Raiders hold off furious Henry Sibley comeback

Usually the Tuesday night, opening-round playoff games are less than inspiring. Tuesday night at Charles Matson Field was an exception.

When Hastings' quarterback Trey Rogers scored, and the Raiders converted on the two-point conversion to expand their lead to 16-7 over Henry Sibley, it looked like the Raiders were well on their way to an opening round win. Hastings would have to hold on for dear life down the stretch as the Warriors mounted a furious comeback that fell four yards short.

Hastings (3-6) went on the road and advanced in the Section 3AAAAA playoffs with a 16-14 victory.

The Warriors drew first blood late in the first quarter. Wide receiver Cameron Gomez adjusted to a underthrown pass and caught an 18-yard touchdown. The extra point would give the Warriors an early 7-0 lead.

The Warriors (3-6) looked like they were about to go up by two scores but a fumble in the red zone stopped the drive. It set up the Raiders' inside the 20-yard line, but the defense kept it a one-score game.

In the second quarter, the Hastings' running game got cranked up. The running of Rogers and wingback Noah Kullmann keyed an 80-yard touchdown drive that ate up most of the quarter.

"Noah got hurt early to an ankle," Hastings head coach Dana Strain said. "It was severe, and we didn't know if we would get him back. Halfway through the season, we could start to bring him back, but he hasn't been himself until the last week or so. What we saw today is what we saw in camp."

Rogers finished the drive with a short touchdown run up the middle and Kullmann added the two-point conversion to give Hastings a one-point lead with two minutes to play in the first half.

Hastings put together a second solid drive in the third quarter. The key play was Kullmann converting on a third and eight. He cut up the field on a sweep behind the block of tight end Trevor Caflisch to pick up a first down and set up the Raiders' second touchdown. Rogers found a hole up the middle to pick up thirty yards down to the two-yard line and finished the job on the very next play. The two-point conversion seemed to give the Raiders a comfortable 16-7 fourth-quarter lead.

"We've had the same starting five linemen all year," Strain said. "I can't remember the last time that happened. That has been a big benefit for us. They like playing together, and they take pride in it. They know we need to run the football and they have done a great job of it."

The Warriors started a furious comeback. After a long completion to Tate Schilling from Max Gantman, running back Jordan Jurado scored from one yard out to cut the lead to 16-14. Then the Warriors' defense forced a three and out giving the offense the ball back with 3:47 to play.

"I just tried to keep the guys calm," Rogers – who also plays linebacker - said. "We gave up one big pass, but we stayed low key and were okay."

In a frantic final few minutes, the Warriors used a pass interference penalty to set up a first and ten at the 12-yard line. Hastings' defense dug in and made one more tackle to keep the Warriors a yard short preserving the Raiders' 16-14 victory.

Hastings will stay on the road and take on Apple Valley round two.

Editors' note: Previously it was stated Tyson Schilling threw a touchdown pass. That was incorrect, Max Gantman was the Warriors' quarterback.