By Dayten Van Ostrand

Special to the Homer Independent Press

The Homer varsity football team lost for the third straight game, 34-42, in their first face-off against Dimond during the home opener last Friday.

The Mariners will travel to Houston this weekend for their first conference game of the season.

Homer brought the heat coming into the game, but Dimond fought back, eventually leading to a Mariner loss.

Friday’s game started with the Mariners’ ball on the -35. Homer pushed the ball forward for eight plays before running back Joanquin Jackson ran it up the middle for a touchdown. Carter Kincaid, Homer’s kicker and wide receiver, kicked the ball for the first successful field goal in recent Mariner history, leaving the score 7-0 to start the game.

The Mariners kicked the ball off, but the Lynx missed the catch and Homer recovered the ball at the 24 yard line. 

The Mariners were unsuccessful in a first down and gave Dimond the ball at the 16. Homer’s defense kicked in and forced a punt at the 50. The Mariners received the ball at the 19.

Homer quarterback Eli Weisser threw a 12-yard pass to Berend Pearson, who ran the ball 73 yards down the field, successfully avoiding a tackle, for a touchdown. Kincaid scored another field goal, leaving the Mariners up 14-0.

The Mariner defense stopped Dimond on another drive, but could not get a first down, leaving them to punt to the Lynx. 

Dimond threw a long pass that resulted in a touchdown, then ran the ball up the middle for a successful two-point conversion. 

The Mariners were still ahead 14-8, but Dimond quickly tied with a deep pass into the endzone for another touchdown. They tried for a field goal extra point, but were blocked, leaving the score 14-14.

Homer pulled ahead again with another touchdown by wide receiver David Smith, assisted by a pass from Weisser. With a third field goal from Kincaid, the Mariners led 21-14 going into halftime.

The Lynx slipped through the Mariner defense at the start of the third quarter, running the ball to the 36-yard line before making a deep pass downfield for a touchdown. Another two-point conversion put Dimond ahead 22-21.

Homer’s offense moved the ball up the field to the six-yard line. Weisser threw the ball to Justus Grimes, who then pushed through two defenders into the endzone. Kincaid kicked for the extra point, putting the Mariners ahead 28-22.

The Lynx scored off a run up the middle after squeezing through the Mariner defense. Dimond’s quarterback picked up the ball after a bad snap, running it up the middle for another two points and bringing the score to 30-28.

The Mariners quickly retaliated and drove the ball downfield with a few runs by Jackson. Weisser handed the ball off to Jackson at the 12-yard line, who ran it up the middle for a touchdown. The scoreboard was 34-30 for the Mariners, but Homer’s extra point attempt was no good.

The Lynx got the ball at the 21 and threw a pass to the right side. They avoided five tackles in an 83-yard run up the field into the endzone. Homer halted Dimond’s attempt for a two-point conversion, but the Lynx were still ahead 36-34.

The Mariners got down to the 29 on fourth down. Jackson attempted another run, but was tackled down, giving the ball back to Dimond.

The Lynx secured another touchdown with a deep pass downfield, but were stopped on the 2-point conversion, putting them up 42-34.

The Mariners held onto hope with only about two minutes left in the game. They ran hard, but fell short of a first down. Weisser spiked the ball, ending the game with a Mariner loss.

The Mariners have made improvements from previous weeks, getting a total of 364 yards and 61 plays. The Lynx made a total of 516 yards and 66 plays.

“The boys put up a tough fight against Dimond. I would say both teams were matched both athletically and skill level pretty well,” said Homer’s manager Tilea Lockwood. “But even though we lost I believe we have a firm fighting chance next time.”