Duncan rallies, earns 13-12 victory

DUNCAN—Duncan won its season opener against Bridge Creek in a tight knit second-half battle, 13-12, as the Demons gave fans at Halliburton Stadium an opening-night victory as the team tries to improve their record from last season.

Two touchdowns for Bridge Creek after a scoreless first half put the odds against Duncan, however, the Demons managed to stay focused and scored two touchdowns to rally and seal the win.

“Last week we played well in the scrimmage, but a scrimmage is different than game one . The kids fought till the very end. They’ve got that feeling of winning early in the season so hopefully it’ll just get the ball rolling,” said Duncan Head Coach Matt Terry.

The first half was quiet for both teams. Neither team could find any real rhythm on offense and both sides wound up getting locked into a punting battle. The closest either team got to scoring in the first half was when a 37-yard field goal attempt by the Demons with 57 seconds left in the half didn’t split the uprights.

When the second half rolled around both teams starting to get a feel for the game.

The Bobcats put the first points on the board when they reached the end zone at the beginning of the fourth quarter on third-and-goal from one yard out. The visitors missed the PAT but made up for the loss in points by getting another touchdown with less than six minutes left on the clock giving them a 12-point cushion.

On Duncan’s first drive following the second Bridge Creek TD, the Demons gained 34 yards on a screen pass to wide receiver Jayzen Kortemeier to put them within scoring distance on the 17-yard line. A few plays later, quarterback Sawyer Rice ran the ball five yards into the end zone for a touchdown. A successful PAT brought the Demons within five with 3:51 left in the game.

The Demons momentum held with them following the kickoff where their defense held Bridge Creek on their own end of the field and forced them to punt. When it was time for the Bobcats to punt, there was a bad snap that would lead to the Demons gaining possession.

Duncan’s Tavion Holland had a 13-yard carry to get the Demons a first down at the 20-yard-line with just over two minutes to go in the game. On second down, Rice made the play of the game and ran into the end zone for a 20-yard carry, giving the Demons a lead that would stand up until the clock wound down the final seconds.

“They went up 12-0 and our offense took control of the ball and finally got some good things happening,” said Terry. “Defense played well all night long. . . our kids are resilient.”