The Sayre Eagle football team traveled to Crescent last Friday evening where they subdued the Tigers in a fourth quarter come from behind surge to win by the score of 38 to 30. Both teams scored five touchdowns in the game, with the difference being the PAT attempts. The Eagles scored on four of five 2-point PAT attempts while Crescent failed to add any of their five 2-point PATs to the scoreboard. Zeke Curtis barreled his way into the end zone on 3 PAT occasions, while Dustin McSorley added the other 2 points making up the 8-point victory margin. McSorley also led the offensive by scoring three touchdowns.
Sayre received the opening kickoff and proceeded to pick up a pair of first downs as they drove from their own 36-yard line to the Crescent 37, where a fumble occurred. Isaiah Lovett picked up the fumble for the Tigers and returned it 50 yards to the Eagle 12-yard line. Crescent took advantage of the fumble when they scored in 4 plays on a 5-yard run by Lovett. The PAT attempt failed leaving the score 6 - 0 early in the first quarter.
Sayre bounced back following the ensuing kickoff. They drove 67 yards to paydirt in only 4 plays with the big play being a 48 scamper by Jaden Mosser to the Tiger 9-yard line. Two plays later, McSorley slanted into the point zone from 5 yards away. The PAT failed and the score was 6 6 midway through the first quarter. After a 7-yard kickoff return, Crescent began their second offensive possession of the night from their own 33. After the first play for one yard, the Tigers went to the air but the Eagle defense prevented any receptions on three straight passes. The failed fourth down play gave Sayre the football at the Tiger 34yard line. Before the first play could be logged the Eagles were assessed a ten-yard penalty, which put the ball back at the Tiger 44. The penalty did not deter the Eagles however, as they marched the distance in five plays and after McSorley scored on a 6-yard run the Eagles were on top 12 to 6. The Sayre PAT was successful by Curtis to give the Eagles a 14 - 6 advantage with 2:46 left in the first quarter.
Crescent wasted no time following a 27-yard return of the kickoff when they stormed 51 yards for a Tiger TD in 7 plays. The touchdown came on a one-yard plunge by Tucker Stover on the first play of the second quarter. The try for PAT points failed leaving Sayre still in the lead 14 - 12 with 10:49 left in the first half of play. The lead stayed the same after the next 3 possessions took plays, and on the fourth possession Crescent had the ball at their own 30yard line. The Eagles gave up another TD to Crescent when after 7 plays moved the ball to the Sayre 19-yard line and on the eighth play a 19 TD pass from QB Tucker Stover to Travis Wolfe put the Tigers in the lead on the last play before halftime 18 - 14.
Crescent received the second half kickoff and Lovett returned it 30 yards to the 50yard line before Sayre’s kickoff specialist, Aiden Ball, made the saving tackle to prevent a touchdown. But the tackle only delayed another Tiger TD when Crescent traversed the 50 yards to the end zone in 8 plays. The TD was a 3-yard pass from Stover to Wolfe. The PAT attempt failed again but the Tiger lead was extended to 24 - 14 early in the third quarter. Things began to look bleak for the Eagles when on the third play of the possession, a pass was intercepted by Lovett at the Tiger 21. The Eagle defense denied a Tiger first down, and on the fourth down, a punt by Crescent put Sayre in business at their own 25-yard line. With time getting late in the third quarter, the Eagles went to work and scored again after using only 4 plays. Mosser gained 36 yards on first down and on the third down of the drive McSorley gobbled up 20 more yards to the Tiger 5-yard line. He then followed his excellent line blocking to the goal line for the final 5 yards. McSorley ran for the 2-point conversion and the score read 22 - 24 with Crescent still in the lead.
Later, as the fourth quarter began, the Eagles began a drive that went from the Sayre 48 to the Tiger 24 where a fumble gave the ball back to Crescent. But four plays later the Tigers returned the favor, when after 3 plays they fumbled the ball. Jagger Wootton scooped up the loose ball at the 50-yard line and sped for a 43-yard return to the Tiger 7-yard line. Curtis got the first 6 yards to the one before QB Camden Plummer sneaked into the end zone for the TD. Curtis ran for PAT and the score suddenly showed Sayre in the lead at 30 - 24 with 5:33 left in the game.
Following the ensuing kickoff, the fired-up Eagle defense put a stop to a counter drive by Crescent when a fourth down play was fumbled with McSorley recovering at the Sayre 36. Sayre continued on an offensive punch, when they scored again in two plays. Zane Allen got 3 yards on first down to the 39. On the next play Allen got the call again and shed a pair of tacklers as he roared for a 61-yard TD. Curtis ran across the PAT and Sayre suddenly led 38 - 24 with only 3:19 left to play in the game. But the Tigers lived up to their mascot’s name when following the ensuing kick-off, they connected on a 27-yard pass on first down.
The next play was an unbelievable 35-yard TD pass. The PAT failed and Sayres led was cut to 38 - 30 with 1:54 left to play. The following kickoff put Sayre at their 11-yard line, but the Eagles were able to run out the clock by gaining 2 first downs in the final time left. Sayre is now one win and one loss in district play and 3 wins 2 loses for the season. Crescent is now 0-2 in district play. The Eagles will play Merritt on the Eagle Field this Friday evening starting at 7:00 PM. Curtis led in tackles with 13, while Allen and Tate Bawden each garnered 11 tackles. Zane Allen led in rushing with 147 yards on 16 carries.
