Rivalry games are always a lot of fun to watch. And football fans certainly got their fill Friday night when the Alliance Bulldogs played host to the Chadron Cardinals. The visitors would score 26 straight points in the second and third periods to erase an early Alliance lead and go on for a 41 to 26 victory. With the win the Cards now see their record go to 5 and 3 for the season while the Bulldogs drop to 2 and 6. Pacing the Cardinal offense was junior running back Quinn Bailey who had 5 touchdowns and close to 500 yards of total offense.
Alliance went right to work on its opening series. A big pass connection from quarterback Landen Crowe to receiver Tristen Timbers covering 36 yards got the Dogs close. Passes to Espen Lanik and Jonah Amill put the ball at the Chadron 30 yard line. From there Crowe found Seth Meyring for the game’s first touchdown. The pat was no good and with 8:55 left in the period the Bulldogs led 6 to 0.
On the Card’s first drive Chadron used big plays by Bailey to march into Alliance territory. A 31 yard reception by Bailey put the ball inside the 30 yard line. On a third and seven play on the 23 yard line Lanik would stop the drive with an interception on the 11 yard line. On the ensuing play Crown went deep and found Amill down the sidelines for another score covering 89 yards. The extra point was good as Crowe found Timbers. With 5:12 on the clock the Dogs lead 14 to 0. Seconds later it was Bailey scoring on a 64 yard burst which cut the Card deficit to 14 to 7. The quarter ended with the Bulldogs scoring again. A super one handed touchdown catch by Meyring covering 16 yards help Alliance increase their lead. The pass came from Crowe and the period came to a close with the Bulldogs ahead 20 to 7.
Defenses would settle down in the second period. Both teams were turned away and the quarter ended with only one score. Another touchdown run by Bailey at the six minute mark was the period’s lone score. It covered 4 yards and the half concluded with the Dogs ahead 20 to 13.
The third began with another big run by Bailey which covered 65 yards. Chadron would tie the score moments later with a score of 5 yards by Bailey and a good extra point. With 11:04 on the clock the contest was tied at 20. Alliance answered right back with a nice series on their opening drive. A Card interception on the seven yard line foiled the Dogs drive and it was followed by another score from Bailey. The Cardinal back sprinted for a 93 yard touchdown that pushed the Chadron lead to 27 to 20 with 8:21 to play in the period. The quarter ended with more completions by Crowe and Alliance down 27 to 20. Two key fourth down completion by Meyring helped the Dogs get close. At the 11 minutes mark of the final stanza it was the Cardinal defense making the game’s biggest play. An Alliance pass was pick and return 68 yards for the contest’s next score. The point after was no good as the Dogs’ deficit grew to 33 to 20. Alliance didn’t give up and quickly drove into Chadron territory. A big pass to Lanik on fourth down which covered 12 yards got the Bulldogs close. The series ended with Crowe scoring for the one and with 7 minutes remaining Chadron’s lead was sliced to 33 to 27. Disaster then struck on the following kick as Bailey raced in for another Card score. The kick return was good for 80 yards and following a successful point after the Chadron lead grew to 41 to 26. Alliance went three and out on its next series and the Cards ran out the final 6 minutes to go on for the 41 to 26 win.
Chad 7 6 14 14 41
AHS 20 0 0 6 26
Bailey ended his big night with 353 yards on 26 attempts and 4 rushing scores. Meanwhile Crowe had a nice night going 33 for 64 and 373 yards. He threw for 3 scores and ran for one. Timbers ended with 10 catches for 101 yards while Amill had 9 grabs for 154 yards. Lanik closed with 8 catches for 67 yards while Meyring finished with 7 for 69 yards and 2 scores.
Alliance closes its season with a road game in Sidney on Friday.