Ark Valley News - Late TD lifts Hornets to victory

Dalton Cross fights for extra yards against Newton. Cross had three catches for 52 yards.

Late TD lifts Hornets to victory
By Ray Strunk
Last Updated: September 28, 2017

Caleb Smith was looking ahead to overtime.

“I was trying to run the clock out and run a play that was safe," he said.

His players had something else in mind. Junior quarterback Parker Schrater lined up the offense at the Valley Center 18 with less than a minute on the clock and the score knotted at 15-15.

Schrater handed the ball to running back Larry Wilson for a “safe" run up the middle.

The line opened a hole and Larry Wilson broke free, taking the ball 82 yards into the endzone with 17 seconds left to give the Valley Center High School football team a 21-15 road victory over Newton Sept. 22.

“I just ran up the middle, saw the open lane — a guy tried to chase me down and I just ran from him and scored," Wilson said.

Wilson finished the game with 198 yards on 30 runs.

“Larry is special. We had great blocking up front ... and to the house," Smith said.

Valley Center improved to 4-0 with the win.

“We found a way to win, so we'll take it," Smith said.

The first quarter at Newton finished without a score as both teams struggled with turnovers.

“It was a lot of ugliness tonight," Smith said.

A bad snap from Newton resulted in a fumble on the Railers' first offensive possession. The Hornets followed with a rare fumble just two plays later. Valley had turned the ball over just twice coming into the contest.

This one didn't hurt, thanks to the Hornet defense.

Newton quarterback Colton Davis connected on a few passes to set the Railers up with a first down at the goalline.

Newton's first and second attempts were each stopped at the line of scrimmage. The Hornets then forced a fumble on third down, with senior Dalton Cross on the recovery.

“Our coaches always say ‘bend but don't break,'" said senior Tyler Boone.

Valley Center answered with a nine-play, 81-yard drive to set senior Aaron Coash up for a 28-yard field goal. The Hornets led 3-0 with 11:10 remaining in the second quarter.

Newton came up short on a fourth-and-one in the subsequent possession.

The Hornets made two more trips deep into Railer territory in the first half, but were unable to find the end zone. Coash converted a 29-yard field goal and a 32-yard field goal to give the Hornets a 9-0 lead at the half.

“They're points. We'll take points." Smith said. “Obviously we want to score touchdowns in the red-zone, but I thought our kicking unit did great."

The Railers were quick to answer in the second half. Davis found Hunter Mapes for a 20-yard touchdown pass just four minutes into the third quarter, bringing the the score to 9-7.

Schrater connected with senior Kadin Pearson for a 65-yard touchdown with less than a minute left in the third quarter, extending the Hornet lead to 15-7.

Schrater completed seven of his 12 passes for 153 yards.

Dalton Cross pulled in an interception on the first play of the fourth quarter. Valley Center forced three turnovers while only committing one.

“Smith told us ‘the team that wins the turnover battle will win the game,'" Boone said.

An eight-yard touchdown run from Newton's Boone Roberson followed by an end-around run from Davis for the two-point conversion knotted the score at 15 each with 7:54 left to play.

The Hornets drove deep into Newton territory on the subsequent possession, but were unable to capitalize. A 21-yard field goal attempt from Coash was blocked.

The Newton offense took the field with less than three minutes remaining and a chance to take the lead.

The Hornets came up with a crucial defensive stop, setting the offense up for a final possession.

“We stopped them when we needed to," Boone said.

Wilson's go-ahead touchdown run quickly followed.

The Hornet defense remained strong once again, holding Newton for the final 17 seconds of the game.

Despite walking out with the undefeated record intact, Smith said the Hornets have a lot to work on.

“It felt like we tried to do everything we could to give that game away," Smith said. “So many opportunities to get points on the board and didn't get them — bad play-calling on my part."

Up next, Valley Center will host Hays Sept. 29 in a homecoming contest.

Hays is 2-2 and is coming off a 7-3 loss to Garden City. Hays started the season with a 29-8 loss to Scott City and then won an overtime thriller against Great Bend, 21-20, before shutting out Liberal, 20-0.

The Indians are led by senior quarterback Hunter Brown and junior running back and linebacker Keaton Markley.

Last season, Valley Center extended its winning streak to five games with a 20-6 victory at Hays. The Hornets didn't allow a touchdown.

Valley Center 21,

Newton 15

Valley Center 0 9 6 6 — 21

Newton 0 0 7 8 — 15

Scoring

VC — Aaron Coash 28-yard field goal. 11:10 2nd qtr.

VC — Coash 29-yard field goal. 5:55 2nd qtr.

VC — Coash 32-yard field goal. :17 2nd qtr.

N — Hunter Mapes 20-yard pass from Colton Davis (Guiterez kick). 7:56 3rd qtr.

VC — Kadin Pearson 65-yard pass from Parker Schrater (pass failed). :59 3rd qtr.

