By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
COLUMBUS, Kan. — Damion Tinnin’s 80-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Columbus a seemingly comfortable 20-point lead three minutes into the fourth quarter.
But Independence stormed back with two scores just 30 seconds apart, and the Bulldogs approached midfield in the final minute before Matt Crain’s interception secured Columbus’ 39-33 victory Tuesday night in a Class 4A bi-district thriller at Cecil Kline Stadium.
The Titans (9-1), after registering their eighth consecutive victory, journey to Paola (7-3) for a second-round game on Saturday. Paola ousted Iola 28-10 in its first-round contest.
Justin Pillar gained 70 yards on 19 carries with three short touchdown runs, and Tinnin tossed TD passes of 15 yards to Wade Robinson and six yards to Matt Crain as the Titans took a 33-19 lead in the opening seconds of the fourth period.
Then Tinnin’s interception return, escorted by several teammates, made it 39-19 with 9:01 remaining.
“I was feeling good, but I didn’t think it was over,” Crain said. “They are too good of a team to just lay down for us.”
The Bulldogs (5-5) scored just over three minutes later on Grant Webster’s five-yard pass to tight end Damone Hatch.
Eric Hardy’s ensuing kickoff bounced past 10 Titans playing up close, and the Bulldogs recovered the ball near the sideline at the 21. Two plays later, Webster and Hatch hooked up for a 16-yard TD, making it 39-33 with 5:19 left.
The Independence defense then mounted a goal-line stand at the 1-yard line, earning one final possession with 1:28 left.
A pass interference penalty against the Titans and a fourth-down, 26-yard pass from Webster to tight end Logan Null moved the ball to the 45. After an incomplete pass, Webster’s pass down the right side was picked off by a leaping Crain near the 20-yard line.
“Something had to be done,” Crain said. “We weren’t really doing anything on our pass coverage on that drive, and something had to be done. We needed a spark just to shut them down because they were moving the ball on us. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and came up with an interception.”
Tinnin completed 9 of 13 passes for 108 yards, and Crain caught six passes for 75 yards, including a six-yard TD on the final play of the first half.
Webster hit 13 of 22 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns, and Rhett Flood rushed for 65 yards and a score.
“Independence played very hard,” Columbus head coach Dan Grundy said. “There’s nothing you can take away. Those kids wanted to keep playing.
“But we’re a very young football team. We have three seniors who play. One of those was hurt in the entire third and fourth quarter, and another one has a cast on. So we’re asking a lot of things out of sophomores, a lot of kids who have not been in this environment. We’re asking them to grow up awfully fast. ... They have to learn on the fly.”
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