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Independence, MO —
When Tauai Tuala steamrolled Staley running back Kahluna Bouchard, forcing a fumble that his Fort Osage teammate Josh Tuimaseve returned for a 6-yard touchdown, it appeared the Class 5 third-ranked Indians might be on their way to their first victory over the defending Class 5 state champion Falcons.
But a gritty performance by Staley quarterback Trent Hosick and a late 28-yard field goal by Faizol Bouchard gave the visiting fifth-ranked Falcons a 31-28 victory to spoil what had been a festive homecoming week for Fort Osage.
“That Hosick kid is something else,” Fort Osage coach Ryan Schartz said of the University of Missouri-bound quarterback. “He willed his team to that win – I mean, he wasn’t going to leave here without a win. What a performance.”
With 1:10 left in the first period, Hosick scored on a 10-yard run to knot the score at 7-all. He then scored on a 6-yard run to give the Falcons a 14-7 lead, and Staley took a commanding 21-7 lead into the half when Charlie Becker blocked a Steven McBee punt and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.
“We had to make some adjustments at the half and come out and regain the momentum,” Schartz said after his 5-1 squad lost its first game of the season.
McBee hooked up with Brandon Winters for a 76-yard score to cut the deficit to 21-14, but the Falcons scored moments later when Hosick hit Tyler Nugent for a 36-yard score. Nugent was hit near the sideline following a short gain, but broke the tackle for perhaps the biggest score of the night.
The Indians showed they had plenty of fight left as McBee hit D’Vante Mosby in stride for a 46-yard touchdown, and the senior quarterback then broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and broke free for a 44-yard run to tie the game at 28-all with 2:54 left in the third period.
A 44-yard pass from Hosick to Nugent then set up Bouchard’s game-winning field goal, but it came with 5:39 left in the game, giving the Indians' offense plenty of time to get a game-winning touchdown.
On their final possession, a scrambling McBee nearly connected with Mosby, as a possible big-yardage pass eluded his fingertips.
“We came into this game pretty confident – maybe a little bit too confident,” said McBee, who was 13 of 31 for 311 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. “This is our wake-up call.”
When Tauai Tuala steamrolled Staley running back Kahluna Bouchard, forcing a fumble that his Fort Osage teammate Josh Tuimaseve returned for a 6-yard touchdown, it appeared the Class 5 third-ranked Indians might be on their way to their first victory over the defending Class 5 state champion Falcons.
But a gritty performance by Staley quarterback Trent Hosick and a late 28-yard field goal by Faizol Bouchard gave the visiting fifth-ranked Falcons a 31-28 victory to spoil what had been a festive homecoming week for Fort Osage.
“That Hosick kid is something else,” Fort Osage coach Ryan Schartz said of the University of Missouri-bound quarterback. “He willed his team to that win – I mean, he wasn’t going to leave here without a win. What a performance.”
With 1:10 left in the first period, Hosick scored on a 10-yard run to knot the score at 7-all. He then scored on a 6-yard run to give the Falcons a 14-7 lead, and Staley took a commanding 21-7 lead into the half when Charlie Becker blocked a Steven McBee punt and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.
“We had to make some adjustments at the half and come out and regain the momentum,” Schartz said after his 5-1 squad lost its first game of the season.
McBee hooked up with Brandon Winters for a 76-yard score to cut the deficit to 21-14, but the Falcons scored moments later when Hosick hit Tyler Nugent for a 36-yard score. Nugent was hit near the sideline following a short gain, but broke the tackle for perhaps the biggest score of the night.
The Indians showed they had plenty of fight left as McBee hit D’Vante Mosby in stride for a 46-yard touchdown, and the senior quarterback then broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and broke free for a 44-yard run to tie the game at 28-all with 2:54 left in the third period.
A 44-yard pass from Hosick to Nugent then set up Bouchard’s game-winning field goal, but it came with 5:39 left in the game, giving the Indians' offense plenty of time to get a game-winning touchdown.
On their final possession, a scrambling McBee nearly connected with Mosby, as a possible big-yardage pass eluded his fingertips.
“We came into this game pretty confident – maybe a little bit too confident,” said McBee, who was 13 of 31 for 311 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. “This is our wake-up call.”
Darby Raines, who batted away two Hosick passes in the end zone, agreed.
“We had the momentum early, then they got it back and we came back – we just didn’t come back far enough,” Raines said.
It was a long night for the Indians special teams as they missed two field goals and allowed the blocked punt for a touchdown.
“We get the field goals or don’t allow that blocked punt and we’re talking about a win,” Schartz said, “but I know our kids will come back after this loss. In the past, a loss like this could have destroyed a season, but this group is too good – has too much pride – to let that happen.”
The win gives the Falcons the upper hand in the Suburban Middle Seven Conference race as they took over sole possession of first place by improving to 4-0 in the league while dropping the Indians to 2-1.