N — Boone Roberson 8-yard run (Davis run). 7:54 4th qtr.

VC — Larry Wilson 82-yard run (kick failed). :17 4th qtr.

Team stats

First downs — VC: 11; N: 11. Rushing — VC: 40-177; N: 37-144. Passing — VC: 7-12-153; N: 15-24-119. Total yards — VC: 330; N: 263. Fumbles lost — VC: 1; N: 2. Interception — VC: 0; N: 1. Punts-average — VC: 3-40.6; N: 4-44.7.

Individual stats

Rushing — VC: Larry Wilson 30-198-1, Parker Schrater 8-(-21)-0, Dalton Cross 1-1-0, Tyler Boone 1-(-)1-0. N: Colton Davis 21-60-0, Jamieson Jones 8-67-0, Isaiah Presley 4-2-0, Cyle Gautschi 2-1-0, Boone Roberson 2-14-1.

Receiving — VC: Dalton Cross 3-52-0, Kadin Pearson 2-73-1, Larry Wilson 1-17-0, Patrick Gillen 1-11-0. N: Hunter Mapes 5-48-1, Boone Roberson 4-20-0, Garret Pfannanstiel 3-17-0, Warren Dietz 2-14-0, Christopher Schwind 1-20-0.

Passing — VC: Parker Schrater 7-12-153-1-0. N: Colton Davis 15-24-119-1-1, Warren Dietz 0-1-0-0.

VC defensive stats

Tackles (solo-assisted) — Azarael Rodriguez 5-4, Dallas Boone 1-3, Zach Quandt 1-1 (2 passes defensed), Patrick Gillen 7-5 (1 QB sack, 1 QB hurry), Tyler Boone 5-6 (1 QB sack, 1 fumble recovery), Larry Wilson 4-2 (1 pass defensed), Caleb Rains 5-3, Blake Holt 1-0, Aaron Coash 4-0 (1 QB sack, 1 fumble caused), Spencer Niedens 1-0, Dalton Cross 2-1 (1 interception, 1 fumble recovery), Zach Williams 3-2 (3 passes defensed), Kadin Pearson 4-5, Brennan Ricks 1-4 (2 QB hurries).

VC special teams

Larry Wilson 1 punt return for 11 yards, 1 kickoff return for 29 yards; Aaron Coash 2 punts for 82 yards (54 long), 6 kickoffs for 354 yards (60 long, 5 touchbacks); Kadin Pearson 1 punt return for 16 yards, 1 punt for 40 yards; Zach Gillig 1 kickoff return for 18 yards.

VC scoring drives

•Tied 0-0 and starting at the Valley Center 7 with 3:43 left in the first quarter. RB Larry Wilson runs for eight yards on first down. Wilson breaks free on the left side for 15 yards on second down. Wilson picks up 28 yards on first-and-10 from the VC 30. Wilson is brought down for a loss of two. QB Parker Schrater connects with WR Dalton Cross for a gain of 30. On first-and-10 from the Newton 17, Wilson gains one up the middle. Wilson picks up four yards. End of the first quarter. Wilson is stopped for no gain on third down. Valley Center calls a timeout with 11:13 in the second quarter. 28-yard field goal from K Aaron Coash. Valley Center 3, Newton 0.

•Up 3-0 and starting at the Newton 28. Wilson gains four. Schrater connects with WR Kadin Pearson for eight. Schrater is brought down for a loss of two. Newton called for a five-yard penalty. On second-and-seven from the Newton 13, Schrater connects with Cross for a gain of 12. On first-and-goal from the one-yard-line, Schrater is stopped for no gain. Schrater is stopped for no gain twice more on second and third down. Wilson's touchdown on fourth down is called back for holding. On fourth-and-goal from the 11, Coash connects for a 29-yard field goal. Valley Center 6, Newton 0.

•Up 6-0 and starting on the Newton 44 with 3:03 left in the first half. Wilson breaks a tackle and picks up 16 yards. Schrater connects with cross for 11 yards. Wilson gains three yards on first-and-10 from the Newton 17. Wilson is stopped for no gain. Schrater is taken down for a loss of one. 32-yard field goal from Aaron Coash. Valley Center 9, Newton 0.

•Up 9-7 and starting at the Valley Center 36 late in the third quarter. Schrater is taken down for a loss of two. Wilson picks up one yard. Schrater scrambles in the backfield and connects with Pearson for a 65-yard touchdown. On the 2-pt conversion attempt, Schrater's pass to WR Zach Williams is incomplete. Valley Center 15, Newton 7.

•Tied 15-15 at the Valley Center 20 with 1:10 left in the fourth quarter. Wilson is stopped in the backfield for a loss of two. Wilson breaks through up the middle for an 82-yard touchdown run. The extra-point attempt is blocked. Valley Center 21, Newton 15.