Welcoming Buchanan on homecoming night, the Cassopolis Rangers looked to continue their unbeaten run and give the Bucks three loses on the season.

However, Buchanan’s offensive line was too much to handle, helping put up 517 yards of total offense along the way in a 60-41 victory in on Friday Night.

Not only was there more 100 points scored, both teams nearly combined for more 1,000 yards of offense with Cassopolis amassing 446 total yards.

The first half was a game of cat and mouse. Both teams went score for score en route to a 28-28 halftime stand still.

Buchanan started the game recovering their own opening onside kick and quickly drove down the field in 46 seconds to open up the scoring on a Darren Shearer 8-yard run. The extra point was no good. Three a half minutes later Cassopolis would score on a 9-yard run by Tyrese Hunt-Thompson to take a 7-6 lead.

Shearer would then find Kyle Leazenby on a 33-yard pass and run in the two point conversion to put the Bucks back on top.

The Rangers’ Brandon Anderson would answer back with 42 seconds left in the first quarter to even the game at 14-14 at the end of one.

Cassopolis gained momentum at the start of the second quarter when Hunt-Thompson stripped the ball from Buchanan’s Hunter Goodrich on a caught deep pass.

Four plays later the Rangers took a chance on fourth-and-two, but Goodrich then redeemed himself and intercepted a Shane Los pass for a 50-yard “pick six.”

On the next drive Los would get his chance and redemption and complete a 25-yard pass to Micha Welch.

Shearer would add his third touchdown of the half from four yards out, but Cassopolis would respond with a Marquise Curtis 46-yard run.

Unable to play last week, Curtis brings a unique aspect to the Rangers’ rushing attack.

“He brings another dimension to the game,” Cassopolis coach Dan Purlee said. “He is a talented runner and teams key on him so that opens up opportunities for other guys.”

The Bucks picked it up offensively in the second half.

Unable to get any offense going on their first drive of the half, Buchanan was left to punt. An excellent special teams play downed the ball on the Cassopolis 1-yard line. Two plays later Buchanan tackled the Rangers ball carrier in the endzone for a rare safety.

“I told the guys that was one of the biggest plays of the night,” Buchanan coach Reid McBeth said. “That was a huge momentum boost for us because we got the ball right back.”

Buchanan would then score on touchdown runs of 29- and 17-yards from Jacob Graham and a 30-yard pass from Shearer to Riddle on three consecutive possessions to break open the game.

“We tried to keep our foot on the throttle,” McBeth said. “Cassopolis threw a lot of different things at us and this was a game of momentum. Their pressure on our offensive line helped us change some things. In the second half Jacob Graham was an animal and Justin Root does a great job blocking for him.”

“They owned the line of scrimmage in the second half,” Purlee said. “We just could not stop the run and pounded the ball right own our throat. We lost the battle up front and they over-powered us.”

Shearer would add his last touchdown of the game from 1-yard out to give him five on the night.

Cassopolis’ Hunt-Thompson and Dylan Green would score the final two Rangers’ touchdowns to add on to the offensive onslaught both teams provided.

A complete box score is available at leaderpub.com

Buchanan hosts 4-1 Parchment Friday, which were 56-0 winners of Lake Michigan Catholic while the Rangers’ will host 1-4 White Pigeon in their final home game of the season, which lost to Mendon 18-7 on Friday.

 

BUCHANAN 60, CASSOPOLIS 41

At Cassopolis

Buchanan 14 14 16 16 – 60

Cassopolis 14 14 0 13 – 41

BU – Darren Shearer 8 yard run (kick failed).

C – Tyrese Hunt-Thomson 9 yard run (Brandon Anderson kick).

BU – Shearer 33 yd pass to Kyle Leazenby (conversion good).

C – Anderson 19 yard run (Anderson kick).

BU – Hunter Goodrich 50 yard interception return (conversion failed).

C – Shane Los 31 yard pass to Micha Welch (kick failed).

BU – Shearer 4 yard run (conversion good).

C – Marquise Curtis 46 yard run (conversion good).

BU – Safety.

BU – Graham 29 yard run (Leazenby kick).

BU – Shearer 30 yard pass to Leazenby (Leazenby kick).

BU – Graham 17 yard run (conversion good).

C – Los 6 yard pass to Hunt-Thompson (conversion failed).

BU – Shearer 1 yard run (conversion good).

C – Dylan Green 1 yard run (Anderson kick).

Varsity records: Buchanan 2-2, Cassopolis 4-1.