When in Rained, the Scots Poured on Points

The Scots braved heavy rain and lightening as they played the Mesquite Skeeters on Friday. The game began 30 minutes early in an attempt to avoid the worst of the weather and the Highlander Band, cheerleaders, and Belles donned navy blue rain suits as the assumed their usual positions. Turnout was lower as to be expected, but the students who did show up were dedicated, excited and were in it until the end.

The Skeeters jumped out to an early lead after receiving the opening kickoff as running back Anthony Tennison ran 2 yards for a touchdown. The Scots then got the ball on their own 39 yard line and heavily favored their running attack because of the difficulty of both throwing and catching the ball in wet weather. Quarterback Henry Allen got a few chances to show off his arm however as he first completed a gutsy pass to receiver Cy McCullough on 4th and 10 and then connected with McCullough again a play later for a 9 yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 7-7. After the next three possessions resulted in punts, Highland Park took over on the Skeeters’ 39 yard line with twenty three second left in the first quarter. The Scots made it all the way down to Mesquite’s two yard line, but a nearby lightening strike required that the game be delayed for at least half and hour. The delay was extended after another strike, prompting a mass exodus of fans. The band, Belles, and cheerleaders also left, meaning that the remaining attendees would be “roughing it” at halftime without the usual performances.

The game resumed nearly an hour later. Senior, running back Stephen Dieb and the rest of the Scots picked up right where they had left off as Dieb maneuvered 7 yards for a touchdown, giving the Scots a 14-7 lead. Mesquite then returned the favor as they drove down the field on 15 straight running plays in a series capped off by a touchdown run from Chance Fisher to tie the game at 14-14. The Scots responded with a two minute and fifteen second attack that ended with Henry Allen stretching his legs and scrambling 17 yards for a Scots touchdown, giving his team a 21-14 lead with just over a minute left in the half.

The Scots received the kickoff after a shortened 10 minute halftime. The offense drove down the field into the Skeeters’ red zone from where Allen threw his second touchdown pass to McCullough of the night, extending Highland Park’s lead to 28-14 with 6:23 left in the third quarter. The Skeeters made it to midfield after receiving the kickoff, but risky play calling lead to an interception by #28 Andrew Petrucelli, giving the ball on the 50 yard line. The Skeeters turned the ball over again on their next possession due to a fumble, a testament to how much extra concentration is required when playing football in the rain. The Scots capitalized on that turnover in a big way as Allen’s 32 yard pass found Chris Buell as he streaked down the Skeeters’ sideline and ran the remaining 13 yards into the end zone for the final score of the night. 35-14, Scots. Mesquite turned the ball over two more times before the game ended. One was a fumble and the other was an interception by Joseph Sweeney, who collided head on with one of his team mates, who apparently had the same idea as he had, as he caught the ball and held on.

As the game marched on, students began to return to the stands to join the diehards who had been there the whole time. There were around forty in attendance when the game ended. The parents crowded under the press box, the only shelter available, while the students dispersed around the student section and along the railing. Those who toughed it out witnessed what was perhaps the Scots’ most memorable victory of the 2015 season and one that will be recalled for years to come.