Dragons come up short against Tigers

Excelsior Springs handed the Cameron Dragons their first loss of the football season, 14-7, at Tiger Stadium in Excelsior Springs Friday night.

The Tigers took the lead early in the second quarter when RB Brandon Lane scored on an 18-yard run to cap a 51-yard drive. Kelsey Mueller kicked the extra point with 8:26 to go. The score was set up when LB Jinsen Nave picked off a Caleb Shanks pass.

Late in the first half, the Tigers recovered a fumbled punt at the Dragons 43-yard line and scored on a 45-yard touchdown pass from QB Anthony Pritzel to WR Dakota Rimmer with ten seconds left. Mueller’s extra point gave Excelsior Springs a 14-0 halftime lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Dragons were driving, but the Tigers intercepted a Shanks pass inside the five-yard line. After ESHS punted the ball back, Cameron put together a 32-yard scoring drive, culminated by a 27-yard TD pass from Shanks to HB Seth Wetzel. Joe Bryant kicked the extra point with 5:15 to play.

But the Tigers maintained possession the rest of the game, running out the clock to gain their first win of the season.

The Dragons, now 1-1, will travel to St. Joseph to take on Bishop LeBlond in the MEC opener for both teams next Friday.