Last year, the Broncos defeated the Tigers 14-10 in their meeting last season. Friday night, the Broncos and Tigers squared off again, not only for bragging rights, but to advance in the standings of their division.
After an electrifying 100 yard kickoff return by Ian Simon that started off the game with the Broncos up 8-0, the Tigers displayed how competitive the matchup would be when they retaliated with a one yard rushing touchdown by running back Damon Bullock to make the score 7-eight with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter. On their fourth offensive possession, the Tigers took the lead when quarterback Jerod Evans connected with wide receiver Gary Davis for a 22 yard touchdown that put the Tigers up 13-8. Being down six points, the Bronco offense got its first touchdown when quarterback Quentin Hasten connected with wide receiver Marchie Murdock for a 31 yard touchdown pass to put the Broncos up 14-13. With only 1:12 left in the half, the Tigers drove the ball to the Legacy 10 yard line. However two defensive pass break ups by cornerback Rashad Davis, held the Tigers to a field goal and to only be up 16-14 into halftime.
“We felt pretty confident at halftime,” Simon said. “We were amped up, the coaches were amped up, and I knew we were going to win the game.”
The Tiger offense took just three minutes into the second half to score another touchdown when running back Kenneth Burks ran it in from seven yards out to put the Tigers up 23-14. The Tiger offense scored two more consecutive touchdowns to give them a 23 point lead over the Broncos 37-14. However, hope was not diminished from the Broncos.
“Defensively we wanted to get a stop because we knew our offense can score points on anybody,” Simon said. “The team as a whole was not down. We knew we could comeback and win the game it was just a matter of time.”
A drive that was kick started by an immaculate one-handed catch by wide receiver Josh Doctson, ended with a 1 yard touchdown rush by Hasten to tighten the score 37-21. The broncos got the break they needed when a fumbled handoff by Mansfield was recovered by Legacy and gave them another shot to get back into the ball game. The Bronco offense took two plays to respond, With Hasten finding Doctson deep again, this time for a 65 yard touchdown pass to make it an 8 point late in the fourth quarter. Doctson ended the night with 7 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. With little time left in the game, the bronco defense needed to stop the Tiger offense and get their offense the ball back. The defense rose to the challenge and forced the Tigers to a 3 and out, and gave their hot offense the ball back with 4 minutes left in the game to tie it. Hasten led his team down to the Tiger 35 yard line with two minutes left in the game. However, on a fade intended for Murdock, Hasten was intercepted in the end zone and the Broncos late comeback was halted. The time ran out, and the Broncos ended on the losing end 37-29.
“It’s tough to take but we’re going to take it,” Head Coach Chris Melson said. “We have three weeks left and if we win them all we’ll be in the playoffs. That won’t be easy but our kids believe and I know we can do it.”
