Wave runningback Brock Uptain, left, escapes the Spartans' defense. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN DEANE.
The battle for first place between two previously undefeated Spartan and Greenwave football teams ended with Fallon proving it is a force to be reckoned with, defeating Spring Creek on the road, 38-14.
The Spartans started the game kicking off to the Greenwave.
The Greenwave showed their immediate dominance by progressing the ball up the field in five downs, and on the sixth down the Greenwave’s Connor Richardson threw to their wide receiver, Brock Uptain, who ran 23 yards for the touchdown.
Fallon successfully kicked the extra point, putting the score at 7-0 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
With the Spartans’ special teams on the field, junior running back Mitch Owsley caught the ball off the kickoff, and ran 20 yards to put the Spartans near their 40-yard line for their first offensive run of the game.
The Spartans’ run was shortly lived as Fallon’s brickwall defense stopped the Spartans on their 41-yard line and forced the boys to punt.
The Spartan defense ran on the field with an initial sharper focus and got two key stops.
However, on Fallon’s third down with 2 yards to go, the Greenwave called a timeout in an attempt to shake up the Spartan defense.
The Greenwave ploy worked, and their offense came out and ran close to 20 yards for the first down.
The next play, junior defensive lineman Brennan Reese was able to stretch and get his hands on the low-flying passed ball. He reached to grab the ball for the interception, but wasn’t able to hold on as the ball hit the ground for the incomplete Fallon pass.
Two plays later, Fallon passed for another touchdown, Richardson to Evan Bitter for 18 yards, but a hustled defensive effort by junior Patrick Leedy ended in a blocked extra point attempt, 13-0.
On the Spartans’ next run on offense, the Greenwave defense continued to show how they have only permitted 30 league points against them this season, with three immediate stops forcing the Spartans to punt.
Spring Creek’s defense hit the field and had the Greenwave on a third and 13 to go, but a Fallon pass got the Greenwave their much needed first down heading into the second quarter.
On the second play of the second quarter, Richardson hooked up with Connor Nelson for an 18-yard touchdown.
The Spartans’ next trip on offense once again came up short, forcing the punt to Fallon.
The Greenwave continued its dominant run, and scored yet another touchdown with a long-bomb. Richardson found Bitter again, this time for a 39-yard strike; however, Richardson attempted to throw a 2-point conversion, but it fell incomplete.
The Spartan offense hit the field again with 6:43 remaining in the half.
This time the boys were able to push the ball down to the Greenwave 45-yard line, but were forced to punt on the fourth down with four yards to go.
The Greenwave called their second timeout of the game with 2:47 left in the first half, 25-0.
Spring Creek got its first break of the game with 1:13 left in the first half after junior Sheldon Wilkinson caught an interception in Fallon territory.
The quick feet of senior Jake Davis gave the Spartan offense the burst they needed for a near 15-yard run and the first down.
On a Spring Creek third down, the Spartans’ junior quarterback Jon Jund threw 25 yards to his sophomore receiver Dakota Larson for the touchdown.
Spring Creek called a timeout with 49 seconds remaining in the first half, 25-6.
The Greenwave headed into the second half set to kickoff to Spring Creek.6-yard run.
Owsley caught the ball on the kickoff and ran to the Spartans’ 20 yard line.
After a Greenwave passing interference call and 15-yard run by Owsley, the Spartans fumbled the ball and Fallon came up with possession. Spring Creek’s defense got two great stops, and on third down and 15, Fallon came up with a 23 yard throw for another Greenwave first down.
Fallon took the momentum from the pass completion and ran with it leaving Spring Creek in the dust, with three more long completion passes before another Greenwave scoring drive, a 16-yard pass from Richardson to Uptain, 32-6.
The Spartan defense hit the field and forced the Greenwave’s first punt of the game, which Spring Creek took over on their own 23 yard line. The Spartans’ offensive drive started to gain momentum with two completed passes to Larson.
Spring Creek called another timeout with 1:40 left in the third quarter on fourth down and six.
The Spartans came out of the timeout and Jund ran a quarterback keeper, running nine yards for the first down.
Fallon ended its scoring in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard run.