EDINBURGH — Edinburgh came into Friday night seeking back-to-back wins for the first time since the 2016 season. The Indianapolis Crimson Knights stood in its way, taking home a 44-15 victory.
Lancers senior Austin Streeval started the game off fast, taking the opening kickoff back 85 yards for a touchdown. The Knights turned to the ground to strike back. Jacob Dunlap put the Knights’ first points on the board with a 21-yard touchdown run. The visitors opted to go for two and converted, taking an 8-7 lead with 5:13 left in the first.
The second quarter saw a burst of energy from both teams. The Crimson Knights started things off with a 74-yard touchdown run by Gabe Pitzulo that made it 14-7. Edinburgh coach Tyler DeSpain then decided to put the foot on the gas offensively.
Switching to a hurry-up offense, the Lancers (1-8) started to click. Riley Palmeter found Caleb Dewey on a screen pass for 21 yards, and a late hit out of bounds set them up deep in Knights territory.
After three negative plays, Palmeter threw the ball down the sideline to Austin Streeval to convert a critical fourth-and-19. Palmeter then reconnected with Dewey to finish off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass.
DeSpain went into his bag of tricks when the Lancers ran their version of the Philly Special to cash in on the 2-point try. This time, it was Streeval completing the pass to Palmeter, bringing the score to 15-14 in favor of the Lancers.
A costly error then came back to haunt Edinburgh. Thorne Ross had to retreat to recover a bad snap on a punt, giving the Knights the ball back with under a minute left in the first half. They took advantage, getting another Jacob Dunlap touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining.
Another 2-point conversion made the halftime score 22-15 in favor of the Knights.
Everything that the second quarter was, the third was not. Riddled with penalties and turnovers, things slowed down for both sides.
The Edinburgh defense did get a Palmeter interception midway through the period, but Dunlap responded by picking off a Palmeter with 2:05 left in the third.
Dunlap was not done on offense. With 7:50 left in the game, he put the game away with a 59-yard rushing touchdown. The two-point conversion put the Crimson Knights up 30-15.
Two costly Lancer turnovers late resulted in a pick-six and a fumble return for another touchdown.
Down the stretch, the Lancers ran out of fuel. Too many injuries cost them the valuable manpower needed to keep things tight.
“We have players out and kids playing at different positions that they have never played in,” DeSpain said.
