The Fort Campbell Falcons were “oh so close” to getting their first win in two years and advancing to the Class 2A playoffs. The Falcons had traveled to Ballard Memorial knowing that the winner of their game with the Bombers would get into the playoffs, while the loser would see their season end next Friday night.
After not being allowed to play during the 2020 football season by the DoDEA, due to the COVID pandemic, and with two coaching changes in the two years since their last win, getting into the playoffs would have been a big step for first-year coach Charles Poole and his Falcons.
However, Ballard Memorial scored on a 3-yard run from Carson Buchanan less than four minutes into the game, with Buchanan also scoring the two-point conversion, to take an 8-0 lead, and then the Bombers held on tight to pick up an 8-6 win over the Falcons to dash the Fort Campbell hopes.
After the Bomber score, which was set up by a 57-yard punt return, the Falcons would come right back to score a touchdown of their own with 5:58 to go in the first. But, the Falcons would fail on the two-point conversion, and that would turn out to be costly.
While the two early scores between the teams might have indicated a shootout was looming, both teams offenses had struggled throughout the season, and after the first six minutes, those struggles would continue, as neither team would find the end zone again, and the Bombers held on for the two-point win.
Turnovers were costly for the Falcons, as the Bombers recovered three Fort Campbell fumbles in the game.
The win ended a 20 game losing streak for Ballard Memorial and improved the Bombers to 1-8 on the season and gives them the final playoff berth in the district.
Fort Campbell drops to 0-9. The Falcons will close out their season next Friday night when they host Webster County.
