By: Nate Calvin
HAMLER (September 15, 2023) – The expected shootout developed at Big Red Stadium in Hamler with the Patriots and Golden Bears combining for 866 yards of offense and 88 points.
Patrick Henry broke a 22-22 halftime tie with touchdowns on their first two second half possessions and then held off a resilient Bryan squad for a 46-42 win.
The Patriots first possession of the game set the tone for their offense, going 62 yards on eight plays, ending with a Lincoln Creager one-yard touchdown run out the Wildcat formation to go up 8-0 after a successful two-point conversion.
Bryan’s high-octane offense responded though with a six-play drive that included a Jase Kepler to Sam Herold 24-yard completion before Herold would go 29 yards around the right side for a score to make it 8-6.
The Patriots would turn it over on their next drive on a bad exchange between quarterback Nash Meyer and running back Houston Miranda as Bryan recovered the fumble.
Bryan was stopped following the turnover which led to the Patriots driving 55 yards in 13 plays, capped off by Creager scoring on a one-yard run on fourth-and-goal to make it 16-6 with 7:58 to go in the half.
It took the Golden Bears just :38 seconds to answer back as a 71-yard run by Herold to the Patriots one-yard line setup Kepler scoring on the next play on a keeper and after a Herold two-point conversion run it was 16-14.
It was the Patriots turn then as Meyer completed passes of 17, 13, and 30 yards to move the offense down to the Bryan seven-yard line.
After being stopped on the first three plays and backed up by one of their 13 penalties on the night, Meyer would find a wide-open Miranda out of the backfield on a wheel route for a nine-yard touchdown and a 22-14 lead.
With 1:19 left on the first half clock, Bryan moved quickly with Kepler throwing back-to-back passes to Gavin Jaessing and a late hit penalty on the Patriots put the ball at the Patriot 14-yard line.
Two plays later, Kepler would find Drew Hahn on a 14-yard pass and run for a score with :14 seconds left in the half and Herold’s two-point conversion run tied the game at 22 headed to halftime.
The second half started like the first for the Patriots as a combination of Meyer’s passing and running would move the ball to the Bryan one-yard line with Meyer punching it in to make 30-22 after the two-point conversation.
After a Bryan punt, the Patriots were on the attack again using a 52-yard scamper by Miranda to put the ball at the Golden Bear 12-yard line.
On second down at the ten-yard line, Meyer tossed a scoring strike to Landon Johnson and after the conversion the lead had ballooned to 36-22.
Bryan again showed their quick strike capabilities with a drive of under a minute with Kepler finding Herold down the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 38-30 after the conversion.
The Patriots would go three-and-out to give the ball right back to Bryan who used a 20-yard scramble on third down by Kepler to help them move the ball to the Patriot 16.
On the first play of the final quarter, Kepler found Hahn in the front corner of the end zone for a score to draw within 38-36 but the conversion was unsuccessful to keep the Patriot lead at two.
After trading punts, Patrick Henry started at the Bryan 44-yard line and after a series of runs by Miranda and Meyer they faced a fourth and seven at the 18.
The Patriots would go for it and Meyer found an open Johnson down the left sideline on a stop and go route for a score to push the lead to 46-36 after Meyer’s two-point run with 6:11 remaining.
Bryan wouldn’t go way though, as Kepler went 22 yards to Herold after a personal foul penalty on Patrick Henry on third down kept the drive alive.
Kepler hit Hahn for 17 yards and two plays later on fourth-and-four it was the Kepler to Hahn connection again, this time for 22 yards and a touchdown, to bring Bryan to within 46-42 with 2:13 left in the game.
Bryan attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but the Patriots recovered and were later able to pick up a first down on an eight-yard run by Meyer on third-and-six to run out the clock.
For the night, Meyer passed for 239 yards and three touchdowns while Miranda carried the load on the ground with 194 yards on 24 totes.
Kepler would go 16/27 through the air for 239 yards with Herold running for 107 yards and catching five passes for 120 yards for Bryan.
UP NEXT: September 22 – Bryan (3-2, 1-1 NWOAL) at Liberty Center (5-0, 2-0 NWOAL) 7pm
BHS PHHS
First Downs 12 19
Rushing Yards 26-148 37-221
Passing Yards 259 238
Passing 16-27-0 20-29-0
Total Yards 407 459
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties 3-34 13-112
BRYAN 6 16 8 12 – 42
P. HENRY 8 14 16 8 – 46
PH – Creager 1-yard run (Creager run)
B – Herold 29-yard run (pass failed)
PH – Creager 1-yard run (T. Johnson pass from Meyer)
B – Kepler 1-yard run (Herold run)
PH – Miranda 9-yard pass from Meyer (run failed)
B- Hahn 15-yard pass from Kepler (Herold run)
PH – Meyer 1-yard run (Creager pass from Meyer)
PH – L. Johnson 10-yard pass from Meyer (Smith pass from Meyer)
B – Herold 63-yard pass from Kepler (Kepler run)
B – Hahn 16-yard pass from Kepler (run failed)
PH – L. Johnson 18-yard pass from Meyer (Smith pass from Meyer)
B – Hahn 22-yard pass from Kepler (pass fail)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:
RUSHING: Bryan – Herold 10-107; Kepler 15-39; Patrick Henry – Miranda 24-194; PASSING: Bryan – Kepler 16-27-0-259; Patrick Henry – Meyer 20-29-0-238; RECEIVING: Bryan – Herold 5-120; Hahn 6-80; Jaessing 3-41; Patrick Henry – Johnson 7-90; Creager 6-73; Smith 5-55
Nate can be reached at sports@thevillagereporter.com
