Santa Fe Trail hands Buffalos a tough loss at home

By David Heidrick

Contributor to the Journal

Only two teams remain undefeated in the Pioneer League following Friday night's matchup at Prairie View. The Buffalos were planning on being one of those two, but the Santa Fe Trail Chargers showed why they may be one of the top teams in the league this year.

The Chargers tried to catch the Buffaloes off guard with an on-side kick to start the game. The Buffs weren’t fooled, however, recovering the ball near mid-field. Parker Schwarz, as usual, ripped off a 55-yard run to start things off, but a hold nullified that touchdown.

Senior Wyatt Attebery, Buffalo quarterback, ran for 76 yards on 15 carries and threw for 43 yards, connecting on three of five attempts.

Play two, Wyatt Attebery slithered to his left and followed a devastating block from Josh Goodwin to race down the sideline to the 12 yard line. A series of short gains and mishaps led to a turnover on downs. The Chargers wasted little time, throwing a short post route that turned into a 93-yard touchdown to take an early 6-0 lead. A bad snap led to a sack of the holder. 

A tough three and out from the Buffalo offense, and a short punt, handed the field advantage to the visitors from Carbondale. A couple of short passes turned into longer gains and the Chargers quickly found themselves inside the 10 yard line. Two incomplete passes and a no-gain run led to a field goal and a 9-0 lead.

The home team stormed back with an 18-play, 80-yard masterpiece of a drive, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown plunge from Josh Goodwin. However the momentum was short lived. The ensuing kickoff was returned 80 yards for a touchdown and the Buffs found themselves down 16-6 midway through the second quarter.

On defense, senior linebacker Ethan Gray was credited with five tackles against the Chargers.

On the second play of the Buffalos next possession, the ball was fumbled and lost. The Prairie View defense held strong on the first three downs, allowing just 2 yards. But on fourth down, the Chargers surprised the Buffalos with a 30-yard touchdown pass.

The Prairie View offense ran out the half with a few short runs and a sack of quarterback Wyatt Attebery.

Prairie View opened up the second half with a strong drive. Attebery, Goodwin, and Schwarz carried the ball 11 times for 60 yards and a touchdown, Goodwin topped things off with a two-point conversion to bring the Buffs to within nine points at 23-14.

Another onside attempt was recovered by the visitors at the 50. Using the short field to their advantage, they marched down the field with a mix of runs and passes. Schwarz made four tackles on that drive alone and the Chargers found the end zone again. The point after missed, leaving the Buffalos down 15 points. 

The Prairie View offense was able to move the ball, going 61 yards on 10 plays, but a dropped pass on fourth down at the Charger 22 yard line spoiled the drive. Rigley Schleichter and Bryson Cottinger had runs for 40, 13, and 10 yards on the drive. The touchdown put the Chargers ahead 35-14.

The Buffalos responded with a touchdown drive of their own, Schwarz doing most of the damage with a 43-yard run followed by an 11-yard carry. Jay Muse took it to the house from 4 yards out. A failed two point gave Buffalos a score of 35-20. 

The Chargers went three and out, the Buffalos fumbled the ball away on their second play, and Santa Fe Trail was finally able to run out the clock. The final score was Chargers 35, Buffalos 20.