Crucial Turnovers Lead to Lindsay’s 41-21 Elimination Of Cayuga

BURLESON — In playoff football, finding the end zone isn’t always easy.

When teams only have to go five or six yards to do it, however, it’s not near as hard.

That’s the type of field position Cayuga twice gave Lindsay, and the Knights took advantage to the tune of 14 points.

Lindsay used those scores to break open a tight game, en route to a 41-21 victory over the Wildcats in a Class A Division I Region II area-round playoff at Burleson Stadium.

The Knights move on to play Goldthwaite in the regional quarterfinals, while the Wildcats season ends at 8-4.

Both of Lindsay’s short fields came courtesy of interceptions thrown by Cayuga quarterback Chandler Rigdon.

The first, with less than a minute to go in the first half, gave the Knights first-and-goal from the Cayuga 6, and the Knights took advantage.

Lindsay quarterback John Haverkamp scored from 5 yards out to give the Knights a 21-14 lead at the time.

Cayuga got the ball to start the second half, but on the second play Rigdon was again intercepted, this time giving Lindsay the ball at the Cayuga 5.

It took three plays, but Lindsay again scored, with Haverkamp going in from a yard out to make it a 28-14 game.

The two scores were the middle part of 28-straight points scored by the Knights, who went from down 14-7 to up 35-14 and never looked back.

Cayuga attempted a comeback behind backup quarterback Chantz Holland after a Rigdon injury.

Holland hit Braden Walthall on a big play for 24 yards down to the 3-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, and D’onte Jackson scored one play later to make it 35-21.

Then, Cayuga kicker Drew Slater executed a perfet pooch kick, which Cayuga’s Jimmy Pitts recovered to set up the Wildcats at the Lindsay 31.

But, the Cayuga offense couldn’t get going and turned the ball over on downs after Holland threw up a pass under heavy pressure that fell incomplete.

From there, Lindsay iced the game with a 4-yard touchdown run from Hud Harrison.

Cayuga opened the game strong, marching down the field on its first drive with ease. The Wildcats went 65 yards in six plays, all of them on the ground for the score, which came on a 4-yard run by Rigdon.

But, Cayuga never again found that offensive form.

Rigdon finished the game 14 of 23 passing for 181 yards with a touchdown and the three interceptions.

Wesley Rigdon ran for a team-high 92 yards and caught five passes for 72, while Walthall caught four passes for a game-high 77 yards.