It took Branson scoring a touchdown in the games final 17 seconds to pull it off, but the Pirates maintain the top spot in the Ozark Mountain Conference for the third straight season.
Branson held off the previously undefeated Rogersville Wildcats 28-21 to secure a perfect OMC mark in all three years of the conference’s existence.
After each team scored on long touchdown passes in the first quarter, the Pirates coming on a 51-yard strike from Vincente Pastrana to Blake Weber, both teams missed opportunities to add points in the second quarter as the Pirates missed a 26-yard field goal and the Wildcats were stopped on downs before halftime.
After the Branson Defense got a stop to start the second half, the Pirates scored on their next two possessions, both Pastrana touchdown runs to go up 20-7. The Wildcats quickly with a Halfback pass setting them up inside the 10 with Quarterback Kasimir Manczuk finishing the drive with a two-yard run.
Branson then got to the Rogersville 20 before turning the ball over and a few plays later, Joe Roache scored from 52 yards and due to a miss Pirate extra point, the Wildcats led 21-20 with 4:15 left
The Pirates took nearly four minutes off the clock and got some big runs by Pastrana and Noah McCright plus a key pass completion to Landon Hughes to set up Pastrana’s one yard run putting the Pirates up seven after the two-point conversion run by Weber. The Wildcats got only two plays off with Hughes sacking Manczuk to end the game.
Pastrana passed for 82 yards and rushed for 165 yards while McCright added 145 yards.
With Friday’s win, the Pirates look to take a third or fourth seed in the Class 5 District Playoffs which would earn them a Week 10 home game at Pirates Stadium with opponent to be determined.
