Did Great Falls end its drought against Lewisville? Well, there were plenty fireworks
It wouldn’t be hard to blame Great Falls coach Scotty Steen if the final horn Friday night sounded more like a sigh of relief. Steen’s Red Devils scored the second of two touchdowns in a four-second span at the end of the third quarter, then held on as Lewisville mounted a frantic comeback that fell one yard short. Great Falls left the field with its first win over Lewisville in five years, 26-22, as a vocal traveling contingent celebrated the victory.
“(That was) a great team win,” said Steen after the game. “The kids played unselfish and they played with heart. They played up, and they refused to get down.”
Great Falls (2-1) scored on its first two possessions, taking a 12-0 lead. The Lions countered with a 42-yard touchdown strike from Demetric Hardin to Jadakiss Talford to cut the lead to four. Hardin then put the Lions ahead with a short touchdown run and conversion, giving Lewisville a 16-12 advantage at the break.
Great Falls again seized the lead on an Elijah Simpson touchdown run. Lewisville (0-3) jumped back in front late in the third quarter on a 55-yard Martez Moore touchdown scamper, setting the stage for the indescribable finish to the period.
For a community hungry for a big rivalry win and starting to rally behind the Red Devils, this was another giant step in the school’s return to prominence. Great Falls opened the 2018 season by erasing a 19-game losing streak.
“This is about step four (in the process),” said Steen of the long-term plan for his team. “The process is a lot longer than people realize, and we’re staying true to the course.”
Turning point
The third quarter slowed to a glacial pace, between penalties, incomplete passes, and other delays. The final four seconds, though, were as action-packed as it gets. Moore, who took over at quarterback after Demetric Hardin was ejected following a penalty, took a direct snap and wound 55 yards to the end zone to put the Lions ahead, 22-18.
After the ensuing kickoff went into the end zone, Great Falls quarterback Kaleb Funderburk found Kelton Talford streaking down the right sideline, and he hauled in the 80-yard snag that would eventually prove to be the decisive score.
“We weren’t able to continue the momentum,” said Lewisville coach Will Mitchell. “For whatever reason, we couldn’t maintain that momentum.”
Critical
Lewisville held Great Falls at bay following its first two drives of the first half, taking a 16-12 lead to the intermission. The lead could have been larger, however. The Lions recovered a fumbled kickoff on the Red Devil 34, appearing poised to extend the lead to two scores. Great Falls’ defense bent on the 10-play drive, but did not break. The Red Devils finally turned away the Lions on the 10-yard line, allowing the offense to run a final play to close the half.
“That was huge. The defense does a great job,” said Steen, crediting his defensive coordinator, Mike Bradley. “The majority of those kids, they don’t come off the field when defense is done. They flip over and they play offense, and vice versa. They did a great job tonight.”
Star contributors
Talford caught four passes for just over 100 yards, with the two biggest being his touchdown grabs that book-ended the scoring for the Red Devils. Funderburk threw just five passes, but completed three for 104 yards and a score. Simpson and D.J. Adams combined for over 110 yards on 22 carries.
Moore carried 13 times for the Lions, finishing just shy of 100 yards on the night. Hardin ran for 45 yards and threw for just over 115.
On deck
Great Falls hosts Andrew Jackson next Friday. Lewisville hosts Carolina Pride. Both games are slated for a 7:30 start.
Box score
Great Falls 12;0;14;0;-;26
Lewisville 8;8;6;0;-;22
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
GF – Kelton Talford 4 pass from Tommy Seagle (conversion failed) 11:35
GF – Elijah Simpson 1 run (conversion failed) 4:29
L – Jadakiss Talford 42 pass from Demetric Hardin (Hardin run) 1:13
Second quarter
L – Hardin 2 run (Hardin run) 4:40
Third quarter
GF – Simpson 1 run (K. Talford pass from Kaleb Funderburk) 6:09
L – Martez Moore 55 run (conversion failed) 0:04
GF – K. Talford 80 pass from Funderburk (conversion failed) 0:00
Fourth quarter
N/A
TEAM STATISTICS
GF;L
First downs;11;9
Rushes-yards;29-138;35-161
Passing;9-18-0;8-19-0
Passing yards;158;163
Fumbles-lost;2-2;2-1
Penalties-yards;14-110;11-95
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING Great Falls: DJ Adams 11-59; Elijah Simpson 11-52; Da’Shawn Johnson 2-14; Kaleb Funderburk 2-(minus) 2; Quay Bowser 3-15. Lewisville: Demetric Hardin 13-45; Devin McCrorey 9-17; Martez Moore 13-99.
PASSING Great Falls: Tommy Seagle 1-1-0-4 yards; DJ Adams 5-12-0-50 yards; Kaleb Funderburk 3-5-0-104 yards. Lewisville: Hardin 3-7-0-116 yards; Christian Yoder 5-12-0-47 yards.
RECEIVING Great Falls: Kelton Talford 4-101; Simpson 4-26; Johnson 1-13; Xavian Moore 1-19. Lewisville: Jadakiss Talford 1-42; Brayden Lee 2-79; McCrorey 1-(minus) 1; Jadon Scott 3-28.
RECORDS Great Falls 2-1, Lewisville 0-3.
This story was originally published August 31, 2018 at 11:04 PM.