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Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Tigers score 38 straight after first quarter
Odessa junior Levi Hardung gets into the open field against Cusick Friday, Sept. 15. The Tigers routed the Panthers 70-12 during the annual Sausage Bowl.
ODESSA - The first play from scrimmage during last Friday night's Sausage Bowl did not go the Tigers' way, as attempted trickery in the way of a halfback pass from Chad Strebeck to quarterback Zane McMillan was intercepted by Cusick's Roland Campbell and returned to the Odessa 5-yard line.
But as it turned out, that was one of the very slim plays that didn't go Odessa's way, as the Tigers pulled away from the Panthers in a big way to secure a 70-12 victory during Deutschesfest weekend Friday, Sept. 15.
The win moved Odessa to a perfect 3-0 record in early season play.
The opening play interception led to a Mateo Holmes half-yard scoring run for Cusick to start the scoring, but it only took Odessa 36 seconds to respond.
McMillan found a wide-open Holden Iverson on a corner route for a 42-yard score, and on the next Cusick possession, Dakota Steward picked off a pass and returned it 60 yards to the house. Suddenly, Odessa led 16-6 four minutes into the game.
Odessa extended its lead to 24-6 after Levi Hardung took a pass from McMillan, made a man miss and ran in for a 27-yard touchdown.
Cusick put together its sole extended drive of the game on the ensuing possession, marching downfield before Thomas Sullivan dove in a one-yard score to make it 24-12.
Odessa added eight more points before the first quarter ended on a 15-yard scoring run by Strebeck to lead 32-12 after 12 minutes.
And it was all Odessa from there. McMillan ran in an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter's only score to give the Tigers a 38-12 halftime lead, then found Iverson on a corner route for the second time on the opening third quarter drive before running in a one-yard touchdown on the next drive to make it 54-12.
"They were biting pretty well on the fakes, so we were able to get wide open and I was able to deliver some nice balls most of the time," McMillan said.
By 7:25 on the third quarter clock, a running clock was declared after Odessa's lead grew past 40 minutes.
"The first quarter and third and fourth quarter, heck, we turned it on," Odessa head coach Joe Schlomer said. "We got a lot of work to do but we're starting to come together."
McMillan wasn't done getting in the endzone, though. He kept a ball around the right tackle and sprinted down the sideline for a 47-yard touchdown with 3:46 left in the third quarter, and Odessa led 62-12.
"Great blocking all around," McMillan said.
Alex Mayer ran in the final touchdown of the night from 30 yards out with 11:10 left in the fourth quarter.
On the play, Cusick's Daniel Lyon suffered a leg injury serious enough to bring out the ambulance. At this point, the Panthers ran out of healthy bodies and the game was called with the Tigers leading 70-12.
McMillan was the player of the game, accounting for six total touchdowns and leading the team with eight total tackles on defense.
He ran five times for 98 yards and three touchdowns while completing four of his five passing attempts for 69 yards and three scores.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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