Early in the second quarter, West Platte had all of the momentum against East Buchanan.
Emmett Sullivan scored a touchdown to cut the deficit in half and then recovered an onside kick.
The Bluejays couldn’t convert on that and then the Bulldogs pulled away for a 30-14 loss in KCI Conference action on Friday, Sept. 20.
East Buchanan built a 16-0 lead after the first quarter, but Sullivan’s 5-yard score made it 16-8 in the second quarter. Dublin Carnahan ran in the conversion.
With a little more than 6 minutes to play, West Platte got the ball back but didn’t score. East Buchanan added a score late in the second half to make it 22-8 at the break.
The Bluejays (1-3, 0-2) pulled within a score again in the third quarter after a turnover on downs. Brayden Cogan added a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 22-14.
The final points of the game came from a touchdown pass from Blake Antle, catching a 30-yard pass from Tucker White.
The Bluejays were playing without usual starting quarterback Luke Heili, who didn’t play. Carnahan filled in at quarterback and threw for 92 yards, completing 11 of 15 passes. He led the offense with 68 yards rushing.
Cogan had eight catches for 68 yards, but was held out of the end zone receiving-wise for the first time this season. Cogan led the team with nine tackles, while Jacob Brown had seven.
DEREK BIGUS/Special to the Citizen
West Platte quarterback Dublin Carnahan gets a snap during a goal-line situation against East Buchanan during a KCI Conference game on Friday, Sept. 21 at Rudolph Eskridge Stadium in Weston.
Ryan Barylo had a pair of fumble recoveries.
Up Next
The Bluejays will have one of their toughest tests of the year on Friday, Sept. 27, hosting Lathrop. The game was moved up to 6 p.m.
The Mules are ranked No. 2 in Class 2 and have dominated the KCI Conference in recent years. They already have a win over state-ranked Mid-Buchanan and are off to a 4-0 start.
Chris Holt’s Mules have won the past four against West Platte and are 6-1 over the past seven meetings.
Lathrop enters with an offense averaging 47.5 points per game, while the defense is allowing 8.3 points per game. West Platte has scored 42 points, combined, the past three games.