Metea Valley falls short against DeKalb
DeKalb put a positive spin on a losing season Friday night by beating Metea Valley 25-10 at home in the final game of the year.
DeKalb snapped a four-game losing streak Friday night and ends the year with a 3-6 overall record. The Barbs went 2-4 in conference play. DeKalb coach Derek Schneeman was happy the team's seniors got a win in their final Friday night under the home-field lights but was still frustrated by what he called self-inflicted errors.
"I'm glad we came out here and got it done. I'm really proud of my guys. I think we faced a lot of adversity, a lot of self-inflicted errors and a lot of penalties. But overall, I'm really proud of how we battled through all that and did what we needed to do to get a win tonight," Schneeman said. "I'm really proud of my seniors, we had some kids that really stepped up and we gutted one out."
Travis Moore put the game to bed for the Barbs with a pair of rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. A 3-yard touchdown run with 3:34 seconds left in the game, and a 30-yard rushing touchdown with a 1:20 remaining turned what had been a 2-point game into a two-possession affair.
Metea Valley (0-9, 0-6) tried tightening the game in the final minute of play, but Daniel Roman-Johnson sealed the game for the Barbs by intercepting a pass with 26 seconds left on the clock.
Offenses for both teams stumbled out the gate, and maintaining possession became the key to the game. Metea Valley was picked off three times, twice in the second half, but it was Barbs receiver Davon Grant who started the turnover trend moments into the game.
Grant fumbled the ball after a catch near midfield on the first play of the game. Metea Valley recovered, but on their ensuing drive the Mustangs were picked off by Billy Miller in the end zone.
Mustangs coach John Parpet said that turnover was a key factor in the game.
"You hate to say that, but it was. I mean, we turned the ball over down in the end zone, that was big," Parpet said.
That turnover led to the Barbs' first touchdown of the evening. After DeKalb rushed to convert a fourth and inches at their own 43-yard line, Barbs running back Talen Tate carried the football 57 yards for a touchdown five minutes into the first quarter. The subsequent point after attempt was unsuccessful.
After Tate's early game touchdown, the Barbs would not return to the end zone for nearly two full quarters. However, when they did it was Tate who brought them back. Halfway through the third quarter, Tate rushed three yards to put the Barbs up 12-10 over the Mustangs.
The Mustangs put up a fight and led the game heading into halftime, but their efforts weren't enough to secure the victory.
A 27-yard field goal kicked by Nicolas Carrier with 2:55 left in the first quarter earned Metea three points with 2:55 left in the first quarter. Then, 5½ half minutes of game time later, senior Hani Omar gave the Mustangs a 10-6 lead with 9:33 seconds left in the second quarter with a 2-yard carry for a touchdown.
"It was a great effort. We come out - we've got a lot of guys banged up, and it's been like that all year - and guys just continue to step up and make plays. Guys were making plays. That's our backup quarterback, those are our backup receivers and they just continue to play hard," Parpet said. "It's been like that all year, but they just answered the bell. Hey, Week 9, you're not playing for anything except your pride."