Savage ends Big Sandy's season again

The Savage Warriors just seem to have the Big Sandy Pioneers' number late in Class C Six-Man football games.

For the thir

Photo by the Sidney Herald

Photo by the Sidney Herald

Big Sandy's Trevor Lackner throws a pass during Saturday's game in Savage.d time in just over a year, the Warriors toppled the Pioneers, this time beating Big Sandy 65-41 in a Six-Man semifinal game Saturday afternoon in Savage. The win sets up a rematch for Savage with Denton in this Saturday's state championship game, just as a Savage victory did last November in a semifinal game in Big Sandy.

And in the third meeting between the two Six-ma powers in two seasons, it was the Savage offense which exploded in the final 12 minutes.

Big Sandy trailed Savage by just three points at the beginning of the fourth stanza, but the Warriors dominated from there, outscoring Big Sandy 28-7 the rest of the way. Savage star running back Chris Reynolds was unstoppable down the stretch. He had scored four unanswered touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, including runs of 3, 32 and 22 yards and he caught a TD pass in that stretch as well. The offensive heroics of Reynolds, which included 125 yards on 19 carries, while Savage QB Shad Stanford threw for three TD's including a 53-yard stroke to Reynolds in the second quarter.

While the Pioneer defense had played so well coming into the semis, having held its last two playoff opponents to a combined 13 points, they didn't have an answer for the Warriors down the stretch.

Big Sandy's offense also came up short in the final quarter, though the Pioneers still were explosive. The Pioneers led 16-7 early in the second quarter. Colter Darlington caught a TD pass from Trevor Lackner to end the first period, then the Pioneers grabbed the lead on a Jessey Bailey six-yard TD run. Savage went back in front 29-22 at halftime after three straight scores in the second quarter, but Big Sandy rallied. Behind a three-yard run from Bailey, another TD connection from Lackner to Darlington and a magnificent 33-yard scamper by Bailey, the Pioneers were right there in striking distance heading into the fourth quarter.

Bailey finished with 177 yards and four touchdowns – he also tacked on a 1-yard score just before the game ended. Justin Stevens had 47 yards rushing, while Lackner threw for a pair of scores.

The loss to Savage was only Big Sandy's second of the season as the Pioneers finished 9-2 and came up one game shy of a state title berth for the second straight season. Both of Big Sandy's losses and its only setback last year came at the hands of the Warriors.

Savage 65, Big Sandy 41

Big Sandy 8 14 12 7 — 41

Savage 7 22 8 28 — 65

SAV — Michael Reynolds 1 run (Wyatt Hagler pass from Shad Stanford)

BS — Colter Darlington 4 pass from Trevor Lackner (Dallas Briese kick)

BS — Jessey Bailey 6 run (Briese kick)

SAV — Reynolds 1 run (Stanford kick)

SAV — Braden Ler 4 pass from Stanford (Braden Feisthamel kick)

SAV — Chris Reynolds 58 pass from Stanford (kick failed)

BS — Bailey 3 run (pass failed)

BS — Darlington 10 pass from Lackner (kick failed)

BS — Bailey 33 run (run failed)

SAV —C. Reynolds 3 run (Feisthamel kick)

SAV — Reynolds 22 pass from Stanford (kick failed)

SAV — M. Reynolds 1 run (run failed)

SAV — C. Reynolds 32 run (Feisthamel kick)

SAV — Reynolds 22 run (Feisthamel kick)

BS — Bailey 1 run (Kaden Beck pass from Lackner).