By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Another classic was added to the annals of the storied War on 24 rivalry Friday night, with host Silver Lake coming from behind to win 33-26 in overtime over rival Rossville.
Silver Lake senior quarterback Dysen Schooler passed for 264 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' 33-36 overtime win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Allen Lees scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime in Silver Lake's 33-26 overtime win over Rossville Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Rossville shocked the Silver Lake faithful by grabbing a 10-0 advantage early and leading for most of the contest. When Bulldawg quarterback Tayson Horak bowled his way into the end zone to put Rossville ahead 26-23 with just 35 seconds remaining, the upset appeared all but complete.
But Silver Lake wasn’t done yet.
The Eagles’ senior quarterback Dysen Schooler, making his first start, calmly managed the clock and guided Silver Lake the length of the field. When the offense stalled at the 5-yard line with just 1.4 seconds remaining, Schooler banged home a 22-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, in which each team would begin an offensive series from the 10-yard line.
Possessing the ball first, Silver Lake went up 33-26 on a 2-yard score by Allen Lees.
Rossville advanced to the 5-yard line on two running plays before an incompletion forced fourth down. Horak was stopped short of the goal line on a desperate run into heavy traffic, ending the Bulldawgs’ upset bid.
“For our kids to step up like they did, I couldn’t be happier,” said Silver Lake coach Logan Pegram. “To see them respond the way they did in week one shows a lot of character. It was a team effort.”
Rossville dominated the entire first half, scoring on its first two possessions – a field goal by Vincent Daniel and a short touchdown run by Horak. The Silver Lake offense was completely throttled until its final drive of the half. Though the long drive ended in a field goal at the buzzer, Silver Lake gained at least a hint of momentum to go to the locker room trailing 10-3.
Pegram praised the defense for keeping the game close.
“The defense bailed us out of this game,” Pegram said. “The score might not have shown a defensive effort, but I think anyone who was here tonight noticed what happened.”
Senior JP Whitehead celebrates a touchdown with Logan Cathcart in Friday's 33-26 Silver Lake overtime win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Schooler, held to just 55 yards passing in the first half, came out clicking after the intermission. He hit on several long passes, including a 57-yard touchdown to JP Whitehead and a 56-yard scoring strike to Dayne Johnson. The senior completed 16 of 29 throws for 264 yards. He also booted two clutch field goals and three extra points.
“A lot of people might have wondered ‘What’s Dysen going to bring?’ But he’s a competitor,” Pegram said of the senior quarterback/kicker. “You saw that with some of those field goals down the stretch.”
“It feels good to finally get to start. I’ve been sitting behind Tanner Martin, who was a really good quarterback, for three years,” Schooler said. “I felt good on the kick (at the end of regulation). I had a couple of those last year, so I wasn’t too nervous.”
Silver Lake had to rely on Schooler’s throwing arm. The Eagles were limited to just 24 yards rushing on 21 attempts.
“(Rossville coach Derick Hammes) does a great job of making you play left-handed,” Pegram said. “He’s going to stack the box and see what a senior quarterback who hasn’t ever started a game (will do).”
A contest typically loaded with playoff implications took on a slightly different tone this year. Both teams were playing their first games as members of the newly minted Big East League. The Bulldawgs have dropped to Class 1A, meaning a playoff meeting between the two rivals is no longer a possibility.
But that did nothing to diminish the rivalry.
Rossville senior Tayson Horak had 245 total yards and scored two touchdowns in the Bulldawgs' 33-36 overtime loss to Silver Lake Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Rossville was led by Horak, who made his first start at quarterback. He completed 10 of 19 throws for 87 yards, while rushing for 158 yards on 19 carries.
Rossville running back Conner Bush added 45 yards on 15 rushes.
For Silver Lake, which claimed its third consecutive win over Rossville, Johnson was a dynamic receiving threat, hauling in 11 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Brody Deiter added two clutch receptions for 60 yards.
SILVER LAKE 33, ROSSVILLE 26 (OT)
Rossville (0-1, 0-1) 3 7 3 13 0 -- 26
Silver Lake (1-0, 1-0) 0 3 7 16 7 -- 33
Rossville – Daniel 24 FG
Rossville – Horak 3 run (Daniel kick)
Silver Lake – Schooler 21 FG
Rossville – Daniel 25 FG
Silver Lake – Johnson 5 pass from Schooler (Schooler kick)
Silver Lake – Johnson 56 pass from Schooler (kick failed)
Rossville – Horak 7 run (kick failed)
Silver Lake – Whitehead 57 pass from Schooler (Schooler kick)
Rossville – Horak 1 run (Daniel kick)
Silver Lake – Schooler 22 FG
Silver Lake – Lees 2 run (Schooler kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing -- Rossville: C. Bush 15-45, Horak 19-158, Catron 3-(minus)5, Johnson 3-5, Jackson 1-3. Silver Lake: Lees 8-17, Schooler 11-6, Willett 2-1.
Passing -- Rossville: Horak 10-19-0 87 yards, Mitchell 1-2-0 2 yards. Silver Lake: Schooler 16-29-0 264 yards.
Receiving -- Rossville: Bush 3-18, Donovan 4-33, Badura 1-16, Horak 1-2, Jackson 2-20. Silver Lake: Rollenhagen 2-(minus)2, Johnson 11-149, Deiter 2-60, Whitehead 1-57.
Punting -- Rossville: B. Bush 5-35.6. Silver Lake: Schooler 6-27.7.
