COLORADO SPRINGS — Ryan Gray had a 102-degree fever Friday night, and TJ Holt had butter fingers.
Yet somehow, the Liberty Lancers’ duo managed to come through when it mattered most.
Gray, a senior quarterback, executed a perfect two-minute offense and scored on an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining to give the Lancers a 10-9 Class 4A Foothills League victory over Cheyenne Mountain.
“It was a great last drive,” Gray said. “The whole game, we were playing really sloppy on offense. I had some pretty bad decisions in the beginning and felt like I was letting my team down.”
Gray, who looked drained as he and his teammates celebrated at District 20 Stadium, connected with Holt for a 41-yard completion on the game-winning drive. Holt, a senior receiver, dropped the ball with no one around him the previous time the Lancers (3-1, 2-0 league) ran the play.
“I was down, but my quarterback, he had faith in me, gave me the rock again,” Holt said. “I was just happy that I could prove to myself that I could catch it.”
The Indians (3-1, 2-1) rallied in the final minute, driving to the Lancers’ 30 to set up Zach Yellen for a 47-yard field goal attempt with 22 seconds remaining. Already good from 45 yards after missing an extra-point attempt in the second quarter, Yellen raised his arms in celebration just before the ball fell 5 yards short.
“I thought it was the distance,” Yellen said. “The line was good, the follow-through was good, I thought it was in.”
The game lived up to all the subplots. Both teams were 5-5 last season, haven’t been in the playoffs for the past six seasons and believe this is the year they’ll move from the shadows to the postseason.
The game was played tight, with the Indians grinding the ball conservatively while effectively neutralizing Lancers playmaker Wes McKenzie, who finished with one catch for 11 yards.
McKenzie was the Indians’ focus on Liberty’s final drive, which allowed Holt to break free down the seam. Liberty coach Jaron Cohen credited assistant coach Jody Jones with designing the play at halftime — and coming back to it after Holt’s earlier drop.
“We love our kids, we believe in what we’re doing here,” Cohen said. “If we go down, we’ll go down with the kids we got that work their tails off.”
