Redskins Rise to the Occasion

With 59 seconds and 79 yards to travel and their season on the line, the Liberal Redskins put together their most clutch drive in recent memory. LHS finished the drive with a Britton Abbott 13 yard TD pass to Trenton Hammond into a crowd of defenders with 1 second left for a season saving score. LHS won 36-31 as Hammond rose up above the crowd and made the catch in the corner of the endzone. The win means the Redskins are in the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Trenton Hammond intercepted a pass with 4:34 to play in the first quarter. LHS would turn it to points when Abbott converted a 4th and 11 with a 30 yard TD pass to Hammond and LHS got the two to make it 8-0 with 2:22 to play in the first. But as Liberal flooded their kickoff team to the left, Goddard’s Dustin Marx simple returned the squib kick to the opposite side for a 64 yard kick return for a score to make the score 8-7. A six yard shoved pass from Abbott to Rex Heronemus gave LHS a 16-7 lead after the two point conversion. Liberal was deep in Eisenhower territory when Abbott tossed an interception. LHS led 16-7 at the half.

Liberal pinned the Tigers deep on the first possession of the second half and forced a punt which Hammond returned to the EHS 27. But another Abbott INT gave the Tigers the ball. LHS held again and when Abbott lofted a touchdown over the top of the LHS sideline to Hammond, LHS had a 22-7 lead after the 68 yard strike. But Eisenhower came right back and a 60 yard swingout pass from Dalton Dinkel to Bailey Strunk made it 22-14. LHS drove the ball but they were stopped on fourth and goal from the seven. Eisenhowers’ Blake Lynch kicked a 46 yard field goal to make it 22-17 LHS with 7:05 to play.

Liberal went for it on 4th and 3 from their own 9 and didn’t get the first down. On the next play, 240 pound Dylan Thompson ran it into the north endzone from 10 yards out to give the Tigers a 24-22 lead with 5:01 to play.

LHS came back on a drive in which Abbott did most of the rushing for LHS. He finished the drive wit ha two yard sneak with 2:15 to play and after the two, it was 30-24.

Eisenhower came right back and Dinkle feathered a pass over the top to Trevon Evans for a 36 yard score to give the Tigers a 31-30 lead.

LHS began the game’s decisive drive from their own 21 with 59 seconds remaining and two timeouts. Liberal ran a second down play from the 13 with nine seconds left and Abbott’s pass floated in the air and Hammond vaulted into the sky for the winning score with 1.4 seconds remaining.

Liberal had 527 yards including 255 Abbott rushing yards and Eisenhower had 361 yards which is twice their average. Abbott had four TD passes, two interceptions, and Hammond caught three TD’s.

Liberal is 5-3 and hosts 8-0 Bishop Carroll for the district 8 title Friday at 7 on 1270 and kscbnews.net. Eisenhower is 2-6.