Friends rallies past Bethany
Carlos Cox wasn’t looking to do anything special.
So much for that.
The senior’s electric, 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown set off a second-half comeback that helped No. 22 Friends (6-2, 5-1) to a 34-31 victory over upset-minded Bethany — capped by a game-winning, 42-yard field goal by backup kicker Kelly Roberts with four seconds left.
“I was just trying to help my team,” Cox said of his return. “We feed off of each other. I knew I needed to make a play.”
The win was far from perfect for the Falcons, who remain tied for first place in the KCAC with Ottawa.
After holding Bethany to 36 total yards and forcing two turnovers in the game’s opening quarter, Bethany tied the score at 7-7 on a 21-yard touchdown run with 1:18 left in the first quarter
That’s when the Swedes piled it on, scoring 24 unanawered points, capped by Steven Williams’ 44-yard interception return for a touchdown after the Swedes linebacker hauled in Aaron Hansen’s tipped pass intended for Chris Allen with 2:40 left to play in the third quarter.
On the ensuing Bethany kickoff, Cox made his play.
“The return from Carlos gave us all the momentum,” Hansen said. “We could tell from their sideline that it was a huge shocker for them. It got us back in the game.”
Hansen and the Falcons’ offense handled things from there.
In a little over 13 minutes, the hosts flipped the script on the Swedes, scoring 20 straight points that included two touchdown passes from Hansen.
After finding Matt Mellio on a 14-yard touchdown to cut Bethany’s lead to 10 with 13:13 remaining, Hansen hit Chris Allen for a 28-yard touchdown to pull within three. Roberts tied the score on a 21-yard field goal with 4:54 remaining, then completed the stunning comeback with four seconds left.
“I’m not going to try and play it off like I wasn’t nervous, but Kelly Roberts went out there like a champ,” Friends coach Monty Lewis said. “A lot of things went on that didn’t faze us. When those third and fourth quarters roll around we feel like it’s our time. We have a chance, regardless of how it’s going or the score itself.”
Bethany | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | — | 31 |
Friends | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 | — | 34 |
F – Hansen 1 run (Roberts kick)
B – Eley 21 run (Maisch kick)
B – Molette 38 run (Maisch kick)
B – Maisch 30 FG
B – Williams 44 interception return (Maisch kick)
F – Cox 98 kickoff return (Roberts kick)
B – Molette 30 pass from Bridges (Maisch kick)
F – Mellio 14 pass from Hansen (Roberts kick)
F – Allen 28 pass from Hansen (Roberts kick)
F – Roberts 21 FG
F – Roberts 42 FG
Individual Statistics
Rushing – Friends: Rogers 18-67, Hayward 4-19, Hansen 6-12, Scott 2-2, Brandon 3-13, Bowers 1-5 Bethany: Molette 7-51, Eley 13-50, Evans 8-23, Daniel 3-11, Wells 2-8, Charles 1-4, Bridges 9-28, White 2-1, Atherton 2-1, Zamboni 1-0
Passing – Friends: Hansen 13-26-166- 2, Camp 1-1-56 Bethany: Bridges 4-8-106-0
Receiving – Friends: Allen 7-48 , Brandon 3-33, Glover 2-86, Camp 2-17, Scott 1-18, Mellio 1-14, Becker 1-6, Sharp 1-0 Bethany: White 1-40, Molette 1-30, Atherton 1-27, Bridges 1-9.
This story was originally published October 25, 2014 at 9:55 PM with the headline "Friends rallies past Bethany."