Coming off a 35-6 blowout win against Helias, the Bruins viewed the game as an opportunity for redemption, having lost to Rockhurst in the playoffs 9-10 last year with 1:07 left on the clock.
“We were excited to have another shot at them after losing last year in the playoffs by one,” said senior Shelby Wilson, a free safety and one of the team captains this year. “They are a great team. We knew it would be tough.”
The Bruins started the game strong with a 28-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Logan Twehous to senior Kenny James 2:17 into the first quarter. However, the Hawklets quickly retaliated with a 1-yard rushing touchdown soon after to tie the game.
The first two quarters continued with RBHS and Rockhurst exchanging scores, ending with the Bruins up 21-14 at the half.
“We were all really pumped [at the half],” Wilson said. We were “encouraging each other to finish it out.”
However, the Hawklets entered the second half as the dominant team, scoring 17 points in the third quarter. Rockhurst continued with their momentum into the fourth quarter, returning a Bruin fumble for a touchdown, extending their lead to 38-21 with 3:40 left in the game.
Although down 17 points in the final minutes of the game, the Bruins attempted a hard-fought last effort, driving 52 yards to get inside Rockhurst’s 20-yard line with about a minute to go. However, the Bruins failed to score and turned the ball over on an interception ending the game.
“It hurts, but I don’t think it is a very significant loss in the long run,” Wilson said. “We’re going to watch film tomorrow and learn from our mistakes, [and] we’re just going to focus on [playing] Liberty.”
By Jacqueline LeBlanc
