Trojans fall on last-second play
Nathan Osborn heads to the sideline after a completion on New Prague's final drive. Osborne had an interception and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the Trojans 40-35 loss to Mankato West.
The New Prague Trojans had a win within their grasp Friday, Sept. 20, scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 15 seconds left in the game.
But Mankato West heaved a 54-yard Hail Mary pass inside the five yard line, and Spencer Spaude grabbed onto the ball and slipped into the end zone as time expired to give the Scarlets, ranked No. 10 in Class AAAAA, a 40-35 win at Trojan Field.
It was the Trojans’ third straight game against a ranked team.
The Trojans moved the ball throughout the game, with Parker Johnson competing 20 of 32 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown, and scoring three others on the ground. New Prague scored first on an 82-yard drive, but West went up 22-7. The Trojans came back to tie it at 28-28 before West went up 34-28 late in the third.
New Prague had the ball in the Red Zone three times in the fourth quarter, coming up empty twice. After a West fumble, the Trojans moved back into the Red Zone with no timeouts. After a pass to the 1-yard line, Johnson scored to tie it. Will Busch kicked the extra point to put New Prague up with 15 seconds left.
After the ensuing kick, West had two completions to bring the ball near midfield with four seconds left, setting up the winning score.
New Prague (1-3) will travel to Rochester John Marshall for a 7 p.m. game Friday, Sept. 27. The Rockets are also 1-3 after defeating Northfield Friday, 25-13.
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