The Virgin Valley Bulldogs JV football squad came to life in the fourth quarter against Lincoln County High School (LCHS), erasing an 18 point lead and defeating the Lynx in overtime, 26-18.
Entering the Sept. 13 game in Panaca, the Lynx were coming off a tremendous win against West Wendover, which bolstered their confidence. On the other side of the coin, however, one of their star players, Mason Thornock was noticeably jersey-less. This was reportedly due to an ankle injury sustained during the Lynx’s game against Enterprise earlier in the year, which was enough to pull him from play on Friday night.
The Lynx scored the first touchdown of the game in the first quarter soon after a Bulldogs fumble near the goal line.
The rest of the first half was similarly successful for the Lynx, with Dylan Robinson snatching an interception out of the air in the second quarter, giving the Lynx a chance to score another touchdown for a 12-0 halftime lead.
The halftime show featured a routine by the cheerleading squad, followed by Teams Excel and Elite from Dance Dynamics.
As the third quarter rolled around, it seemed like the Lynx would continue to dominate the field as Cody Zile managed to grab another interception, followed by a Lincoln score.
However, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Lincoln County’s luck took a turn for the worse as a huge fumble turned into a Virgin Valley touchdown, and as Lincoln County gave up the ball once more, this created another chance for the Bulldogs to strike.
Finally, with one more fumble in the fourth quarter on behalf of the Lynx, the Bulldogs turned what was once a one-sided ball game into a tied one, and as the teams entered overtime, it was suddenly anyone’s game.
The Lynx won the coin toss, and elected to defend, which turned out badly; the Bulldogs immediately scored and pulled off a two-point conversion as well. As the Lynx got the ball, everyone in the stands was on the edge of their seat. After two failed attempts and a flag that resulted in the Lynx having to cover twice the distance to get into the end zone, one last throw was attempted. That throw fell to the ground, giving the Bulldogs the win and the Lynx the heartbreak of another early season loss.
Of note was the reaction to the touchdown; many of the spectators that watched the play seemed to agree the Virgin Valley defender that broke up the play was far too physical with the LCHS receiver, and the play should have been brought back for pass interference. Even some of the coaches seemed to agree, as one of them was seen speaking with the head referee as soon as the game came to an end.
Whatever the case, the call (or lack thereof) stood, giving the game a final score of 26-18 for the Virgin Valley Bulldogs.
The Lynx host Democracy Prep on Sept. 27 for its final non-league matchup.
