By By MICHAEL BASHARA / Vigilant/Argus
BUCHANAN -- Following a 30-minute lightning delay, Buchanan started out tough before falling to Edwardsburg 47-7 Friday night in Lakeland Conference football action.
Edwardsburg took the opening kickoff and put together a 66-yard, 12-play drive with Matt Rinehart bulling his way over from three yards out. The kick was no good.
Buchanan's offense then took the field for the first time and drove 72 yards in 10 plays to score on a 34-yard pass from Gordon Bryant to DuJuan Bennett. Josh Walhstrom's kick gave Buchanan a 7-6 lead.
Buchanan led at the end of the first period. However, the second period was all Edwardsburg. Edwardsburg picked up more than twice the yardage in the second period. The Eddies ran more than twice as many plays and they outscored the Bucks 22-0 in the second period.
Edwardburg's second score came three seconds into the second quarter. Derek Tighe scored on a two-yard dive which completed a 14-play, 54-yard drive. Nathan Peak scored the two-point conversion to put Edwardsburg up 14-7.
There were two key plays after that point that radically changed the game. The first came on the next kickoff. Kicking the ball low to keep it away from Buchanan's deep men, the ball bounced off a Buchanan lineman toward Edwardsburg, which the Eddies recovered on the 50-yard line.
Buchanan's defense held tough. Kyle Cornwell, Josh Wahlstrom, Ryan Carrigan, Justin Helt and Jacob Brown each had big plays. Edwardsburg was forced to punt.
Buchanan took over on the five-yard line with a little more then seven and a half minutes to play in the half.
Buchanan was forced to punt, Edwardsburg then got the ball on the 43-yard line. Edwardsburg scored seven plays later on a two-yard dive by Tighe. Nathan Peak kicked the extra point.
With the score 21-7, Buchanan had one more possession before the end of the half. Starting on their own 23-yard line, the Bucks moved the ball until turning it over with an interception with 39 seconds to go in the half.
Edwardsburg scored on 35-yard pass from Nathan Peak to Anthony Peak. Anthony Peak added the conversion to make the score 28-7.
Both coaches found this touchdown to be an important turning point.
The third period saw no scoring as each team's defense made a stand.
The final period was Edwardsburg's as it scored 19 points. The first came on a five-yard pass from Nathan Peak to John Black. The kick was no good.
The second score came when Tighe went 43 yards on one play. The kick was no good.
The final points came after Buchanan lost a fumble. One the Eddies' first play, Derek Eden went 32 yards to set up the touchdown. Three plays later Ben Horton scored from the one-yard line. Anthony Peak's conversion kick was good, making the score 47-7.
Buchanan hosts River Valley for Homecoming next Friday night.