Mt. Zion and Cahokia battled in a defensive struggle Friday night, but the Comanches found their rhythm in the second half to hand the Braves a 20-7 loss.
The Braves struck first early in the game. With 3:09 remaining in the first quarter, Kellen Bollhorst found the end zone on a rushing touchdown to give Mt. Zion a 7-0 lead.
Cahokia had a chance to answer in the second quarter when the Comanches intercepted a Mt. Zion pass with 11:32 remaining. Just 12 seconds later, Cahokia gave the ball right back when Bollhorst came up with an interception.
The Comanches finally broke through with 4:40 left in the first half, as Cortez Rose scored a touchdown to cut the Braves’ lead to 7-6 heading into halftime.
The second half belonged to Cahokia.
With 5:16 remaining in the third quarter, the Comanches ripped off a 73-yard touchdown run, followed by a successful two-point conversion to take a 14-7 lead.
Mt. Zion couldn’t find an answer offensively. With 4:37 left in the third, the Braves fumbled, and Cahokia recovered, giving the Comanches another opportunity to control the game.
Cahokia’s defense continued to hold strong, and the Comanches put the game away in the final minute, scoring on 4th-and-1 to extend their advantage to 20-7.
That would be the final.
The Braves will look to bounce back next week when Mt. Zion travels to Mattoon to open conference play. After a tough loss to Cahokia, Mt. Zion will look to reset and start conference play on the right foot.
Final: Cahokia 20, Mt. Zion 7
