The Lincoln Trojans held off a late comeback attempt from the Rickards Raiders to secure a 26-25 victory Friday night at Gene Cox Stadium in a home game for Rickards. Lincoln improved to 2-2 on the season, while Rickards fell to 1-2. The Trojans built a 23-7 halftime lead before the Raiders rallied in the second half, setting up a dramatic finish decided by a late interception.
Lincoln entered the game with its backup quarterback taking the majority of the snaps due to an injury to the team’s usual quarterback. Despite the change under center, the Trojans established control early, scoring on their opening possession.
Lincoln’s first touchdown came on a run by Andreas Greene, who lined up at wildcat quarterback. The Trojans’ opening drive was aided by multiple penalties against Rickards as Lincoln moved the ball into scoring position.
Rickards struggled to maintain momentum on its first possession. A high snap over the quarterback’s head on second down resulted in a significant loss of yardage, forcing the Raiders to punt. With nine seconds remaining in the first quarter, Lincoln recovered a muffed punt by Rickards, giving the Trojans possession in the red zone.
Lincoln capitalized on the opportunity when Andreas Greene scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, extending the lead to 14-0.
The Trojans continued to find success on the ground, with Reginald Thompson adding another rushing touchdown to push Lincoln’s advantage to 21-0 with approximately 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Rickards responded with a strong kickoff return that put the Raiders in scoring position. The drive ended with a quarterback sneak by Jordan Kelley, putting Rickards on the scoreboard.
The Raiders’ next possession ended in further trouble when an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone resulted in a safety. Lincoln added two points to its lead, making the score 23-7 and regaining possession.
Rickards opened the second half with the ball and began to chip away at the deficit. The Raiders put together a productive drive, capped by a touchdown from Tyler Walker Jr., narrowing the score to 23-13.
After a period of back-and-forth play, Rickards continued its comeback effort in the fourth quarter. With less than eight minutes remaining, the Raiders found the end zone again on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Curtayis Cooper. Rickards failed to convert the ensuing two-point attempt, leaving Lincoln ahead 23-19.
Rickards had an opportunity to regain possession with approximately six minutes left in the game when the Raiders dropped a potential interception. The missed opportunity proved costly as Lincoln’s Barron Burris connected on a field goal with five minutes remaining, extending the Trojans’ lead to 26-19.
Rickards quarterback Jordan Kelly then delivered a significant gain on a quarterback keeper, putting the Raiders in promising field position. The drive ended with Timothy Scott scoring on a rushing touchdown, bringing Rickards within one point at 26-25 with three minutes remaining. The Raiders again failed to convert the two-point attempt.
Rickards appeared to recover a fumble and return it for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but the officials engaged in a lengthy discussion before determining that the player who recovered the fumble was down by contact.
With one minute left, Rickards attempted a deep pass that was intercepted by Lincoln’s Ahmad Greene, ultimately ending the game after the Trojans assumed victory formation.
The Trojans held on for the 26-25 victory, surviving Rickards’ second-half rally to leave Gene Cox Stadium with a one-point win.
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