The Missouri district playoffs were underway Friday night. And, at this point of the season, you never count any teams out despite their record.
The North Kansas City Hornets (3-7) had not won a single road game all season long. However, they went to Truman (3-7) and defeated the Patriots in the Missouri First Round playoff game 28-25. Head Coach Leon Douglas certainly knew his team had what it took to accomplish that task.
"These seniors, this football team, they earned it tonight," Douglas said. "We came out and fought. We did a decent job of stopping the run early. [We] made them pass. That was something they didn't wanna necessarily do. But, we [were] able to hold there at the end."
This game started out with the Hornets jumping out to an early 21-0 lead over the Patriots. North Kansas City Senior Cornerback Rasean Weathers got his team fired up with a 65-yard punt return touchdown to break the ice and the Hornets on the board in the first quarter.
The North Kansas City defense came up big early on. Truman Junior Running Back Dave Rivera fumbled the ball while being tackled. Junior Middle Linebacker Craig Lee Travis III recovered the fumble which gave the North KC offense great field position. Four plays later, after the fumble recovery, Junior Quarterback Maxwell Franklin threw a beautiful touchdown pass to A.J. Williams that made it 14-0 Hornets.
The Patriots didn't let the early 21-point deficit discourage them. They scored 12 unanswered points to cut the lead by nine at halftime.
In the second quarter, Truman Sophomore Quarterback Donald Edmondson found Senior Tight End Terrance Fielder all alone for a touchdown to get the Patriots on the board. They would miss the extra point. Later in the second quarter, Truman Junior Running Back Dave Rivera would atone for the earlier fumble. He scampered down the sidelines for a 41-yard touchdown run, but would miss a two-point conversion. North KC still lead 21-12 with just under eight minutes left in the second quarter. The Hornets were certainly nervous after two quarters.
"Just stay resilient," Coach Douglas told his Hornets team at halftime. "Just keep making plays in all three phases of the game. And, we did that."
North KC took their marching orders and extended the lead to 28-12 in the third quarter. But, Sophomore Running Back Alex Kimble found the end zone from three yards out bringing the Patriots to within 28-18. Truman would again miss a critical two-point conversion as Rasean Weathers intercepted the pass.
The Patriots defense gave their team a fighting chance to win the playoff game and advance to the second round. They held North KC scoreless for the final quarter-and-a-half. Truman's Alex Kimble would score his second rushing touchdown of the day - another three yard run closing the deficit to 28-25 with 5:06 left in the 4th quarter.
A quirky play with an odd finish kept Truman in the game with under two minutes to play. North KC punted on fourth down. However, Truman Senior Wide Receiver Malik Robinson muffed the punt. North KC's Trevon Rhodes pounced on the ball in the end zone in what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown. However, it ruled a touchback after an officials conference, all to the dismay of the Hornets sideline.
The ruling - the defender could not possess the ball following a muffed punt and retain possession if that possession was gained in the end zone. The defender could only possess the ball in the field of play, that was not the end zone, for it to be considered a change of possession. Therefore, the initial call of touchdown was changed to touchback, thus making it Truman's ball.
Rasean Weathers did seal the deal on the very next play with an interception under a minute to go in the fourth quarter. That capped a monster game by Weathers: an interception, a punt return for a touchdown,
"He's a great player," Coach Douglas said. "He's a team-first guy. Essentially, this week, for the most part, he's playing a lot of Linebacker. But, when [Truman] started to open it up, you know, he went back to his natural spot at [Defensive Back]. And, he took care of business when we got opportunities."
Coach Douglas knew the Patriots were going to give it everything they had up until the final whistle. But, in the end, North KC ended Truman's season. The Hornets earned the win and moved on to the second round of the playoffs to play Park Hill South next Friday night.
"[Truman's] a good football team," Coach Douglas said. "They took Battle down to overtime at their place. So, we knew that they just weren't gonna quit. We're [now] just trying to take it one day at a time. Enjoy it tonight. Embrace it. Watch the film. And, get ready to go next week, you know, with that same mindset. We gotta win or we go home."
North Kansas City's P. Price blocks punt and falls on it for a touchdown. NKC leads 21-0 on the road. About as good a start as they wanted.
— Ryan H. Marshall (@RMarshallSports) October 22, 2016
That's the end of the 1st quarter. North Kansas City leads Truman 21 to 0.
— Ryan H. Marshall (@RMarshallSports) October 22, 2016
Dave Rivera runs for a 41 yard Truman TD. They miss the 2-pt conversion. NKC's lead is shrinking at 21-12 in the 2nd quarter. It's a game!
— Ryan H. Marshall (@RMarshallSports) October 22, 2016
NKC's Trevon Rhodes intercepts a Truman pass. NKC leads 21-12 @ halftime. NKC hasn't won a road game all year. They're trying 2 change that.
— Ryan H. Marshall (@RMarshallSports) October 22, 2016
Truman's Alex Kimble scores 3 yd TD run. NKC leads 28-25 w/ 5:06 left in 4Q. It's coming down to a fantastic finish in this playoff game.
— Ryan H. Marshall (@RMarshallSports) October 22, 2016
NKC kneels on the ball. They defeat Truman 28-25 in our Hy-Vee Big game matchup. What a game.
— Ryan H. Marshall (@RMarshallSports) October 22, 2016
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Ryan Marshall can be reached at Ryan.Marshall@KSHB.com.
