Dragons slip past Tornado

The Purple Dragons overcame turnovers, missed extra points and penalties to win the first game of the season, defeating the Field Kindley Golden Tornado, 33-27, in a proverbial nail-biter and barn-burner.

Senior Jordan Elliott won his first game as starting quarterback. He scored two goalline rushing touchdowns, passed for two touchdowns and converted a fourth-down on a risky 8-yard run where Elliott chose running the ball over punting away to Field Kindley. This first down run led to a Pittsburg touchdown. He added an interception on the defensive side of the ball; Elliott intercepted six passes last season.

Pittsburg and Field Kindley exchanged three-and-outs most of the first quarter, exhibiting symptoms of traditional first-game jitters.

Field Kindley struck first on a 37-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Cory Turner to senior wide receiver Cameron Craig. Craig ran a post route and made it behind the Purple Dragon coverage. Turner hit Craig down the middle of the field and Craig finished the rest. The Field Kindley placekicker missed the extra point and Field Kindley led Pittsburg 6-0 at 1:28 in the first quarter. The Field Kindley four-play scoring drive amassed 48 yards in 1:28.

Pittsburg countered Field Kindley the next possession and scored its first touchdown of the 2010 season, on a 2-yard touchdown run by Elliott. The drive started near the end of the first quarter, ended at 8:08 in the second quarter and totaled 12 plays and 71 yards. A Golden Tornado penalty gave placekicker Drew Mattson a second chance and took full advantage of his opportunity to give his team a one-point lead.

Elliott threw his first touchdown pass, a 44-yard strike to junior wide receiver Joe Wimmer. In what became a pattern for both teams, Mattson missed the extra point and the score remained 13-6 in favor of the Dragons.

The multi-purpose scoring threat, Craig scored his second touchdown of the evening, on a 24-yard touchdown run. The Golden Tornado called a wide receiver sweep and Craig made a spin move at the Purple Dragon 15 to leave the defenders in the dust. The Golden Tornado skipped the extra point and ran in the two-point conversion to lead the Purple Dragons by one point, 14-13. Two interceptions derailed the Purple Dragons at the end of the second quarter and the score remained the same at the half.

On their first second half drive, Elliott completed a pass to senior wide receiver Connor Menghini and Menghini fumbled in opponent territory. Field Kindley expanded their lead to seven, 20-13, and it remained that score after the placekicker missed the extra point.

Pittsburg tied the game on a nine-play, 77-yard drive, culminating in a second Elliott and Wimmer touchdown pass and catch connection, this one 18 yards. Mattson added the extra point, tying up the game at 20.

After a Kevin Harvey interception with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, Pittsburg took their final lead on an Elliott 1-yard touchdown run the first play of the fourth quarter. Mattson’s extra point kick gave Pittsburg a touchdown cushion.

A series of penalties and turnovers affected both teams. Junior running back and returner Marcus Striplin had a punt return for touchdown called back on a holding penalty and senior running back Rashawn Davis fumbled, recoved by Field Kindley. Striplin would later have a kick return called back on a block in the back penalty. Field Kindley shot themselves in the foot with late-second play clock time-outs and one illegal substitution penalty that negated a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Streplin finished the Purple Dragons scoring with a four-yard touchdown run, with 5:58 remaining in the game.
Senior fullback Christian Boor set up the short yardage score on a 56-yard fullback blast straight up the middle, tripped up and ending at the opponents’ four.

Field Kindley would not go quietly into the night and cut the Purple Dragons lead down to seven on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Turner to wide receiver Allen Williams. The placekicker added the final point scored.

Pittsburg ran down the game clock with running plays and the final play of the game only illustrated the difficulties with game management that plagued Field Kindley head coach Murray Zogg’s first game coaching the Golden Tornado. The officials drained the final two seconds off the clock and Field Kindley was caught off-guard.

The Purple Dragons (1-0, 1-0) play the Columbus Titans at home Sept. 10 and Field Kindley (0-1, 0-1) travels to Fort Scott for its next game.