Raiders’ chance to snare pivotal road victory kicked aside as Eagles rally in final minute

ASHLAND, Mo. — The kind of victory the Quincy Notre Dame football team desperately needed, the kind that alleviates the pressure to be perfect, was within the Raiders’ grasp.

In fact, it was only 72 seconds away.

That’s when disaster devastated QND.

Southern Boone’s Brady Dapkus returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown and the Eagles made the subsequent point after to take a 35-34 lead with 58 seconds to play. Following Southern Boone’s kickoff, the Raiders took possession at their own 33-yard line and completed a 37-yard pass on third down to get into Eagles’ territory with 41 seconds remaining.

Dapkus made another game-saving play, intercepting QND quarterback Noah Lunt and returning it to the 30-yard line with 30 seconds to go. Southern Boone took a knee to run out the clock on a one-point victory.

Now, the Raiders (1-4) must win their final four regular-season games to become playoff eligible. That road won’t be easy, especially with Columbia (Mo.) Father Tolton coming to Advance Physical Therapy Field next Friday. The state-ranked Trailblazers are 5-0 and have outscored their opponents 247-21.

As daunting as the win-to-get-in scenario may seem, the Raiders made the type of plays necessary to win with their backs against the wall.

Specifically, consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter were tide-turning moments.

Trailing 28-22, the Raiders’ Oliver Triplett scored on a 2-yard run with two minutes remaining in regulation. The two-point conversion pass failed, leaving the game tied. However, QND’s Gavin Flesner stripped Southern Boone quarterback xxx xxxxx and QND recovered the fumble in Eagles’ territory.

Ivan Hun made Southern Boone pay for the turnover, scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 23-yard run with 1:12 to go. The Raiders chose to kick the extra point and missed, giving them a 34-28 lead.

Dapkus took it all away with his kickoff return.

Hun finished with 144 yards rushing on 19 carries, while Lunt went 18 of 36 for 211 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Aiden Klauser caught eight passes for 116 yards.