(Glenwood) Atlantic defeated a tough Glenwood squad 35-34 in an overtime thriller in a high school football game at Glenwood on Friday night.
The Trojans made an early breakthrough when Ethan McNeal returned the opening kick-off 95 yards for a touchdown, putting them in the lead at 7-0 after Hadin Thompson’s successful extra point. Thompson had a flawless performance, kicking five-for-five extra points, including a crucial attempt in overtime.
In response, the Rams made a long kick-off return and advanced inside the five-yard line. Despite the pressure, Atlantic’s defensive front held firm, denying the Rams a touchdown and forcing a 20-yard field goal from Jose Diaz, narrowing the gap to 7-3 midway through the first quarter. Glenwood settled in on offense and mounted a drive that ended with quarterback Cole Staudt’s seven-yard touchdown run. The extra-point attempt failed, and the Rams maintained a narrow 9-7 lead. The Trojans then drove to the Ram’s three-yard line, and their junior fullback Gavin McLaren powered his way into the end zone from three yards out. Following Thompson’s successful extra point, they grabbed the lead back at 14-9 with three seconds left in the first quarter. Neither team could muster a score in the second quarter, and both teams headed into the halftime break with the Trojans holding the advantage 14-9.
The Rams wasted no time in the second half as Glenwood took the lead on Tristan Ludwig’s short run. Despite a failed two-point conversion, the home team held a narrow 15-14 lead. The Rams extended their lead when Ludwig scored another touchdown from three yards out, but the extra point failed, leaving the score at 21-14 in favor of Glenwood. However, the Trojans fought back, with Tyson O’Brien scoring back-to-back touchdowns to put the visitors up 28-21 with 2:36 left to play in regulation.
The Rams buried back at their nine-yard line and converted on a fourth-and-ten on a Trojans pass interference call. The Rams polished off the drive on Cole Staudt’s 37-yard touchdown strike to Jack Johnson with 18 seconds left to play in regulation. The extra point went through to tie the game at 28-28. Time ran out on Atlantic on their next possession, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, Rams quarterback Cole Staudt raced in from eight yards out. However, the extra point was missed, leaving the Trojans with a chance, and they took advantage. The Rams stuffed the Trojans’ ground attack, forcing quarterback Tristan Hayes to go to the air. The senior quarterback came through with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jarrett Hansen, knotting the score at 34-34, pending the extra point. Thompson split the uprights to give the Trojans the 35-34 win.
Atlantic Head Coach Joe Brummer was impressed with how his team responded to the game’s ebbs and flows, particularly in overtime.
When asked what the win did for his team’s confidence, Coach Brummer had this to say…
Atlantic ended the night with 356 total yards of offense. Tyson O’Brien led the Trojans ground game with 35 carries for 190 yards, and Gavin McLaren had 12 carries for 70 yards. Additionally, McLaren caught one pass for 47 yards. Quarterback Tristan Hayes went 7-11 passing for 124 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In the season’s first three games, the Trojans have rushed for 1,057 yards, led by Tyson O’Brien with 70 carries for 540 total rushing yards.
Glenwood piled up 327 yards of total offense. Quarterback Cole Staudt completed 17 of 31 pass attempts for 181 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. The Ram’s ground game yielded 146 yards, led by Pauley Simonetti’s five carries for 54 yards. Kaden Crouch led the receiving corps with five catches for 82 yards.
Atlantic extends its record to 3-0 and hosts Greene County next Friday night. Glenwood falls to 0-2 and squares off against Harlan next Friday.
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