As soon as Clark junior kicker Steffon Swanson nailed the point after touchdown in the Chargers’ opening overtime possession against Legacy on Friday, Longhorns coach Zachary Monticelli knew how his team would respond.
Legacy wasn’t going to give the ball back to Clark. They were going for the win.
The first part of Monticelli’s plan worked, as Longhorns junior quarterback Jaelynn Love-Carter connected with junior receiver Ky’Ree Perkins for a touchdown.
Then Love-Carter found a hole in the Chargers defense for a successful two-point conversion and a 27-26 Longhorns win, silencing the home crowd.
“I knew that I wanted to go for two, and this game wasn’t going to go any further,” Monticelli said. “We were either going to win or we were going to lose.”
In a game where neither team could find a consistent stride on offense, Legacy (4-1, 2-0 Independent DII West) made plays when it needed to. The touchdown pass was Love-Carter’s second of the game, and he finished 14-for-26 passing with 221 yards and an interception.
“It was crazy,” Love-Carter said. “I really do love my teammates. We got it together in the last couple minutes, when we needed it.”
That the Longhorns even had a chance for overtime was a matter of opportunity. Tied 19-19 with 24 seconds left in regulation, Clark (3-2, 0-1) recovered Legacy senior running back Cameron Turner’s fumble at the Longhorns 24.
Chargers senior quarterback Ramiro Reinaldo led his team down to the 9-yard line with 9 seconds left. Reinaldo went for the touchdown, but Longhorns junior cornerback Jayden Durr came up with an interception on a tipped pass at the 2. After a short dive by Turner, the game went to overtime.
“It was a heck of a football game,” Monticelli said. “(Clark) came out, and they were just hitting us in the mouth, figuratively, over and over and over again. We just made one more play than they did. That’s what it boiled down to.”
Turner ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns for Legacy on 26 carries. Longhorns junior athlete Mehki Carter finished with 107 receiving yards.
Legacy scored on its first possession, on a 1-yard Turner run. The Longhorns added to their lead shortly before halftime on Turner’s second touchdown of the game.
Clark got on the board on its next possession, a 43-yard pass from Reinaldo to senior receiver Isaiah Romero, making it a 13-6 game at the half. The Chargers scored twice in the third quarter to take the lead, on a touchdown pass and a run by Reinaldo. Legacy tied it late in the third quarter on a touchdown pass from Love-Carter to Carter.
Clark junior running back Felix Romero had six catches on the night for 119 yards.
