If Edinburgh is going to put together its first winning season in 29 years, it’ll need to make a postseason run to do it.
Host Park Tudor rudely ended the Lancers’ regular season on Friday night, scoring the game’s final 37 points to pull away for a 57-12 win.
“We were running the ball well in the first half,” Edinburgh coach Tyler DeSpain said. “I think our kids just got exhausted. We only had 22 kids … I basically went with six linemen the whole night.”
The Lancers (4-4) ate up most of the opening quarter on their first possession, putting themselves in position to get on the scoreboard first with Enrique Callejas’ 25-yard field goal at the 2:21 mark. Edinburgh’s lead lasted a mere 64 seconds, however, before a Park Tudor touchdown made the score 7-3.
Callejas converted another field goal, this one from 35 yards, to get the Lancers within one with 9:38 remaining in the half, but the Panthers again answered three with seven, scoring another touchdown to go up 14-6 with 5:32 on the clock.
After falling behind by 14, Edinburgh created a much-needed break when Brayden Cratty recovered a Park Tudor fumble in the end zone after a Jackson Hartwell strip sack, making it a one-score game yet again at 20-12. The Panthers were able to regroup and score again before halftime, however, and took a 28-12 lead into the locker room.
As it turned out, the Lancers never got any closer. Park Tudor racked up three touchdowns in the third quarter, setting the running clock in motion.
Having dropped four in a row after a 4-0 start, DeSpain is hopeful his team can right the ship in time to begin sectional play with a victory. The Lancers will be home against Knightstown next Friday, and could get another home date against winless Cambridge City Lincoln in the semifinal round should they advance.
“Our kids felt really good going into halftime,” DeSpain said. “They looked at that as a win for them. … Our kids are upbeat about it, and they’re ready for Knightstown.”
