Tabor’s defense once again hung in there today to give the struggling offense a chance, but the worn out Jays couldn’t hold back the Friends Falcons in the final minutes. Friends walked away with a 31-21 victory that ends Tabor’s season and gives them a 3-7 overall record and a 2-7 record in the conference. They finished eighth in the KCAC standings.
The Bluejay offense started off on the right foot, specifically the feet of freshman quarterback Simon McKee, who broke free around midfield and ran in for a Tabor touchdown with 10:15 left in the first quarter. With the extra point the Jays led, 7-0.
But with 6:34 left Friends ran a Bluejay punt all the way down field for a score to tie it up, cracking Tabor’s momentum.
At 10:03 the Falcons put points on the board again, though this time the Tabor defense held them to a field goal to make it 10-7.
Down by only three at halftime, things still didn’t look too bad for the Jays. But at 14:18 they turned over the ball to Friends. Fortunately for the Jays, their defense got the stop on a fourth and two.
But with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter, Tabor fumbled a punt attempt, which was recovered in their end zone by Friends to put them up, 17-7.
Tabor’s offense finally found their spark at the beginning of the fourth quarter, as McKee found Duray Gardener at 14:25, who snagged the catch and ran in for a touchdown. The extra point put the Jays within three, 17-14.
At 7:35 the Bluejays again found the end zone, this time off a pitch play from McKee to Nate Harrison, who scampered in for the score and the 21-17 lead.
But there was far too much time left on the clock. The Falcons drove from midfield for a touchdown to move ahead, 24-21.
With just under three minutes remaining in the game, the win was still within the Bluejays’ grasp. But in a tragic turn, they fumbled on their own 11 yard line. Friends capitalized on the opportunity and put up the final score, 31-21.
