Diamante Burton & the leg of Cesar Rodriguez lifts the Pioneers in OT
With Basic (3-0) entering the contest rated #6 in the area, their trip to Canyon Springs (3-1) rated a one of the top football matchups of the weekend and it didn’t disappoint.
After missing a scoring opportunity in the first quarter due to a fumble into the end zone, the Basic Wolves jumped out to a 10-0 lead as Aaron McAllister hit Frank Harris on a 15-yard pass followed by a Colin Weires kick that put Basic in the driver's seat with 1:47 left in the half as they looked in control of the game.
With a sputtering offense, the Pioneers found some magic 21-second later as Dexter Hammond scrambled before hitting a soft toss to Dexter Haulcy that turned into a reverse field 65-yard score to close the gap at 10-7 closing in on halftime.
Looking to maintain a cushion, the Wolves made quick work of remaining time before half with an efficient drive as the came away with a Dorian McAllister 11-yard run that allowed them to take a 17-7 halftime lead.
Taking control, the Wolves came out with a strong drive in the third quarter capping the possession with a Trace Evans run that made the score 23-7 with the defense appearing in control but that’s when the momentum shifted.
Reinserting Diamante Burton at quarterback, the early season offensive magic started to flow with the Pioneers spreading out the Wolves defense coming away three straight scoring drives as Burton took the ball in from 4, 35 and 3-yards as Canyon Springs took a 23-27 lead early in the 4th quarter.
Needing to get the momentum flowing again, the Wolves found it when Aaron McAllister found Frank Harris from 37-yards out to take a 30-27 lead preventing to take the fourth quarter edge.
With the Wolves defense stepping up, the Pioneers moved the ball into scoring position but stalled out while trying to reach the end zone, instead they turned to the leg of kicker Cesar Rodriguez who came up in the clutch to tie the game at 30-30 with 5:18 left in the contest.
With defensive effort in the final minutes shifting the contest to overtime, the Wolves took the first opportunity to put points on the board moving the ball to the 2-yard. Rather than opting for a field goal, the Wolves rolled the dice but came up empty on an attempted fade pass.
With Canyon just needing points, they kept the ball on the ground on their possession as the set up another Rodriguez kick which sailed through the uprights from 30-yards out to allow the Pioneers to walk away with a 30-33 victory.
Moving to 4-1 as they prepare to open Northeast League play, the Canyon Spring Pioneers are looking like a power while the talented Basic Wolves resettles in at 3-1 for an tough trip through the Southeast League.