Law tops Kansas City in OT
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Kansas City, MO-In a seasons full of firsts, the Dodge City Law added another one on Sunday. But the accomplishment did not necessarily have Head Coach Sean Ponder cracking a smile afterwards.
Daniel McKinney caught eight balls for 123 yards and three touchdowns, Rudy Johnson threw for a franchise-record 292, and Dodge City topped Kansas City 62-61 in the first overtime game in franchise history.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it,” Ponder said. “A win is a win.”
Those words never rang truer, and in a game where Dodge City (7-1) seemingly had put it away after Noel Phillips’ six-yard rushing touchdown late in the third that gave the Law a 49-23 advantage, the way it ended was only fitting.
“We played well in the first half,” Ponder said. “In the second half, we just lost all of the momentum.”
Kansas City (1-7), who entered Sunday’s game having lost five straight games, scored what appeared to be an innocuous touchdown when former Law signal caller Derrick Bernard scampered in from 15 yards out. OJ Simpson ran in the two-point conversion, and the Phantoms trailed 49-31 with 1:46 to go in the third.
Then when Johnson answered with a five-yard score early in the fourth for Dodge City, the crowd of better than 3,000 at Silverstein Eye Center, started to thin out.
“We’ve been on both sides of games like this,” Ponder said. “Once you lose the momentum, it is so hard to get it back.”
As fast as the Law built that 26-point lead is how quickly it evaporated.
Following Bernard’s second rushing touchdown of the afternoon that cut the Law lead to 55-39, Trey Dudley returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards for a touchdown. But the score was nullified when Tuff Johnson was called for an illegal block. That was followed up with Phillips’ inexplicable fumble that Brandon Jenkins scooped up for Kansas City.
“You can’t turn the ball over in that situation,” Ponder explained. “You can’t give a team like that any life, and we did.”
The Phantoms were back in the end zone seven plays later when Bernard snuck in from a yard out before adding the two pointer to make it an eight-point game with 7:07 to go.
“We learned a lot of things from this game,” defensive back Tyrell Green said. “You have to learn how to finish off teams. We had to figure out how to get ourselves going again.”
On Dodge City’s next possession, the Law moved into scoring range thanks to Johnson’s 15-yard connection with Brandon Venson on third down. But the play fell nine yards shy of moving the chains, summoning kicker Jared Wood.
“Jared has been solid all season long,” Ponder said. “It was just one of those nights.”
Wood’s 26-yard field goal was blocked, giving the Phantoms new life with 3:56 to play. And they took full advantage of it.
On second-and-8 from their own 13, Bernard dropped back and uncorked a bomb down the middle. Wide receiver Jared Elmore fought off both Green and Dudley to make a circus catch at the Dodge City 5. A couple of plays later, Bernard plunged in from a yard out to cut the deficit to two. Then, after a false start moved the ball back to the 6, the former Law quarterback hit Anthony Parks for the two-point conversion, tying the score with 1:18 remaining, and finishing off a fourth-quarter that saw the Phantoms outscore Dodge City 24-6.
“Even with all of that, we still had a chance to win the game in regulation,” Ponder said.
That chance came after Dodge City moved the ball to the Kansas City 20. With two seconds to go, Wood trotted out again, but his 35-yard field goal sailed wide left, sending the game into overtime.
“Jared has been money all year,” Ponder said. “It’s hard when things go that way, but you have to move on.”
On the first possession of the extra session, Darrian Miller scored from two yards out, giving the Phantoms their first lead since it was 10-6 in the opening quarter. But a bad snap on the extra-point attempt had Parks (the holder) running for his life. He ended up throwing the ball away with Kansas City up 61-55.
“That was big,” Ponder said of the missed extra point. “We knew what we had to do there.”
Dodge City seized the opportunity. On third-and-10 from midfield, Bernard hit Marquis Deadwiler on a post down the middle for 22 yards and first down. One play later, Kamalie Matthews rumbled into the end zone to tie the game.
“It’s funny because we’ve run that play a couple of times and Kamailie fumbled,” Ponder said with a smile. “But we had all the confidence in him, and the seas parted.”
On the extra point attempt, backup linebacker Isaac Wright blocked Wood’s kick. But after a long discussion, the referees ruled illegal defense-giving the Law one more chance. This time Wood made them pay, drilling the PAT to give the Law a dramatic one-point victory.
“We can’t let up on anyone,” Green said. “It is human nature to be complacent, but you have to fight through that.”
The first half was a different story.
After Kansas City jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Dallas Herndon’s 47-yard field goal, the Law responded with a seven-play, 36-yard drive that culminated in Phillips second rushing touchdown of the season: a one-yard score that put the Law in front 6-3 (the snap was bad on the extra point).
The Phantoms responded with Bernard’s seven-yard touchdown toss to Simpson that capped off a six-play, 41-yard march that gave Kansas City a 10-6 advantage.
But the Law answered with 22 straight points, thanks in large part to McKinney, who reeled in a four-yard touchdown pass and a 12-yard fade that made it 21-10. Johnson followed with a seven-yard rushing touchdown, and it was 28-10 Dodge City.
Kansas City kept it close before the half when Bernard hit Parks in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to pull the Phantoms to within 11 at the break.
McKinney added his third touchdown of the game seven minutes into the third when Johnson found him on a go route from 15 yards. Moments later, Dudley picked off Bernard and returned it 45 yards to the house before Phillips’ score with 3:26 left in the third gave Dodge City their largest lead of the game.
Johnson finished the day 21-of-34 while Phillips carried the ball 16 times for 44 yards and two touchdowns. He added five catches for 42 yards.
Bernard was 14-of-25 for 144 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Kansas City, who dropped their sixth consecutive game. Though the Phantoms became just the seventh team in history to rush for 100 yards against Dodge City’s defense (Bernard had 16 carries for 89 yards) and five touchdowns.
Next up: Dodge City at Wichita-Saturday, May 6—6:30 p.m. pregame; 7:05 p.m. kickoff on 98.1 FM; westernkansasnews.com/z98 and KSKZ mobile app
