A 35-yard touchdown run by Ben Eldridge gave Peabody-Burns all the advantage they needed to polish off Chase County on Friday.
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The Warriors carried a 6-0 lead into halftime on the strength of a 2-yard plunge by Trevor Hamm with 29 seconds left before intermission.
Foul weather, threatening to the north and west during the hour before kickoff, moved into the area during halftime. A mixture of lightning and rain delayed the start of the third quarter by an hour, but not even the thin layer of persistant dampness left on the field seemed to slow the PBHS ground game.
Forcing a punt after kicking the ball to Chase County to open the second half, the Warriors maintained a significant edge in both field position and time of possession through the third quarter, advancing from their own 34 to the Bulldog 28 before being stopped.
Chase County took over with 6:44 to go in the frame, but went 3-and-out. An 11-yard quarterback sack by Nick Abramowich on second down made the punt a foregone conclusion, and PBHS took over at its 47.
Two hard-hitting runs by Trevor Hamm moved the Warriors into Bulldog territory, and a 15-yard burst through the middle by Ben Eldridge helped Peabody-Burns overcome a holding penalty two plays later. The Warriors ground their way down to the 25, where a fumble nearly handed the ball back to the Bulldogs to start the fourth quarter. But Eldridge was there to recover, and PBHS reached the 15 yard line on a 6-yard carry by Hamm and a 4-yarder by Eldridge on fourth down. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the spot came up less than a foot short of another first down.
Chase County took over and promptly wiped out a 10-yard carry by standout speedster Brian Palermo when the officials flagged the Bulldogs for holding. The call made it first-and-20 at the 7 yard line, and Abramowich came within inches of dropping Shawn Talkington in the end zone for a safety on the next play.? The ensuing punt again nearly cost the Bulldogs two points when a bad snap had the CCHS punter reaching out to snare a bouncing ball an inch inside the end zone's back line.
The punt gave Peabody-Burns possession near midfield again, and Eldridge double the Warrior lead with his 35-yard burst with 6:44 to go. PBHS tacked on the extra point and led 13-0.
Palermo and the Bulldogs came charging back on the next possesion, breaking runs of 10, 15 and 30 yards before Nathan Phipps put Chase County on the board with 3:57 left.
Needing to get the ball back, the Bulldogs opted not to try an onside kick and instead chose to try to force a quick punt. The Warriors did not oblige, hammering their way to a first down on runs by Hamm and Eldridge. Chase County spent its time outs on the next three plays, but still needed a stop on fourth-and-2 to earn one last shot on offense.
A no-gain run finally got the Bulldogs the ball with 1:17 remaining, but an interception by? Elliott Spechtenhauser effectively ended the game with 34 seconds left.
