By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
Friday's contest against Coloma was a dicotomy of two completely different halves for Buchanan.
Staring down a 24-7 deficit at halftime, the Bucks scored 20 straight points to win 27-24.
The win kept Buchanan undefeated at 4-0 and in the driver seat of the Lakeland Conference. Coloma, the defending conference champions, drops to 2-2 and 1-1 in the conference.
In the first half, the Comets beat Buchanan all over the field, offensively and defensively. Coloma gained 309 yards in the half with a balanced attack. The Comets rushed for 161 yards and passed for 148 more.
The Bucks had 144 yards in the half, but struggled to get going offensively. Down 18-0, Dennis Williams found the endzone on an 8-yard run to pull Buchanan to within 18-7.
Buchanan turned it around in the second half, as its offense got rolling and its defense nearly completely shut down Coloma.
After the Comets punted on their first possession, Williams took the ball 40 yards on Buchanan's first play of the half to make the score 24-13.
A penalty forced Coloma to punt from deep in its own territory on its next possession, giving the Bucks the ball at the Comet 37-yard line.
Two plays later it was Jared Rusher on a 24-yard scamper to score for Buchanan. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the Bucks in a 24-19 hole.
Coloma started driving again at the start of the fourth quarter. It got as far as Buchanan's 32 before Gordan Bryant intercepted a Comets' pass in the endzone.
Three minutes later, Buchanan faced a third down and six at Coloma's 48-yard line. Bryant capitalized on the turnover by running all the way to the endzone for the game winning score.
Coloma gained 140 yards in the second half Friday, but 53 came on their final drive. Of the total, 43 came on one run.
Buchanan, meanwhile, amassed 240 yards in the second half, all on the ground. Williams gained 130 yards on 17 carries. He ran for 99 yards in the third quarter alone.
Rusher ran for 93 yards, and Bryant gained 77 on the ground.