(Sponsored by Tinsley Law & Title, Holt Wrecker, R&R lawn specialists, Gibson Pharmacy)

By Michael V. Hannigan

Two plays.

Trinity Valley Community College dominated the action against Tyler Saturday night for all but two plays, but that was all it took for the Apaches to beat the Cardinals in overtime, 14-7.

The play everyone will remember is fourth-and-38. In overtime, the Apaches were backed up all the way to their own territory after a fumbled snap and a sack, but picked up 52 yards and a first down on a desperation heave that bounced around at the goal line and landed in the hands of Grant Peretz.

Two plays later, Tre Guerra found Cam Thomas in the end zone for the winning touchdown.

It was a stunning finish to a game that saw the Cardinal defense throttle the Apaches and the offense move up and down the field but fail to capitalize on four scoring opportunities.

TVCC controlled the clock and held the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game. It took some trickery for Tyler's other score, as the Apaches unexpectedly went into a Wildcat formation in the fourth quarter with wide receiver Hawk Patrick-Daniels at quarterback. After a short run, Tyler hit TVCC with a reverse that went 48 yards for a touchdown.

But we wouldn't be talking about fourth-and-38 and a Wildcat reverse if it weren't for the inability of the Cardinals to score when they had the chance. TVCC mishandled the hold on two field goal attempts, missed a third attempt wide right, and threw an interception in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the Tyler three yard line.

The Cardinals' one touchdown came at the end of a 13-play, 68-yard drive that chewed up over seven minutes on the clock. Jamary Williams scored on a 6-yard run.

The Cardinals were led by quarterback Champ Harris, who went 12-of-21 for 157 yards and ran for 50 more. Rayshaun King ran hard between the tackles to pick up 106 yards on 20 carries for TVCC.

If TVCC had connected on just one of their other scoring chances the game would not have gone to overtime and the Cardinals would have walked out of Rose Stadium with a win. Instead, the Cardinals are now 1-1 on the season, but more importantly are 0-1 in SWJCFC play.

The Cardinals will need to rebound from the heartbreaking loss quickly as they travel to Cisco to face the Wranglers next Saturday.

Scoring Summary

• TVCC - 2Q, 9:05 - Jamary Williams 6-yard run. Ty Powers kick good. -- 7-0

• TYLER - 4Q, 12:40 - Cam Thomas 48-yard run. Kick good. -- 7-7

• TYLER - Overtime - Tre Guerra 5-yard pass to Cam Thomas. Kick good -- 14-7