For most high school athletes, lining up for a game-winning field goal to try to extend your team’s undefeated season can be a nerve-racking situation. Still, for senior Quinton Doughty, he embraced the situation.
Doughty lined up for a 33-yard game-winning field goal attempt with just 2.9 seconds remaining with the game tied at 28-28 and was iced twice by the Glendale coaching staff.
But it was the two-sport athlete (soccer and football) who buried the field goal as time expired over the front goal post to move Lebanon to 5-0 on the season, winning 31-28 at Falcon Stadium.
“I can’t lie; it is a scary thing being out there,” Doughty said after the game. “I think them (Glendale) icing me twice actually gave me a lot more time to calm down and think about the kick, though.
“It means the world to get this win for these guys. It is a feeling that is unmatched. I wanted the ball in the middle, and the rest took care of itself.”
Doughty mentioned that he is comfortable around the range of where he kicked from, even though he missed a 40-yard field goal before halftime.
Another tidbit that fans might find interesting is that Doughty and the Lebanon soccer team had a game at New Covenant on Friday afternoon. Doughty arrived to the football game just minutes before kickoff, and hours later, became a hero for his team.
Things got interesting in the fourth quarter after the ‘Jackets marched down the field with the game tied at 22-22 and scored a rushing touchdown from junior Cade Muscia after a ten-play, 69-yard drive. The two-point try, however, was unsuccessful and had LHS hanging on to a six-point lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons returned the kick 90-yards the other way and scored with 2:30 left to tie the game. On the PAT attempt, senior Zack Rose came through the line and blocked the kick to keep the score tied.
Lebanon would drive down the field with three timeouts remaining and got a much-needed 16-yard rush from sophomore Gavin Smith to help keep the drive alive. Lebanon would run three more plays before lining up for the game-winning kick.
A key factor that decided the game was the time of possession. Lebanon ran 84 plays from scrimmage, while the Falcons had just 30 plays of offense. Muscia was outstanding for LHS, rushing 47 carries for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Peyton Mitchell was an unsung hero completing five of his seven passing attempts for 103 yards, one touchdown, and a two-point pass.
“After games like that, you are pretty worn out, but I am so excited for our kids and community,” head coach Will Christian said after the game. “It was a great win against a great football team. I have to tip my cap to Glendale for playing good football and played great defense.”
Through four weeks, Kurtis Allen’s defense has allowed more than 21 points just once this season. They held an air-raid offense to 176 total yards and have been rock solid so far this year.
“I thought our defense did a great job,” Christian said of his team. “I thought we did a great job of staying dialed in for doing what we needed to do to win this game.”
Glendale started the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to go up 8-0. Lebanon got their first touchdown from Muscia with 11:04 left in the second quarter but failed the two-point try.
After a stop from the LHS defense, Lebanon drove 91 yards on seven plays as Mitchell connected with senior Drew Truelove on a 59-yard pitch-and-catch for a long touchdown. Mitchell found sophomore Gunner Williams on the two-point try to extend the lead to 14-8.
Glendale opened up the third quarter with a fourth-down stop of Lebanon and scored on a 51-yard score after busted coverage to make it 14-14 with 7:56 left in the third quarter.
Muscia punched a ball in from the four-yard line, and the Falcons had a 19-yard quarterback run to tie the game, 22-22, with 8:26 left in the contest.
What went right: Tristan Wilson is the real deal. There were multiple times throughout the game where I got caught watching him and was in awe of what he was doing upfront for the ‘Jackets. He opened numerous holes for Muscia throughout the night and deserves a lot of credit, as does the entire LHS offensive line.
What went wrong: The kickoff coverage team for Lebanon was sub-par. They allowed two kickoff returns for touchdowns and must be better moving forward, especially with West Plains coming to town next Friday.
Up next: The No. 6 (Class 5) ranked Lebanon Yellowjackets will play host to the No. 2 ranked (Class 4) West Plains Zizzers in a game that should decide the Ozark Conference title. The kickoff is at 7 p.m., and fans won’t want to miss the game at ‘Jacket Stadium.
