Alva Review-Courier -

Friday night's game could have gone either way as Alva hosted Christian Heritage Academy in the first round of football playoffs. By the end of the third quarter, it looked like Alva would be ending its season.

The Goldbugs trailed 14-6 at halftime. CHA put two more TDs on the scoreboard in the third, 26-6. But the Alva team caught fire in the fourth, tying the score with about five minutes left and finishing it off 33-26 with a minute to spare.

The home crowd went wild, showing their appreciation of the Goldbugs' effort. The crowd made their presence known even before the Alva comeback. Before the end of the first half, the Crusaders objected to the car horns honking. The referees talked with both sides, announcements were made to go easy on the horns, and the game continued.

Alva Head Coach Taylor Schwerdtfeger said, "Friday night's win is a true testament to the character of these young men and this coaching staff. You won't find an ounce of quit in anyone here. I am so proud to be the coach of this team and be able to represent our community on the state level with a playoff victory. It's been a special season to this point, and we are going to go on the road and face an extremely talented opponent in Lindsay next week."

No doubt the coaches and players would like to import the entire Alva fan base to that road game in Lindsay. Coach Schwerdtfeger added, "I want to say a special thank you to the fans who came out to the game and made it such an electric atmosphere to play in! It's a special place to call home, and we LOVE to hear you honking those horns, showing your fight and pride for Alva! It was definitely a game we will always remember."

Cold First Half for Alva

As in earlier contests, the Goldbugs seemed to need time to adapt to their opponent's style of play. Alva started the game with the football, getting a couple of first downs and advancing to the middle of the field. The Crusaders stopped the drive there, and Mitchell Meyer punted the ball way back to the CHA nine yard line.

Christian Heritage quarterback Camden Cargill guided his team down the field with a series of short passes to Zach Hale, Bridge Bullard and Hutch Hendrickson. Alva's defense didn't allow any breakout runs, but they were unable to stop the relentless advance. With CHA at the six yard line, Goldbug Jacob Faulkner nearly intercepted a pass, but on the next play Cargill connected with Bullard for the first touchdown. Cargill ran in the extra two point conversion, and CHA led 8-0.

Alva had a couple of minutes left in the first quarter to score. But fortune did not smile on the Goldbugs. On the first play, Meyer handed off to Dalton Hess, the ball popped out of his grasp and CHA fell on it.

The Crusaders took over on the Alva 27 yard line. They advanced the ball to the 20 in three plays before the end of the first period. With three yards to go for a first down, Cargill threw an incomplete pass intended for Hendrickson who was in in the end zone. The Goldbug coverage was impenetrable, and Alva had the ball back.

In five plays, Alva moved the ball 23 yards, but the drive stalled out. Meyer had to punt, and CHA took possession of the ball at their 32. After four plays, it was CHA's turn to punt.

Alva started on their 30 and successfully advanced into Crusader territory in a series of runs by Meyer and Hess. The drive ran into trouble when a holding penalty set Alva back on a third down, but Meyer connected with Davion Murrow to put Alva 24 yards from the goal. Meyer then threw to T.W. Beiswanger in the end zone for the touchdown. Beiswanger had to fight off Bullard to haul in the pass. The two point conversion failed, and Alva trailed by two points, 8-6.

A personal foul was called on the Goldbugs in the ensuing kickoff, moving the Crusaders to the 35 yard line. Cargill's next two passes were incomplete. A flag was thrown, and a referee gave the Alva coaching staff a sideline warning with no penalty. At third and ten, it looked like Bullard was preparing to punt with a running kick of the ball. He was pressured and switched to a run, making the first down.

With about three minutes left in the half, the Crusaders made it to the Alva 12 yard line in six plays. Cargill threw to Bullard who was stopped one yard from the goal. Cargill threw to Hale who was tackled for a loss of a yard. With 11 seconds to go, Alva called a timeout. Cargill's next pass was incomplete due to Alva coverage.

That's when CHA called a timeout and complained about the honking horns. When play resumed, Cargill kept the ball and dived across the goal line for the TD. Their conversion attempt was no good. The half ended with the Crusaders leading 14-6.

