Lions rally past Rams in wild Western B battle
EUREKA — Eureka quarterback Rogan Lytle scored two touchdowns 13 seconds part, helping the Lions rally past Missoula Loyola 36-30 in a wild Western B football game Friday night.
Lytle ran 35 times for 248 yards for the Lions (4-1 overall, 3-0 in Western B games), who trailed 14-0 and 21-6. They didn’t lead until Lytle’s 12-yard touchdown run with 5:07 left in the game made it 34-30. Lytle then hit Timothy Schmidt with a two-point conversion pass.
Loyola (3-3, 1-2 in league) got the ball back but punted it away with 3:13 remaining and Eureka ran out the clock.
Josh Lambertsen added 59 yards on 10 carries for the Lions, including scoring runs of 20 and 15 yards.
After Lambertsen scored his first TD, Loyola got a 35-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Richardson to Ethan Lamb to go up 21-6 with 2:11 left in the first half.
Eureka drove to a big TD before the half ended, Lytle hitting Tyce Van Orden for 8 yards and the score with 25.6 seconds remaining.
The Lions scored to open the third quarter — Lambertsen again — but missed the PAT kick. Loyola used a Wakati Makonga field goal and a 1-yard Richardson TD run to push its lead back to 30-20 with 10:21 left in the game.
That set up the finish: Lytle cut the gap to 30-28 with a 4-yard TD run and a PAT pass to Schmidt. On the ensuing kickoff the Rams’ returner fumbled on a hit by Emmet McKim and Schmidt recovered just inside the sideline. McKim had 14 tackles.
Lytle’s game-winning run around the right side came on the next play. He was also 4 of 9 passing for 40 yards, with one interception. He also had nine tackles on defense; teammate Emmet Earls had 10.
Owen Felton had a touchdown running and receiving for the Rams, who were outgained 347-246.
Loyola 7 14 3 6 - 30
Eureka 0 14 6 16 - 36
L — Owen Felton 6 run (Wakati Makonga kick)
L — Felton 6 pass from Andrew Richardson (Makonga kick)
E — Josh Lambertsen 20 run (kick failed)
L — Lamb 35 pass from Richardson (Makonga kick)
E — Tyce Van Orden 8 pass from Rogan Lytle (Emmet McKim pass from Lytle)
E — Lambertsen 15 run (kick failed)
L — Makonga 37 FG
L — Richardson1 run (kick failed)
E — Lytle 4 run (Timothy Schmidt pass from Lytle)
E — Lytle 12 run (Schmidt pass from Lytle)