Homecoming Heartbreaker: Cordova Loses a Thriller to Union Mine

Friday night’s homecoming game ended in disappointment for Cordova as the visiting Union Mine Diamondbacks snatched away the victory in the final minute of the fourth quarter.

Lancer Stadium was busting at the seams with fans and the roar from the crowd, band, and cheerleaders could be heard from down the street. After an awesome introduction, the football team was fired up and ready to charge on to the field.

Union Mine received the ball to start off the first quarter. The Cordova defense was strong and looked to send a message right away as #56 Jared Silva sacked the quarterback for a 4-yard loss in the opening drive. The Diamondbacks were passing a lot with mixed success but ran into trouble at the end of the quarter when #26 Darcy Regalda intercepted the ball for the Lancers.

With a switch in quarters and the ball now in Cordova’s hands, Michael Lindsey followed up his 38-yard rush from the last play in the first quarter, with a 2-yard rushing touchdown for the first score of the game.

Union Mine took their turn on offense and was gaining some decent rushing yards until they began to suffer from some self-inflicted mistakes. After back-to-back delay of game penalties, the Diamondbacks became frustrated at their inability to score in the Red Zone and called a timeout with 3:29 left in the quarter. Cordova’s brick wall defense prevented a Union Mine touchdown on the next play and the Diamondbacks were forced to turnover the ball at the 2-yard line.

With their back dangerously close to their own end zone, Reggie Langford handed the ball off to Michael Lindsey who dragged his team out of the trenches with a huge 61-yard rush. Two plays later, Lindsey was given the ball once again and scored a 9-yard rushing touchdown to put the Lancers up 14-0 at halftime.

Homecoming celebrations were especially colorful and entertaining. Each class paraded around their spirit walls that were modeled after different Disney movies; in attendance were Aladdin, Hercules, Peter Pan, and the various Toy Story characters. Mary-Thony Sohl was announced Queen and Cordova football’s very own Reggie Langford was crowned King.

Back on the field, the third quarter started off with tension high on both teams. Union Mine made a few mental errors with penalties and a fumble that they quickly recovered. Cordova also fell into the same trap as they were penalized twice in their first offensive drive. After the Lancers calmed down a bit they stated to move the ball down field and replaced Langford at the quarterback position with #6 Chris Lane in order to utilize Reggie as a receiver.

The Diamondbacks broke ground with their passing game and found gaps in the Lancer defense. As the seconds ran out in the third, #4 Cody Tow caught a 31-yard touchdown pass to put them on the board 14-7.

The final quarter was rough for the Lancers because they hurt themselves with unnecessary penalties and had trouble containing Union Mine’s offense. Midway through, #4 Cody Tow caught a 15-yard pop pass to tie the game at 14.

Just as Cordova was mounting a strong offensive campaign, Chris Lane’s pass that was intended for Reggie Langford was picked off by #3 Dan Schwarzberg who scored with :59 left in the game to put Union Mine up by a final score of 14-21.

Unfortunately, the Lancers were upset at their homecoming game but looked very good for most of the game. If they can keep it together for a full four quarters this team will give any opponent a hand full. Cordova hits the road again next Friday against Turlock with varsity starting at 7:30.