Engles’ last-play interception return lifts Cedar Ridge past Cave City

Cedar Ridge 34, Cave City 28

CAVE CITY — Dawson Engles returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown on the final play Friday, lifting Cedar Ridge to a 34-28 victory over Cave City.

The Timberwolves scored 14 points in the final minute. Engles ran for a 5-yard touchdown with 57 seconds remaining, and Jaden Butts caught a two-point pass on a jet sweep to tie it.

Neither team scored in the first quarter. Bradley Pankey opened the scoring with a 1-yard run at 11:19 of the second. Cave City stopped the two-point run.

Senior Dawson Johnson answered with a 7-yard touchdown run and a two-point keeper at 1:51, giving Cave City an 8-6 halftime lead.

River Hill scored on a 40-yard run with 7:53 left in the third quarter. Johnson’s second successful conversion run made it 16-6.

Pankey’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Austin Pautsch brought Cedar Ridge within 16-12. Ryder Kelch then scored from the 7 with 8:44 remaining in the fourth, and Pankey’s conversion run put the Timberwolves ahead 20-16.

Johnson regained the lead with a 30-yard touchdown run at 7:03. Cole Wilson’s 8-yard sack forced Cedar Ridge to punt on its next possession. Johnson capped Cave City’s ensuing drive with another 7-yard touchdown at 2:43, extending the lead to 28-20.

Engles connected with Butts to reach Cave City’s 5 before his late touchdown and the tying conversion.

Cave City moved into Cedar Ridge territory on its final possession. After a timeout with 11.1 seconds remaining, Engles intercepted Johnson’s pass at his own 25 and returned it for the winning score.

Johnson finished with three rushing touchdowns and two successful conversion runs, accounting for 22 points.

Engles completed six of nine passes for 140 yards. Butts caught seven passes for 141 yards. Kelch and Pautsch each recorded 17 tackles, with Kelch adding a sack.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

No scoring. Tied 0-0.

2nd Quarter

Cedar Ridge — Bradley Pankey 1-yard touchdown run (Ryder Kelch two-point run stopped), 11:19. Cedar Ridge 6, Cave City 0.

Cave City — Dawson Johnson 7-yard touchdown run (Johnson two-point run), 1:51. Cave City 8, Cedar Ridge 6.

3rd Quarter

Cave City — River Hill 40-yard touchdown run (Johnson two-point run), 7:53. Cave City 16, Cedar Ridge 6.

Cedar Ridge — Austin Pautsch 13-yard touchdown pass from Pankey (two-point attempt stopped), 3:12. Cave City 16, Cedar Ridge 12.

4th Quarter

Cedar Ridge — Kelch 7-yard touchdown run (Pankey two-point run), 8:44. Cedar Ridge 20, Cave City 16.

Cave City — Johnson 30-yard touchdown run (Johnson two-point run stopped), 7:03. Cave City 22, Cedar Ridge 20.

Cave City — Johnson 7-yard touchdown run (Johnson two-point run stopped), 2:43. Cave City 28, Cedar Ridge 20.

Cedar Ridge — Dawson Engles 5-yard touchdown run (Jaden Butts two-point pass from Engles on a jet sweep), 0:57. Tied 28-28.

Cedar Ridge — Engles 75-yard interception return for a touchdown (no conversion attempted), final play. Cedar Ridge 34, Cave City 28.

Players Who Stood Out

• Dawson Engles, Cedar Ridge: Six-of-nine passing for 140 yards, one rushing touchdown and one interception returned for a touchdown. His 5-yard scoring run brought Cedar Ridge within two points with 57 seconds left. His 75-yard interception return won the game on the final play.
• Dawson Johnson, Cave City, quarterback: Three rushing touchdowns and two successful two-point runs for 22 points. Scored from 7, 30 and 7 yards. His two fourth-quarter touchdowns gave Cave City leads of 22-20 and 28-20.
• Jaden Butts, Cedar Ridge, wide receiver: Seven catches for 141 yards, plus the tying two-point receptionwith 57 seconds remaining. His long reception to Cave City’s 5-yard line set up Engles’ fourth-quarter rushing touchdown.
• Ryder Kelch, Cedar Ridge, running back/linebacker: 17 tackles, one sack and one rushing touchdown. His 7-yard touchdown run with 8:44 remaining helped put Cedar Ridge ahead 20-16.
• River Hill, Cave City: 40-yard rushing touchdown with 7:53 remaining in the third quarter. Also caught a 4-yard pass earlier in that scoring possession, which extended Cave City’s lead to 16-6 after the conversion.