On Friday night, the Alliance High School football team traveled to Holdrege for a contest against the Dusters. A 27 point second period was more than enough for the hosts as Alliance fell to the Dusters 43 to 17. Holdrege goes to 2 and 0 on the season while the Bulldogs drop to 1 and 1. An 85 yard kick return for a touchdown by the hosts midway thru the second quarter plus a Duster touchdown right before half was too much for the Dogs to overcome.
Alliance went into their bag of tricks on the opening offensive play of the game. A half back pass from Bulldog Trini Trejo was completed to end Espen Lanik that covered 40 yards and gave Alliance great field position. The Bulldog drive would then stall inside the 20 yard line. Alliance defense then forced a punt of the Duster’s first possession, giving the Bulldogs again great field position. Unfortunately three straight short running plays would net just 4 yards as it was the Bulldog’s turn to punt. At the 6:14 mark of the opening period it was the Dusters who got on the board first. A 90 yard td pass gave Holdrege the lead at 7 to 0. On the Dog’s next series Alliance moved the ball well into Holdrege territory. Solid runs by Alliance’ running back Caysen Robertson a 22 yard pass to Robertson from quarterback Jett Herian advanced the ball into Holdrege territory. The period then came to an end with Alliance turning the ball over on bounds and the Dusters moving into scoring position. After one period of action the Bulldogs trailed 7 to 0.
Big offensive plays by Holdrege in the second quarter hurt the Alliances chances. A 22 yard touchdown pass by the Dusters early in the period push the Bulldog deficit to 14 to 0. Alliance was forced to punt on their next drive and a 50 yard reserve play by the hosts set up Holdrege’s third score. At the 6 minute mark the Dusters scored again on an 9 yard td pass. Down 21 to 0 Alliance put together their best drive on the game. Trejo raced 56 yards to the Duster 16 yard line as the Dogs looked to get on the scoreboard. On third down from the 14, Herian passed again to Robertson who scored with 4:32 showing in the clock. The point after was good when Lanik passed to end Jory Matulka, making the score 21 to 8. Unfortunately the momentum quickly went back to the Dusters. An 85 yard kick return for a score by the hosts ensued that put the Dusters ahead 28 to 8. Disaster then struck for the Dogs on their next series as a Bulldog fumble gave Holdrege the ball on the 27 yard line. A few plays later the Dusters got on the board again with a 5 yard touchdown run. With 2:43 left in the half, the Holdrege lead grew to 34 to 8. Another three and out by the Alliance followed and the half came to close with the Dogs down by 26.
The second half began with Holdrege getting the ball first and quickly moving into Alliance territory. An interception by Alliance’s Lanik stopped the drive as the junior would return the pick 50 yards to the Alliance 28 yard line. On fourth down from the 11 it was Herian founding Bulldog Carsen Swenson in the back corner for Alliance’s second score. The PAT was good by kicker Devin Graham as the Dogs pulled within 19 at 34 to 15.
Holdrege would then seize back the momentum. The Dusters starting from midfield drove 55 yards in just a few plays. The series culminated with a 16 yard td run which put the score at 41 to 15 with 6 minutes remaining in the quarter. Both teams were forced to punt on their next possession but a Duster kick was downed deep inside the Bulldog 10 yard line. The hosts then increased their lead as an Alliance punt was blocked, resulting in a safety and another 2 more Duster points. Heading to the final 12 minutes of play, Alliance was down 43 to 17.
Both teams would have 2 series each in the final period. The Dusters were denied any more tallies early in the quarter as a Holdrege field goal was no good. On both Alliance’s drives, the Bulldogs were turned away. Final Score Holdrege 43 Alliance 15
ALL 0 7 8 0 15
HOLD 7 27 9 0 43
Final stats showed Alliance rushing the ball 36 times for 165 Trejo had 22 attempts
for 106 yards Robertson had 8 tries for 33 yards Herian had 5 carries for 28 yards
Passing Herian 7 for 13 for 58 yards and 2 touchdowns
Trejo 1 for 1 40 yards Lanik 1 for 1 3 yards 1 pat receving Lanik 5 catches 51 Robertson 2 catches 36 yards 1 td Swenson 1 catch 11 yards 1 td Matulka 1 catch 3 yards 1 pat
Alliance will go to Gering on Friday.