The Landmark War Eagles (6-0, 2-0) rebounded from a slow start with a strong second half and hung on in the final minute for a 17-13 win over Our Lady of Mercy’s Bobcats (1-4, 1-1).
The first quarter was all OLM, as the Bobcats kept the ball on the Landmark end of the field all but two plays the entire period. The War Eagles prevented an early score by blocking a field goal attempt, but OLM quarterback Jameson Vest scored on a 3-yard run with 1:19 left in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead.
Landmark finally got deep into Bobcat territory early in the second quarter, but a bad snap on a field goal try ended the drive. Later the War Eagles drove inside the 10 but came up a yard short on fourth-and-4. The home team finally got on the scoreboard with 22 seconds left before halftime on a 35-yard field goal by Stockton McGuire.
After forcing a Bobcat punt to start the third quarter, Landmark marched into OLM territory and hit paydirt when McGuire found Austin Luckie down the left sideline. Luckie’s spectacular catch diving into the end zone completed a 24-yard scoring play and put the War Eagles in front – briefly.
The Bobcats took the ensuing kickoff and put together a drive that ate up nearly the rest of the third quarter, capped by Christian Coleman’s 4-yard touchdown run with 1:27 on the clock.
The teams traded punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter, then Landmark put together a 75-yard drive to retake the lead. Darius Smith took the handoff and raced into the left corner of the end zone from 21 yards out with 5:17 to play.
The Bobcats picked up a big first down on their next possession when Vest connected with Terell Stokes at the 40 yard line. But after a penalty and a sack, a third-down deep pass was intercepted by Landmark’s Lofton Tidwell with just over two minutes on the clock.
OLM’s final chance came in the final minute starting at its own 16. Vest found Delfayeo Matthews at the 40 and spiked the ball on the next play to stop the clock, but the next two plays went nowhere and Vest’s final pass traveled about 40 yards down the right sideline but was picked off by Joey Blount with 11 seconds left.
The War Eagles travel to Strong Rock next Friday, while the Bobcats host Holy Innocents’.
