Benbrook high school football stuns Iowa park in overtime with game-winning interception

Benbrook’s Jake Lindsey hauled in a game winning interception in overtime, capping off a stunning 34-28 victory against Iowa Park on Thursday at Farrington Field.

The Bobcats (2-0) marched onto the field and played a resilient Iowa Park Hawks team (0-2) that traveled all the way from near Wichita Falls. Iowa Park was looking for their first win of the season.

The Hawks started off hot as they pushed down the field with key runs that found gaps in the Bobcats’ defense. The Hawks went up first with Barrett Brown running for a 5-yard touchdown with 8:00 left in the first quarter.

The 57-yard drive would only last a mere three minutes and 53 seconds as the Hawks found the end zone without much resistance.

With what they lacked on defense, the Bobcats made up for on offense. Collin Thompson dominated the field, rushing for big first downs. Thompson proved he could also throw the ball as well.

His first pass was perfectly placed to Deshawn Deane in the back corner of the end zone to take a 7-6 lead with 5:23 remaining in the first quarter.

From there, it was obvious that this was going to be a must watch game. The next two drives were riddled with aggressive penalties on both sides of the ball.

Both defenses showed how relentless the teams were as they traded interceptions in the matter of minutes. The game stayed relatively close.

Benbrook’s Chris Harris wasn’t satisfied with the score, so he broke out with a big 46-yard run to flip the momentum to the Bobcats and followed it up with a 5-yard touchdown with 6:11 remaining in the second quarter to take a 14-13. Harris rushed for 77 yards in the first half.

Following a punt from the Hawks on the next drive, Benbrook, with three timeouts at their disposal, would march down the field with huge runs from Harris and Thompson in a quick tempo offense. They finished the drive with a pass from Thompson to Lucas Jackson for an 8-yard completion to extend the lead out to 21-13 with 13 seconds remaining before halftime.

A back and forth affair

Out of halftime, the Bobcats’ run game was once again unstoppable. They had a five minute and 28 second drive that resulted in another touchdown. This time, it was from running back Brady Gordon with 6:32 left in the third quarter.

It extended the lead to 28-13.

As the competitive match reached the final quarter, it was anyone’s game. The Hawks clawed their way back with a rushing touchdown to make the score 28-20, and the crowd began to roar with each play.

With just 20 seconds left in the game, Iowa Park’s Parker Allen would roll out to his right and connect with Rody Williams for an 8-yard touchdown for a chance to tie the game.

This would bring the game down to a crucial 2-point conversion as Allen pushed his way through the heart of the Bobcats’ defense and into the end zone to tie the game at 28 a piece and bring the game to overtime.

The Bobcats would start overtime with possession as Thompson, with great blocking, connected over the top to Jackson for a touchdown.

This set up the PAT, which after multiple penalties pushed the Bobcats’ kicker back for a 30-yard kick which was no good.

This opened the door for the Hawks to take the win with a touchdown and the resulting extra point.

The Bobcats were not going to let their home opener end that way, as Lindsey came down with a game winning interception. The home crowd cheered loudly as Benbrook improved to 2-0 on the season.

The Bobcats will look to keep their win streak alive as they take on Mineral Wells on Friday, September 8.

This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 12:46 AM.