BonnerSprings.com

The Kansas Kaos took a gamble on Saturday night to win the game and came up about a foot short.

The 20-19 loss to the Lincoln (Neb.) Extreme was the Kaos’ second setback of the season.

Trailing by a touchdown with four minutes left in the game, the Kaos ran the ball all the way down the field, despite losing starting quarterback Thompson Omboga to injury, and scored on fourth-and-5 on a power run from running back Lee Evans.

Now, trailing by just a point with 1:30 remaining, coach Mike MacDonald had a decision to make — kick the extra point for the tie or go for two and the victory.

The decision was easy.

“On the drive down the field, I told everybody that if we scored, we were going for the win,” MacDonald said. “This was the first time as a coach that I had to make that decision, but everybody was on board. We really came together as a team during that final couple of minutes.”

The Kaos did not feel they had to get fancy. They went right back to the same play that had worked on the touchdown, and had worked in several other occasions throughout the season. They lined up in a power I formation and punched the ball up the middle. The Extreme stuffed the play just short of the line and subsequently won the game — their first victory of the season.

The Kaos had a tough start to the game and went into halftime trailing 6-0. They made a few halftime adjustments and scored two third-quarter touchdowns. A missed extra point proved costly, however.

In the fourth quarter, the Kaos hooked up on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Omboga to Grady Henderson, but it was called back on a penalty. They were whistled for another penalty on the next play, and then a fumbled snap led to a sack for a big loss. The Extreme got the ball back with good field position and scored the go-ahead touchdown for a 20-13 lead before hanging on for the victory.

The Kaos were only able to travel with 29 players, but put forth a great effort in their coach’s eyes.

“These games are good for our league,” MacDonald said. “The fans loved it, the players enjoyed it. I don’t like close games — I prefer winning 50 to nothing every time out.”

The Kaos get a week off before they face the team that pounded them 79-0 earlier in the season, the Oklahoma Thunder.

“Hopefully we are going to look at this game with the right attitude and a positive attitude,” MacDonald said. “We need to play better and treat it as an opportunity. They (the Thunder) are a great team, but if we go in with our heads screwed on straight and get some things to go our way, we can make a game of it.”

Comments