By Anne Martin, a Voice of the Tigers
The highly anticipated rematch of last year’s State Championship game between the Logansport Tigers and the Homer Pelicans was played Friday night, and unfortunately for the Tigers, had a similar result, with Homer defeating Logansport 47-6.
The Pelicans scored first, with 8:58 remaining in the first quarter, on a 3 yard run by QB Andrevious Buggs. After a Tiger turnover on downs, the Pelicans scored on the next possession with two long runs by senior running back Elyjay Curry and a touchdown pass to Michael Green. The point after kick was no good, and the score was 13-0. The Tiger defense settled in, and they stopped Homer on their next two possessions. Junior Stevie Holloway and senior Jace Thompson made key tackles in stopping Curry.
The second quarter started with a long drive by the Tigers, with key plays by Nino Hill. The Pelicans stopped the Tigers in a goal line stand and took over at the 5. Neither team was able to move the ball in their next possessions. With 1:02 remaining in the half, Logansport started a drive at their 47. A run by QB Kham Boykin picked up a first down, followed by a pass to Jayven Claybrook brought the ball to the 17. With 38 seconds to go, Claybrook caught a pass for the first Tiger touchdown. With a score of 13-6, Logansport kicked off and Homer started at their 34 yard line. A run by Curry resulted in a first down, then a long run with several missed tackles led to another touchdown by Homer. At halftime the score stood at 20-6.
The second half started with Logansport receiving the kickoff at their 34 yard line. That drive ended with a blocked punt , and Homer took over on the Tiger 24 yard line. They scored on a QB keep from the 1 yard line. The kick was good, bringing the score to 27-6. After a three and out, Homer started their next drive from their 45. D’Avery Robinson forced a fumble, and the Tigers recovered the ball at midfield. The momentum was short-lived, as three plays later, Lamichael Greer intercepted a pass and Homer started from their 40 yard line. After a penalty, a bad snap, and a stop by Hayden Rolfe, the Pelicans were facing 3rd and 15. Robinson forced another fumble, but Homer recovered. On 4th and 7, Green ran in for the touchdown with 2:20 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Another interception by Homer resulted in them taking over on their 20 yard line to end the quarter.
The fourth quarter started with a great defensive stand by Logansport, resulting in a Homer punt. Logansport started at their 32 yard line, and Homer picked off another pass, this time by Jamarquese Hampton, who ran it in for a touchdown, bringing the score to 40-6. After the kickoff, the Tigers started at their 44. Runs by Nino Hill and Boykins resulted in a first down, but Green scooped up a fumble and ran it in for the final Homer TD.
The Homer Pelicans will host the Mangham Dragons in the semi-final match up next Friday.
