FOOTBALL: Bauer’s Late TD Helps Norfolk Rally Past Lincoln North Star

LINCOLN–(KLMS Oct. 7)–Momentum was key in the second half of Friday night’s football game between Norfolk and Lincoln North Star and in the end, the Panthers found a way to regain control for a victory.

Norfolk capped off a 68-yard scoring drive with a seven-yard touchdown run from running back Rowdy Bauer for a 22-17 win over the Navigators at Seacrest Field, in a game heard on KFOR.

Bauer’s answer came at a crucial time with 5:17 left in the game, after North Star had taken control in the third quarter.  After Bauer’s second touchdown of the game, the Gators had chances to convert with less than a minute remaining.  It came down to a final play on fourth down from North Star’s 39-yard line with 30 seconds remaining that Gator quarterback Beaudree Ball threw an incomplete pass intended for wide-receiver Braeden Sunken that went out of bounds toward mid-field.

Norfolk set up in victory formation and took a knee to run out the clock.

Bauer put the Panthers up 7-0 with just over ten minutes left in the first quarter, when he broke free on the first play from scrimmage to score on a 53-yard touchdown run.  Then wide-receiver Tanner Eisenhauer caught a 14-yard touchdown pass to cap a 96-yard scoring drive with 1:35 left in the opening quarter to extend the lead to 14-0.

North Star (3-4) started to settle down defensively in the second quarter, capitalizing on an interception from Davis Jones.  That eventually set up for Nick Rorabaugh’s 37-yard field goal with 9:49 left in the second quarter with the Gators trailing 14-3.

A 15-yard penalty later in the first half had put North Star at their own one-yard line, when Norfolk’s defense blitzed and took down Ball in the end zone for a safety.  The Panthers led 16-3 at halftime.

Norfolk initially went three-and-out on the opening series of the second half, which led to North Star picking up steam when Ball threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Hallett with 8:01 in the third quarter.

The Gators then took control for the first and only time of the game, when running back Tre’Maine Lister broke through tackles and took off for a 65-yard touchdown run with 3:39 left in the third and North Star had their only lead of the game at 17-16.

Both teams need to win their next two games in order to try and qualify for the Class A State Football Playoffs in three weeks.