JACKSON, Mo. - Da'Shawn Larson scored from four yards out in the second overtime and Jaiden Vonner intercepted a pass on the last play of the game to give Edwardsville a dramatic and stunning 41-34 win over Jackson, a traditional southeast Missouri power, in the season opener for both clubs Friday night at The Pit in Jackson, Mo.
It was also a historic win for the Tigers, as they broke both a Jackson 31-game home winning streak and a 39-game regular season string. It was the first win for Edwardsville over a Missouri team since 2018 and also the Indians' first season-opening loss since 2015.
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Jackson took a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown catch from Isaiah Davis on a pass from Zach Calder with 7:33 left in the opening term, with the convert kick missing, and a five-yard run from Tony Adams, with Davis scoring on a two-point try, to give the Indians the first quarter lead. Jackson extended it to 20-0 when Kai Crowe took a 20-yard touchdown pass from Calder with 4:50 left in the second quarter, but again missed the convert kick.
The Tigers got on the board shortly before the interval when Jordan Bush ran in from two yards out, with Tyler Dacus adding the convert with 2:56 left in the second to make the score 20-7 for Jackson at halftime. The Tigers then further cut into the lead when Bush went on a 20-yard touchdown run with 11:01 to go in the third, with the convert kick missing, making it 20-13. The Indians then went back up 26-14 when Jason Goodman scored from a yard out, with the convert missing to extend Jackson's lead to 26-13.
The Tigers got back to within a touchdown on the first play of the final quarter in the fourth when quarterback Jake Curry scored from five yards out with the conversion missing to make the score 26-19. The Tigers tied things up on a clutch 19-yard TD reception from Curry to Joey DeMare, with Dacus converting with 2:51 left in regulation to tie the game 26-26, forcing overtime.
Jackson won the toss and elected to go on offense first, and the move paid off when Davis caught an eight-yard pass from Calder, then ran in on a two-point try to give the Indians a 34-26 lead. On the Tigers' possession, Kellen Brnfre came up big with a 28-yard touchdown reception from Curry, with Dalton BRown catching the two-point pass to tie the game at 34-34, forcing a second round of overtime.
Edwardsville went on offense first in the second overtime and saw Larson give the Tigers the lead for the first time on a four-yard run, with Dacus kicking the point to give Edwardsville a 41-34 lead. On the final play of the Indians' possession, Vonner intercepted a pass on fourth down to clinch the dramatic 41-34 win.
The Tigers are 1-0 to open the season and play their home opener next Friday against Highland at Tiger Stadium, with the kickoff coming at 7 p.m.
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