FootballLast-second field goal attempt wide left
By: Steve Feitl
The Lawrence Cardinal football team lost its third straight game Saturday, but may have turned in its best performance of the season.
The Cardinals (1-3) were narrowly defeated by Hamilton (2-1) when a last-second 43-yard field goal attempt by kicker Ryan Dunn was just wide left. Hamilton escaped with the 27-24 victory.
While in defeat, head coach Rob Radice saw a lot of positives in the way his team brought it to the heavily favored Hamilton squad.
"The kids played hard," Radice said. "I’m proud of the way they fought to the end. They played with life and enthusiasm."
There also were very few of the mental errors that plagued the Cardinals a week earlier. Indeed, this was a different Cardinal squad that took the field on Saturday.
"Our effort was just outstanding," Radice said. "I think it shows we can play with the top teams in the county."
The Cardinals showed Hamilton early that the game would be no cakewalk. Lawrence limited the Hornets to a net of just three yards on their first six offensive plays before punting. But on the next drive, Hamilton quarterback Steve Lattin hit Jarred Crowley on a 24-yard touchdown strike.
After trading the ball twice, the Lawrence defense stepped up with a big play. On a third-and-seven at the Hamilton 23-yard line, Lattin found Crowley again this time on a screen. But Lawrence’s Jamar Tigget levied a crushing blow to Crowley, who put the ball on the ground for linebacker Calvin Cason to pick up and carry the remaining 22 yards for the defensive touchdown.
"Calvin really picked us up right there," Radice said of the score with 7:32 to go in the half.
The Cardinal celebration was short-lived, however. The Hornets took their next possession down to the Lawrence 14-yard line in seven plays. From there, Lattin found receiver Pierre Odom with a 14-yard touchdown strike and a 14-7 lead.
But Lawrence came roaring back. Powered by 42 yards on four carries, Orlando Kane led the Cardinals to the Hamilton 23-yard line where Charlie Park found John Nalbone, who had a step on two Hamilton defenders and tied the game at 14-14 with 1:24 to go in the half.
Kane did not score on the day, but did pick up 281 yards on the ground for the Cardinals.
However, Lawrence would not carry the tie into halftime. With just 15 seconds left in the half, Lattin completed to Tamar Williams, who took it 52 yards for the late score.
Hamilton had the 21-14 lead and the ball to start off the second half, but again the Lawrence defense stepped up. This time, junior lineman Jason Williams recovered a Hamilton fumble at the Hornet 29-yard line. It led to 44-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Dunn that fell just short of the uprights.
On their next possession, Kane had a 25-yard dash to the Hamilton 1-yard line. When Lawrence was unable to punch it in on three consecutive plays, Dunn stepped up and nailed the field goal to narrow the Hamilton lead to 21-17.
That lead would grow on the next Hamilton possession, however. This time, Lattin hit tight end Justin Johnson for the 27-yard touchdown. Kicker Dan Roberts extra-point attempt was no good however, so the score remained at 27-17.
Lawrence marched to the Hamilton 16-yard line with time starting to become an issue. From there, Park showed great poise avoiding a sack, scrambling and finding Emir Davis for a first down at the 5-yard line. Davis wasn’t satisfied though, and dragged a Hornet defender into the end zone. With the Dunn extra-point, Lawrence trailed 27-24 with just 7:21 to go.
Hamilton looked to put the Cardinals away with another score, but Kane stepped up and stripped Trey Peterson at the Lawrence 8-yard line. Sophomore Juan Jurado made the recovery at the 4-yard line with just 3:50 to go.
A illegal motion penalty dropped Lawrence back another two yards, but Kane made that up and more when he took a pitch right 98 yards for an apparent go-ahead touchdown. However, a clipping penalty at the 50-yard line brought the ball all the way back to the Lawrence 35-yard line.
Lawrence desperately tried to get back into field goal range, including a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-one and a 12-yard Kane scramble on a blown halfback option pass on third-and-ten. Finally, it came down to fourth-and-seven from the Hamilton 26-yard line. Dunn’s 43-yard attempt from the left hash mark was long enough, but slightly wide left in the swirling wind at LHS Saturday.
While the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, the Cardinals still hope to build on the effort at Steinert this weekend. Game time is 1 p.m. Saturday.
"The kids played hard and didn’t back down," Radice said. "I think we’re stepping in the right direction."