Third Quarter Belongs to Crusaders

Christian Heritage started the second half with the football. In five plays and five first downs, CHA was at the Alva 12. Cargill threw the ball to Bullard who had to spin a bit to make the catch and waltz into the end zone. CHA failed again on the conversion, and Alva was behind 14 at 20-6.

Alva started from the 20. Two handoffs to Hess and a pass to Beiswanger advanced them to the 32 and a first down. In the next series, Meyer threw to sophomore Reece Martin who apparently said something to a Crusader, drawing a flag. The ball was set back 15 yards. The next pass play was incomplete. With 22 yards to go on a fourth down, Meyer had to punt.

The Crusaders took over at their 47. An offside call on Alva assisted them in making the first down. On the next series, it was CHA who drew a flag on the second play. At second and 15, Cargill threw to Caleb Corff. Goldbug Murrow collided with Corff and the ball was dropped, but the referees ruled the pass complete. There was no gain on the play. CHA pulled out their double pass play. Cargill threw to Bullard who then connected with a receiver running near the sideline who carried the ball into the end zone. Again the conversion failed, and Christian Heritage led 26-20,

With about four minutes left in the third, Alva started at their 39. In nine plays, Alva was in scoring territory at the CHA 13.

Fourth Quarter Comeback

The Goldbugs started the fourth quarter with a first down pass from Meyer to Beiswanger to put Alva one yard from a goal. Meyer ran it in for the TD. Cameron Gordon's kick was good, and Alva narrowed the lead to 26-13.

The Crusaders' possession of the ball was short-lived. Starting at the 20, Cargill passed to Tyson. Murrow's tackle knocked the ball loose, and Alva recovered it at the CHA 13.

In four plays, Alva scored on a pass from Meyer to Murrow. The conversion attempt failed, and CHA's lead was cut to 26-19.

The Crusaders failed on three of four pass attempts and had to punt from their 37.

Despite a false start penalty on the second play, Alva advanced into CHA land on a 20 yard pass play from Meyer to Murrow. Hess carried twice. Then Meyer found an open path and ran the ball 35 yards for a touchdown. Gordon's kick was good, and Alva had tied the score 26-26 with just over five minutes left on the game clock.

The Goldbugs held the Crusaders to within four yards of the line of scrimmage. At fourth and six, would CHA punt? A false start was called on CHA, moving them back five yards. Bullard lined up to punt, but he dropped a bad snap and fell on it.

Alva took over on the CHA 32. Four plays put the ball just over the first down mark. With a couple of minutes left, Alva was at the CHA 23. Meyer handed to Hess who scampered to the five. Another play moved the ball within one. Meyer ran it in, and Gordon kicked the extra point. Alva led for the first time, 33-26.

With less than a minute left, the Crusaders managed two first downs to the 46. That's where Alva held them as the clock ran out. Alva took possession of the ball with five seconds left.

Stats

Alva gained 331 yards on 55 plays and scored five touchdowns. Rushing accounted for 40 plays, 183 yards and three TDs. The remaining 148 yards came on 11 passes including two TDs.

Christian Heritage managed 66 plays for 312 yards with four TDs and one fumble. CHA is dependent on passing as evidenced by only 51 yards rushing on 19 plays. They rushed for one touchdown. The Crusaders connected on only 26 of 47 pass attempts for 261 yards and three TDs.

Lynn L. Martin

Alva's No. 7, Reece Martin, defends on a pass intended for the Crusaders' Hutch Hendrickson (20).

Alva quarterback Meyer made 11 of 15 passing attempts for 148 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball 16 times for 77 yards and the other three TDs. Murrow caught five balls for 63 yards and one TD. Beiswanger caught four passes for 79 yards and one TD. Martin caught the ball twice for six yards. On the defense, Murrow caused one fumble and Lane Scarbrough recovered it.

Up Next

The Alva Goldbugs advance in the 2A playoffs and will play Lindsay there on Friday, Nov. 17. The OSSAA shows game time at 7:30 p.m. Lindsay defeated Marietta 40-8 Friday.

Of the other three District 1 teams making the playoffs, two will advance while one has ended their season. Chisholm defeated Meeker 37-7 and Hennessey narrowly beat Luther 21-20. Chisholm meets Washington Friday, and Hennessey will play Davis. Tonkawa is out of the playoffs after a 63-0 loss to Millwood.