Stirling Clansmen – 15
Edinburgh Mavericks – 14
On a windy day in Peffermill, the Mavericks came flying out looking for revenge – not that they would find it. The Clansmen took the field first, and after rushing for a first down, and a few incomplete passes, they punted the ball back to the Mavericks. They then proceeded to attempt to run before having to punt back to the Clansmen. Like usual, the Clansmen’s run game was thriving, and they ran for another two first downs before a high snap and a holding penalty forced them to punt – again.
On the Mavericks next play they had no open receivers so handed the ball off to their running back who rammed his way through Stirling’s defence for a first down. Edinburgh received a five yard penalty for an illegal shift, and it looked like their drive was going to get them on the scoreboard. They then got another flag, this time a 15 yard penalty, and a fumble which they managed to recover, resulted in yet another punt. The Clansmen made it past multiple Edinburgh defenders on the punt giving them good field position going into the second quarter.
The Clansmen started off the second quarter by throwing downfield for a first down and some, before a 25 yard run to the 30 yard line. Edinburgh dragged down Stirling’s quarterback and then the next play almost sacked the Clansmen again. Despite being under pressure the Clansmen managed to throw downfield before shoving their way into the endzone to put themselves on the board.
The Mavericks offense had a couple of good run plays, before going for it on fourth down and one, and pushing their way across for a first down. The Mavericks got a five yard penalty on their first down and as they replayed the down, the Clansmen dragged Edinburgh’s quarterback to the ground by the neck of his shirt and received a 15 yard penalty, giving the Mavericks an automatic first down.
Luckily for the Clansmen, the Mavericks’ drive ended in another punt after a dropped ball and an incomplete pass.
Unluckily, the Clansmen’s next drive also ended in a punt. After yet another inconsequential drive from the Mavericks, the Clansmen threw a pass downfield that was tipped by the first Mavericks defensive back. This pushed it slightly out of reach of the next two who could have intercepted it.
The Clansmen recovered their own kick-off to take the field at the start of the second half. The Mavericks defence came out fighting and sacked the Clansmen on their first play. Despite the pressure Stirling managed to throw downfield before throwing the ball away on the next play. The Clansmen decided to throw the ball again and it was almost picked off by the Mavericks but they managed to get the first down.
After two incomplete passes to the same corner of the endzone, the Clansmen ran out of downs so the Mavericks took the field at their own 15 yard line.
The Mavericks get another first down before a toss to their running back who took it over 50 yards downfield for a touchdown. The extra point was good, despite the Mavericks wobbly line.
The Clansmen took the field and made steady progress before the Mavericks run defence became absolutely suffocating. To not have to deal with their run defence, the Clansmen threw downfield to the redzone, where the ball landed perfectly in Edinburgh’s hands. The Mavericks then ran it back before being taken down in the middle of the pitch.
Edinburgh’s offence came on, hoping to turn the interception into some points, but instead they immediately fumble the ball, which was recovered by the Clansmen.
Stirling were still struggling to run the ball but overall are making some nice progress, that was until they threw another interception. This time the Mavericks managed to run it around 90 yards for the touchdown to the the lead 14-7.
The Clansmen’s next few plays were not as successful, and they ended in an impossibly high snap that was then fumbled and recovered by Edinburgh.
The Mavericks set up to kick a field goal on fourth down, despite being quite a distance from the goalposts. The Clansmen had positioned a player in the endzone in anticipation of the kick not being long enough. The Mavericks snapped the ball, and then threw it downfield, instead of kicking, to get the first down. The Mavericks made a bit of progress, before they fumbled the ball, and the Clansmen recovered it.
The Clansmen also made some progress, but not enough, and they went for it on fourth down, but didn’t get it, so the Mavericks took possession – not for long. Since apparently two turnovers weren’t enough for Edinburgh, they fumbled the ball again.
The Clansmen were then set up nicely to score – and they did – on a throw that was caught around the 15 yard line before being ran in for a touchdown. The Clansmen elected to go for a two-point conversion to take the lead 15-14, and they managed it.
The Mavericks took the field, looking to score, but they got strip sacked and the Clansmen recovered the fumble. It was at this point that the infighting began for Edinburgh. Tensions were high, and the team structure seemed to be crumbling as players and coaches alike started yelling at each other instead of focusing on winning the game.
The Clansmen’s penultimate drive was uneventful. They punted back to the Mavericks who tried to throw downfield in an attempt to score before the final whistle. The pass was caught – just not by the Mavericks. The Clansmen then took a knee to end the game and secure their second victory over the Mavericks this season.
Feature Image Credit: Katie Stepek
Student journalist and Sports Editor for Brig Newspaper
