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DAVENPORT, Iowa -- History doesn't always repeat itself. For the first time in five years the St. Ambrose Fighting Bees lost to the McKendree Bearcats 38-31 in double overtime. And for the first time in five years, the Fighting Bees will not be Mid-States Football Association Midwest Division champions. In one of the most exciting games of the season, the eighth Fighting Bees came back from being down 17-0 early and took a 28-17 lead midway through the third quarter. "Our kids showed a lot of character and just kept plugging away," Fighting Bees coach Todd Sturdy said of his teams poise to come back from the 17-point deficit. But then the ninth-ranked Bearcats (8-1, 6-0) clawed back. With just 2 minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the game, Bearcats kicker Stephen Webb drilled his second 47-yard field goal of the game to knot the game at 31 a piece. The teams then traded field goals in the first overtime to push it to a second. McKendree got the ball first in the second overtime and after capitalizing on a third-and-7, running back Jesse Lewis pushed his way into the end zone to give the Bearcats a 38-31 lead. The Fighting Bees, who had trouble moving the ball all day, struggled to move the ball in the overtime as well, and on a third-and-6, Fighting Bees quarterback Jeff Kietzman's pass was intercepted by David Rhodes, which ended the game. "We just got out of sync. We didn't execute and got handled up front," Sturdy said of his offense that only amassed 269 yards of total offense, 130 yards below its average. "I couldn't put my finger on one thing. "We have to take a hard look at our offense, there is no consistency there. But you can look at a lot of things in a football game. Offensively I don't think that we played well enough to win the ball game, especially in the second half." Senior defensive back Luke Perry couldn't figure out the difference in the game either. "I just really don't know for sure. We just got down early and a few things didn't fall our way, but this team showed a lot of heart today," Perry said. "I am proud of all of these guys out here, from the top to the bottom. We fought back. We showed a lot of character. "We were on the other side of this last year, but, you win some and you lose some." It was a senior day where 24 seniors did not want to leave the field. With the loss, the Fighting Bees will need a win next weekend at Olivet Nazarene in order to have a shot at playoffs. A loss would drop them from playoff consideration. "Going to double overtime won't hurt (our chances at going to the playoffs)," Sturdy said. "If there's some teams with a couple of loses, we might have an opportunity. But we can't worry about that right now. We have to worry about winning next week's ball game, going 8-2 and whatever happens, happens. "If the voters feel that we're good enough at 8-2, we might have an opportunity. All we can do is win. And that's our next task at hand." Although the season is not completely over for the Fighting Bees, they will need some help to receive one of the at-large berths into the 16-team field that comprises the NAIA playoffs. The loss marks the first time in over seven years that the Fighting Bees have lost back-to-back home games. The win for McKendree guarantees them at least a share of the MSFA Midwest title. Trinity International, who won 29-7 over William Penn to improve to 5-1 in the division, will have a shot to share the Midwest crown, if they can beat McKendree on the road next weekend. "I am happy for (McKendree coach) Carl Poelker and his team, they have a good football team," Sturdy said. "It is not a lot of fun being on the losing end on that double overtime game, but last season we were on the winning end of one, last year in the playoffs. I have to congratulate (McKendree), they played an awfully good game. It was a solid football game between two good teams. A quality game." The Fighting Bees, who will need a win to stay alive, will close out the 2004 regular season on the road at Olivet Nazarene. Saturday, Olivet beat St. Francis (Ill.) 20-0. Kickoff for the game in Bourbonnais, Ill., is set for 1:30 p.m. Return to the Football Homepage |
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