Epstein (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Shortly before the season began, Pierce City head coach Brad Hocker glanced at his team’s regular season schedule and hoped his squad could make some noise in a wide open SRVC. A little over two months later, the Eagles have found new levels on the proverbial decibel meter – rolling through the conference with an unblemished record and their biggest test yet to come.
They passed it impressively on Friday as No. 6 Pierce City (9-0) took down fellow unbeaten and ninth-ranked Sarcoxie (8-1) on the road, 35-26, to clinch the conference crown and the top seed in Class 1, District 2.
“We’ve been working for this and it’s been on our minds forever,” said Pierce City senior quarterback Gage Brown, who threw for 119 yards and collected three touchdowns (two rushing). “Coming out my senior year and coming out with a championship, it’s just a whole new feeling. It’s unbelievable.”
The Bears, who were once again stopped just short of the SRVC championship, seemingly had all of the momentum going into the critical contest with an energized home crowd on their side.
However, that quickly changed at the 3:31 mark of the opening quarter when Pierce City struck first – getting a timely 1-yard TD run from Brown on 4th-and-goal to finish off an impressive drive.
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“I’ve got to give credit to the (offensive) line, they’re the ones that gave us the push,” Brown said of his early touchdown. “We used Kaleb (Meyer) and Trey Sagehorn to get down there. It was just a full team effort and I happened to punch it in at the end.”
Sarcoxie answered near the halfway mark of the second quarter when senior running back Colby Davis found paydirt from nine yards out – commencing a back-and-forth battle through the next 18 minutes.
With the Eagles holding a slim 21-19 advantage after three quarters, Hocker’s club was finally able to create a two-possession difference on the first play of the fourth as Brown found a wide open Trey Sagehorn in the endzone for a 17-yard strike.
Sarcoxie appeared poised to answer back like they had been all evening, but the Eagles’ defense rose up and made its biggest play of the season with 5:26 to go. As Sarcoxie held possession of the football on Pierce City’s 1-yard line, the Eagles forced a fumble just before the football broke the plane – allowing the away squad to pounce on it and terminate a crucial drive for the Bears.
“That just turned the whole game for us,” said senior rusher Kaleb Meyer. “It was just the final push and we just had to get it.”
It was one more colossal momentum shift – one that took five and a half minutes off the clock before Sarcoxie got a defensive stop and ended up officially finding the endzone to cut its deficit to 28-26 with under two minutes to go.
To Pierce City’s relief, Raul Reyes’ ensuing onside kick sailed out of bounds to nearly seal the Eagles’ victory. Sarcoxie still managed to cling to a glimmer of hope, but Meyer, who was already enjoying a commendable rushing performance, ensured there would be no horror story for his team on this Friday the 13th as the senior rumbled for a 54-yard touchdown to stick the final nail in the coffin with 54 seconds on the clock.
The touchdown scamper was his second of the night and gave him a total of 148 yards on the ground in the victory. When asked about his performance after the game, Meyer’s response was refreshingly simple.
“I just kept running,” he said. “I lowered my shoulder and ran.”
For Coach Hocker, Friday’s big win was due in large part to a tight 27-20 win over El Dorado Springs last week, which ultimately laid the groundwork and provided the blueprint to complete the undefeated regular season.
“Playing El Dorado Springs last week prepared us for this week,” Hocker said. “I was proud of our kids and it means the world to these kids. The seniors had to play when they were freshmen and they’ve earned it. They’ve worked hard.”
Pierce City 35, Sarcoxie 26
Pierce City 7-7-7-14 – 35
Sarcoxie 0-13-6-7 – 26
First quarter
Pierce City – Brown 1 run (kick good)
Second quarter
Sarcoxie – Davis 9 run (kick good)
Pierce City – Meyer 35 run (kick good)
Sarcoxie – Bass 1 run (kick no good)
Third quarter
Pierce City – Brown 1 run (kick good)
Sarcoxie – Comerford 54 run (two-point conversion no good)
Fourth quarter
Pierce City – Sagehorn 17 catch from Brown (kick good)
Sarcoxie – Comerford 2 run (kick good)
Piece City – Meyer 54 run (kick good)
