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Picking and grinning: Late turnover topples Wranglers in playoff loss to Wichita
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
ALLEN -- You could say the Wichita Wild snatched victory from the jaws of defeat Monday night against the Allen Wranglers.
Because that's exactly what Wichita defensive back Kendrick Harper did from 8 yards out with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter to preserve a 43-40 victory that knocked the Wranglers out of the playoffs in the Intense Conference semifinals.
"It really hurts," said Quinn Cairo, Allen co-interim head coach and defensive coordinator. "It's painful to end my season with these guys, after how hard they've worked all year, on a play like that.
With one chance at a touchdown before a potential game-tying field goal, Knighton targeted Avery once again on a pass that drifted to the corner of the end zone. The bid at a game-winning score went awry though, with Harper jumping the pass and snagging a one-handed interception to seal the Wichita victory.
"It's hard," Cairo said. "I think our players gave it all they could. The call was what it was and we saw it as being the best call for that particular time.
"I hate giving the other team credit, but [Harper] jumped up and made a great play."
The late turnover proved the lasting image of the Wranglers' season, capping a second half that featured three Allen turnovers and led to 17 unanswered Wichita points for a 40-32 lead with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter.
A 16-yard touchdown run by Tywon Hubbard -- the lone score for the rusher's 129-yard evening -- pulled Wichita to within 32-30. The Wild reclaimed possession after a missed 40-yard field goal by Allen's David Pino and required just five plays before taking a 37-32 lead on a 1-yard sneak by Marcus Jackson. An 8-yard field goal by James Chandler extended that cushion to 40-32 before the Wranglers drew even with 58 seconds remaining after Knighton connected on a 4-yard score to Luke McArdle, who also caught the requisite two-point conversion for the 40-40 tie.
The Allen defense, battered by the Wichita running attack for much of the contest, stood firm in forcing the Wild into a 52-yard field goal attempt with 24 seconds left.
But Chandler put the ball between the pipes for the go-ahead score.
Wichita's shift in momentum came following a pair of scores that broke a 23-23 halftime stalemate and gave the Wranglers a 32-23 advantage midway through the third.
The plays proved impactful, with Anthony Harris blocking a 61-yard field goal attempt by Chandler that sailed out of bounds and resulted in a safety for a 25-23 Allen lead. That margin grew by seven points on the ensuing Wranglers drive when Knighton found Taylor deep over the middle for a 39-yard score, one of three lengthy touchdowns amassed by the receiver in his season finale.
Complementing his 39-yard completion with a 37-yard touchdown early in the second quarter as part of his 92 receiving yards, Taylor also notched his fifth special teams touchdown in six games after returning Wichita's first kickoff 56 yards for a 7-3 Allen lead.
"I just go out and play football," he said. "God has blessed me and when I see a gap on a kick return, I just make the best of it and give it all I can on every single play."
The Wild steadily settled in, launching a more run-centric attack than in any of the teams' previous four meetings and an offensive assault that totaled 187 rushing yards. Jackson added 50 rushing yards to his passing line of 129 yards and one touchdown on 13-of-18 attempts, while lineman Callahan Bright bulldozed his way in for two consecutive goal-line scores for a 23-20 Wichita lead with 13 seconds left in the first half.
"Wichita's receivers are a bit slow, so we were expecting a strong run game," Cairo said. "We came in thinking we could contain that run and force them to pass more, but Hubbard made some decent runs and we had some missed tackles."
Allen's defense bent but didn't break for much of two-and-a-half quarters, securing a trio of lost Wild fumbles. The Wichita defense stood firm though, picking off Knighton four times as the signal caller mustered 171 yards and three touchdowns on 13-of-27 passing, but completed just four of his first 15 attempts.
"[Wichita] was doing the same stuff they had the past four times I've played them," Taylor said. "It wasn't much different; we just didn't execute and make the plays we needed to."
The loss denied the Wranglers a return to the Intense Conference Championship and a rematch against the Tri Cities Fever. Instead, Allen ends its sophomore season in the IFL at 9-6 after finishing second in the conference during the regular season.
"We just haven't been consistent," Cairo said. "We've had a hype fall on us since Day 1 and we all know why, but I don't think we've ever played up to that hype. There were times when things have been great ... but I don't think we've played consistently up to our level of talent."
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