Logan falls to No. 1 Fort Sumner 40-20

LOGAN - Down by one touchdown early in the second half, the host Longhorns moved the ball past midfield and were poised to tie their game against No. 1-ranked Fort Sumner-House.

Instead, Foxes defender Clay Norman read Brock Burns' pass, stepped in front of the intended receiver and dove to catch the low throw for an interception.

Fort Sumner scored off that turnover and its next possession to seize control of the district game during a 40-20 victory in eight-man football action on Friday.

Logan coach Dwayne Roberts could only wonder what might have been.

"I really thought we'd come out after halftime and tie the game up," he said. "But we threw that interception, and that set the tone. We just never could recover."

The Foxes improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in district play. Logan, which held the Foxes to their lowest points total this season, fell to 6-2, 2-1.

"We fought hard; just that on a few things shot ourselves in the foot," Roberts said. "Other than that, our kids played hard. I was proud of them. That's the No. 1 team. We gave them all they wanted this year."

Burns completed 16 of 41 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns for Logan. Kaeden Stoner made six receptions for 92 yards and three TDs. Christian Kotara totaled 137 combined yards in rushing and receiving.

For Fort Sumner, quarterback Joaquin Segura competed 13 of 23 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Saul Marquez totaled 148 yards - mostly in the second half - and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

The Foxes never trailed. On their second possession, Junior Vigil scored on a 1-yard plunge, set up by a 26-yard scramble by Segura.

Fort Sumner scored again early in the second quarter when Norman made a diving 23-yard catch in the end zone while well-defended. The Foxes led 12-0.

Logan closed it to 12-6 when Stoner shook a defender and caught Burns' 41-yard TD pass.

The Foxes answered with Segura's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:36 left in the half. They set up the score on four straight pass receptions by Seth Salz.

With less than a minute before halftime, Stoner made a sliding, 10-yard catch in the end zone on fourth down to close Fort Sumner's advantage to 20-12.

At the start of the second half, Kotara started the Longhorns with a long kickoff return into Fort Sumner territory. But two plays later, Norman made his game-turning interception.

Signaling a change in the Foxes' approach, Marquez carried the ball five of the next six plays, including an 11-yard touchdown to give his team a 26-12 lead. Marquez rushed for 115 yards in the second half.

Fort Sumner coach Brad Holland indicated his team went to more of a ground game in response to a rain-slick field.

"We had to figure out how to run the football more than we usually do," he said. "I thought our line did a lot better in the second half in not missing assignments and getting on their blocks."

Holland said he especially was dismayed by his team's 65 yards in penalties, mostly for illegal motion.

"We struggled a little early, made mental mistakes. We've got to clean those up," he said. "But Logan played hard, and they're athletic."

The Foxes stopped a Logan drive when they halted fullback Park Strong a yard short of a first down on fourth-and-2.

Seven plays later, Marquez scored on a 20-yard run for a 34-12 Fort Sumner lead.

After the score, Roberts admonished his players for sloppy defense.

"We missed some tackles there ... things that we normally don't miss," he said. "They kinda attacked us up the gut, and we just weren't flowing (to the play)."

Logan closed the gap again when Stoner grabbed a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:32 left in the third quarter. Strong caught a two-point conversion pass to make it 34-20.

The Longhorns held the Foxes to a three-and-out on their next possession.

On fourth-and-11 at their 26, Logan declined to punt and went for the first down. Burns' pass tipped off a Fort Sumner defender's hands, popped into the air, and Stoner nearly caught the deflection.

Roberts said with his team down by two touchdowns and less than a quarter left, he felt the need to go for a first down and keep alive his team's hopes for a score - and a comeback.

"It almost worked out," he said of Stoner's near-catch. "We knew we were running out of time, so we went for it. It almost paid off, and they weren't expecting it. It's a gamble you take."

Subsequently, Marquez ran for 17 yards on two plays, and Salz caught a 15-yard touchdown pass give his team a 40-20 lead with 10:57 left for the game's final margin.

The Longhorns honored its senior players before the game - Strong, Kotara, Skyler DeLuca, Kelton Jones and Jaxtyn Goen.

Logan travels to Melrose for another important district clash at 7 p.m. Friday. Melrose (5-3, 2-0) blasted Clayton 66-18 on Friday.