Hunter provides last blow

— It came down to last-minute drives for Charleston and Glen Rose, but quarterback Collin Hunter’s was the game-winner for Glen Rose.

Glen Rose drove 50 yards in the final minute and a half before Hunter scored the winning touchdown in Glen Rose’s 31-28 victory over Charleston in a Class 3A playoff game at Alumni Field.

“Our kids never panicked,” Glen Rose Coach Mark Kehner said. “Things didn’t go our way in the first half. We had some things not go our way in the second half as well, so I can’t say enough about our kids.”

Hunter’s score left 17 seconds on the clock, but it wasn’t enough time for Charleston (9-3) to retake the lead against Glen Rose (12-1). Hunter finished with 34 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 7 carries.

Glen Rose’s final drive answered a 95-yard touchdown drive by Charleston, which took a 28-24 lead after a two point conversion with 1:39 left.

The drive was capped by Tigers quarterback Ty Storey’s 55-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Loveday. Storey finished 32 of 54 for 392 yards and 3 touchdowns.

“It was a great high school football game,” Charleston Coach Doug Loughridge said. “I was proud of our kids playing a full four quarters. If only we could’ve just got that last stop.”

Charleston trailed 24-20 after Hunter threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hunter Bredensteiner with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, giving Glen Rose its first lead.

But the Tigers moved down the field, having to convert a fourth-and-13 at their 3, and answered to retake the lead.

“It just shows the composure of our team,” Loughridge said of the lengthy drive. “Our team had to play really well to make that happen.”

It wasn’t enough, though, as Hunter led the Beavers down the field through the air for the game-winning score to help Glen Rose overcome five turnovers and being down 14-10 at halftime.

“We settled in during the second half,” Kehner said. “We felt like we settled in and we found a way to win. This was two great programs battling it out at the end of the game.”

After Glen Rose cut the lead to just four points before halftime with a 34-yard field goal by Dakota Harris as time expired, Charleston’s defense made a big play to grab the momentum at the start of the second half.

Tigers defensive back Chance Shelby returned a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown during the Beaver’s opening possession after halftime for a 20-10 lead.

Harris countered by running 13 yards for touchdown to cut the lead to 20-17 with 6:29 left in the third quarter.

“We haven’t faced a quarterback who can sling it around like that,” Kehner said of Storey. “I give them all the credit in the world. He made some big plays.”

Sports, Pages 33 on 11/24/2012

Upcoming Events