All that matters is who is ahead when the final horn sounds. Despite a strong game offensively – over 300 yards- and a solid defensive effort, the Alliance football team fell to Lexington 14 to 8 on Friday night. The Dogs led 8 to 6 at halftime and midway thru the fourth before a long Minutemen touchdown run gave Lex the lead for good. The battle was play in Lexington as the Bulldogs now see their record slip to 3 and 3. Two Dogs-running back Trini Trejo and Caysen Robertson- tallied over 100 yards on the ground but penalties and turnover by Alliance denied AHS a chance for a fourth victory.
Alliance received the ball first and got nice gains by Robertson and Trejo to drive past midfield. But a fumble by the guests resulted in a big loss, forced a Dog punt. On Lex’s first attempt , a tackle for a loss by Alliance’s Jaden Guerra kept the hosts from getting a first down. Alliance had to punt on their final drives on the period while a fumble by Lexington helped the Bulldogs keep the game scoreless. A hard hit by Robertson forced the miscue. Quarter #1 came to a finish with the Minutemen on the move. Lex used a couple of long pass plays to get close. From the 5, a TD run by the hosts made it 6 to 0 with 29 seconds left in the period. Lex was stopped on the PAT attempt with Robertson again leading the Dog defense. After one quarter of play, AHS trailed 6 to 0.
Despite a 15 yard run by Trejo, Alliance had to punt as the second got underway . Lex’s try to increase their advantage was then turned away . Tackles by Bulldog Ethan Schulze and Lucas Weber were the highlights. A Lexington pass was then tipped by Robertson with Schulze getting the INT. Starting from the 35, the Dogs put together a 13 play to drive to take the lead. Gains on the ground by Robertson and Trejo pushed the ball deep into Minutemen territory. Eventually, Robertson would score from the 9. He then added the extra as Alliance went up 8 to 6 with under 4 minutes remaining in the half. Lex went three and out of their next series as the Bulldogs got one more try. Passes from quarterback Jay Shelmadine to receivers Wyatt Stabnow, Espen Lanik, and Jackson Devlin resulted in Alliance gaining close to 50 yards. The drive unfortunately ended with an Alliance turnover near the goal line. With 2 periods in the books, AHS led 8 to 6.
Quarterback sacks by Robertson and Schulze and a Lexington punt is how quarter 3 began. On the Dog’s first possession, a Minutemen pick kept the contest close. A Lex field goal attempt followed but the kick was no good as the Dogs remained in the lead. The period came to a conclusion with punts by both squads. A nice punt of 46 yards by Bulldog Mikey Johnson pinned the hosts deep into their own territory. Heading to the fourth, Alliance was still ahead 8 to 6.
Quarter 4 began with getting Alliance having the ball and getting big gains by Trejo and Robertson. An Alliance penalty and a QB sack though foiled the Dog drive, keeping the score at 8 to 6. With 6:22 showing on the clock, the hosts took the lead. A 58 yard touchdown scamper put Lexington in the lead. The Minutemen tacked on the extra point as the Bulldogs deficit stood at 14 to 8. Alliance would have one more drive. Strong runs by Trejo and Robertson got the ball past midfield . A six yard carry by Robertson on fourth down kept the Bulldogs on the move . From the 30 yard line, an Alliance comeback was stopped after a pair of incomplete passes. Lex was able to knee on the ball in the final moments and get the 14 to 8 victory.
ALL 0 8 0 0 8
LEX 6 0 0 8 14
Stats. Trejo 26 attempts 132 yards Robertson 23 carries 111 yards 1 TD. 1 PAT. Shelmadine 7 rushes 19 yards. Passing. Shelmadine completes 6 passes 59 yards Receiving Lanik 2 catches 24 yards. Devlin 2 grabs 19 yards Stabnow 1 reception 10 yards Trejo 1 catch 6 yards
On Friday, Alliance will play in Chadron.