By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
BATTLE CREEK – Big plays and big stops led to a opening round playoff win for the Buchanan Bucks in a thrilling 38-33 victory over host Battle Creek Pennfield on the Panthers' home field Friday night.
After the Panthers took the opening drive 88 yards for a touchdown in nine plays, a missed point-after kick left the Panthers with a 6-0 lead.
The Bucks responded with a one play, 83-yard run by Clinton Orr. Josh Borr hit the PAT for a 7-6 Bucks lead.
That was only the start of a game filled with big plays both on the offensive side of the ball and by each teams' defense.
The big defensive play for the Bucks came in the final seconds of the game with Buchanan holding five-point advantage.
Pennfield moved the ball down to the 7-yard line with 14.8 seconds to play. Robert Riggs came up with a sack of Panther quarterback Josh Baggerly, back at the 24. After a collision with his running back in the backfield, the ball popped loose with the Panther's recovering it at the 24 with 8.8 to play.
Senior Jon Modnschein brought the game to an end sacking Baggerly for another loss and a Buchanan victory to advance them to next week's playoff game, where they will face a powerful Jackson Lumen Christi team, a 34-7 winner over Hopkins.
Turnovers were also a key to the Buchanan win. The Panthers coughed up the ball three times and the Bucks scored on two of the three fumbles.
Bennie Jones, Arron Sater and Auston Ferris recovered the ball for the Bucks. The biggest was Ferris' recovery in the fourth quarter. After scooping up the ball at the Buck 40, Ferris returned it to the Pennfield 23, setting up a Buchanan touchdown.
Buchanan hit paydirt six plays later on a 1-yard run by Marquis Hall, the third of his four scores in the game.
Buchanan coach Joe Austin chose to go for two on the PAT, but it failed and the Bucks trailed 33-32.
Pennfield looked to be driving for another score with just under four minutes to play when the Buck defense made their first big stop of the night.
Holding the Panthers on a fourth and six at the 15. With 3:50 to play in the game Buchanan drove the ball 84 yards in 10 plays for the go ahead score with 57.6 seconds to play.
For the night Orr ran for 167 yards and Hall pounded the ball for 156 yards and hitting the end zone four times.
Buchanan finished the night with 356 total yards rushing and Taylor Oake was 2-of-6 for 60 yards passing.
Keegan Clark led the Panthers with 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Baggerly was 6-of-8 for 114 yard in the air.
Buchanan 7 13 6 12 – 38
Pennfield 6 14 13 0 – 33
P – Baggerly 4 pass to Keegan Clark (kick failed)
B – Clinton Orr 83 run (Josh Borr kick)
P – William Hampton 2 run (pass failed)
B – Marquis Hall 1 run (kick failed)
P – Clark 23 run (Clark run)
B – Taylor Oake 1 run (Borr kick)
P – Clark 1 run (Travis Tuttle kick)
B – Hall 44 run (kick failed)
P – Brandon Case 4 run (kick failed)
B – Hall 1 run (pass failed)
B – Hall 1 run (pass failed)