by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — A spirited comeback fell short for the Crusaders Friday night as Wellington goes into district play at 4-2.

Wichita Collegiate beat Wellington 38-34 in a game which at one point looked like a dreadful blowout and at another point looked like a game the Crusaders could steal away.

At one point, Collegiate led 17-0 before Wellington could get its first first down of the game. But once Wellington’s Trevor Nance connected with Colin Reichenberger for a 15 yard completion with 8:48 in the second quarter, the Crusaders would go on to score 34 points. Stranger things have happened. After all Kansas City is one game up in the American League Championship Series. 

Wellington would cap an 80 yard drive when fullback Jaden Hines would scramble 27 yards for a touchdown to put the Crusaders on the board.

Collegiate responded with a Austin Waddell to Jack Copher 26-yard touchdown pass. Back came the Crusaders, when another Hines run followed by a Reichenberger batting the ball in the air and making his own catch put Wellington into enemy territory. Three plays later Nance hit Connor Phelps on a 30-yard touchdown throw – narrowing the margin to 24-13 at the half.

On Wellington’s second half possession, it appeared as if the Crusaders were going to march down the field to score. But Collegiate’s Jack Larsen made a sensational one-handed interception and return it to the Wellington 40.

Wellington would eventually stop Collegiate with a Phelps interception in the end zone. Then Lane Beard would scramble for a long run into enemy territory. A few plays later he would do it again on a 21 yard run and Wellington was within three points 24-21.

However, Collegiate struck back and scored on a Jaques Williams 13-yard touchdown.

Still Wellington wasn’t through. A Reichenberger 35-yard pass reception would take the Dukes into enemy territory and four plays later Beard was just inches short from going in.

But then Wellington commits a horrendous 5-yard false start penalty and two incompletions later, Wellington had nothing to show for the impressive first part of the drive.

Then Williams got loose three plays later and scrambled 74 yards for the score. This game was all but over, 38-21 with 5:31 to play.

But not so fast. Wellington engineered a 66 yard drive in slightly more than two minutes that was capped by a Beard 3-yard touchdown.

In a strange sequence, Collegiate recovers an onside kick but is penalized. The second kick, Wellington recovers. Then Reichenberger makes a pass reception to the 4. Nance then takes it into from the 2 and with 1:36 to play, the Crusaders were back within four, 38-34.

On the next onside kick, Collegiate recovers and would run out the clock for the win.

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Adam Condit left the field after the game on a gator with what appears to be a high ankle sprain. Wellington head coach Tyler Ryan did not supply any other details.

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