Triple overtime rematch ends Steers’ season in 12-10 loss

Both teams wore the same uniforms as the first time they met earlier this season — Graham in black and Brock in white — but that was the only aspect of Friday’s game that resembled the previous match-up.

After the Steers took care of business against the Eagles in November, a 38-0 Graham victory, the two teams reconvened in the Region 1-4A Division II final with a trip to the state semifinal on the line. On a cold, rainy night in Stephenville, in a battle that required three overtimes to determine a winner, Graham’s season came to an end in a 12-10 loss to Brock.

It was an odd game due to more than the consistent rain that fell throughout the night. The Steers (12-2) intercepted the Eagles (13-1) three times while not coughing up a single turnover of their own. Graham forced multiple fumbles, but each time the ball seemed to bounce right back into the hands of a Brock player.

After the Steers made one field goal earlier in the game, the team missed two in the overtime periods. A couple of passes for potential big plays were off-target by just a few inches. The opportunities to win appeared to be there, but luck wasn’t on Graham’s side and Brock left with the win.

“It’s a cliché, it’s a game of inches and it really was tonight,” head coach Clay McChristian said. “If we stacked up all the inches we missed things off tonight, we could have won by two or three touchdowns, but we didn't do it tonight.”

Things got off to an auspicious start for the Steers on the opening kickoff. Graham received the ball, but a muffed catch allowed Brock to recover it and take it deep into the Steers’ territory. With a short field, the Eagles quickly drove down and scored on a 5-yard run, their only touchdown of the evening.

Despite the early adversity, Graham’s offense took the field and answered with a scoring drive of its own. The Steers tied the game at 7-7 on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ty Thompson to running back Rylan Monsey.

Just six minutes into the game, each team had already recorded their only touchdown of the evening as the game quickly turned into a battle of the defenses.

“(Brock) had some good wrinkles. We kind of had to adjust to them a little bit. They did some good planning, but that's part of our job, is to make sure that we get back, we see the wrinkles that they're doing, we come back and adjust to them. And I thought we did a good job after that,” McChristian said.

Graham took the lead late in the first half on Ozzy Trejo’s 45-yard field goal. The offense put together a solid drive but stalled at the end. With Trejo’s leg, the Steers took a 10-7 lead which was the score going into halftime.

On Brock’s first two drives of the second half, Graham’s defense came through with stops. First was an interception by linebacker Jayton Hearne with a long return that was brought back for a penalty.

After the Eagles got the ball back, it was defensive back Cooper Corley’s turn to pick off the opposing quarterback. But once again, Graham’s offense couldn’t get any points on the board.

The Steers drove deep into Brock territory, but found themselves facing a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line. Graham ran a trick play, but receiver/backup quarterback Jace Gill’s pass to Thompson in the end zone floated just out of the senior’s reach for a turnover on downs.

Brock followed that up with a long drive that took most of the fourth quarter. The Eagles ended up tying the game at 10-10 on a 28-yard field goal, and the two teams ended regulation with the same score.

In the first overtime period, Brock started with the ball. But on the Eagles’ first play, cornerback Ryder Taylor intercepted a pass in the end zone to set Graham up for a potential win.

The snap was low on the Steers’ field goal attempt and the kick missed down and left. Graham tried another field goal in the second overtime period, but Brock found a way into the backfield and blocked that kick.

However, the Eagles missed a 40-yard field goal try of their own for the win in the second overtime, and the teams moved to a third overtime period, which involved attempting 2-point conversions until a winner was decided.

Brock took the ball first and scored on a 3-yard run up the middle to make it 12-10. On Graham’s final play, Thompson’s pass fell incomplete and the Eagles moved on while the Steers headed home.

Despite the unwanted outcome, McChristian shared with his team how proud he was of their efforts and made sure they held their heads high. The Steers finished a remarkable season with a district championship and three playoff wins, and the head coach spoke about what he told the team after the game.

“This is my first senior class being the head coach, and just how proud I am to lead this program,” McChristian said. “(I told them to) just pour yourself into everything that you want in life. Sometimes you're going to get what you want. Sometimes you're not going to get what you want, but it doesn't mean you quit.”