LA GRANDE, Ore. – Saturday was Senior Day for the EOU football program. With 18 seniors playing their last home game at Community Stadium, the Mountaineers were sure to try and send the seniors out on top.
 
For both EOU (7-2, 7-2 Frontier) and Rocky Mountain (4-6, 4-5 Frontier), it was a tale of two halves. For the Mountaineers, the first half was fruitful, jumping out to a 19-0 lead and holding the Bears scoreless until the final seconds of the first half. 
 
For the Bears it was a magical second half, as the team went on a 16-0 run, with 13 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Rocky Mountain also made some big first half adjustments, as the Bears held the Blue and Gold scoreless in the second half.
 
Senior quarterback Zach Bartlow completed 14 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 40 yards. Senior running back Alfred Gross galloped for 72 yards and a touchdown.
 
A trio of junior receivers notched multiple catch performances as Brenden Kelly nabbed five for 46 yards, Josh Richards caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown while Calvin Connors brought in three receptions for 31 yards in the first half before leaving the game with an injury.
 
On defense, junior linebacker Michal Arenas led the way for the Blue and Gold, taking down 12 total tackles and assisting on a sack. Senior linebacker Tucker Stanley wasn't far behind combining for 11 tackles.
 
THE RUNDOWN
On offense and defense, the first-half was huge for the Blue and Gold. In fact on defense, the Mounties not only forced a trio of three and outs but they also had a fumble recovery.
 
Offensively, EOU scored three touchdowns on five possessions and overcame a fumbled turnover on their first possession to finish a strong first stanza.
 
Seniors were key for the first half as Bartlow tossed for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Gross ran for 61 yards and a touchdown.
 
After forcing a three and out on Rocky Mountain's first possession, the Mountaineer defense found themselves back on the field early after a muffed snap from the EOU offense turned the ball over. However, junior defensive back Justin Hughes came to the rescue, forcing a fumble that Stanley recovered.
 
That turnover led to the first score on the day, as Bartlow and Gross combined for 44 yards rushing on the first three plays of the drive. Bartlow then found an open Connors for a 22-yard pass completion before throwing to senior running back AJ Prom in the end zone on the next play.
 
Thanks to a combined 44 yards passing from Bartlow and four yards rushing from Gross in EOU's fourth possession, the Mountaineers found themselves 11 yards from pay dirt. Gross took it upon himself to put the ball in the end zone on the next play, as the Stockton, Calif. native ran 11-yards untouched for his sixth touchdown of the season.
 
With only a few minutes before halftime, Bartlow once again led the Mounties down the field first with back-to-back runs for 18 yards. With only 52 seconds left before half, Bartlow connected with Richards for a 34-yard touchdown reception that put the Blue and Gold ahead 19-0, after the Bears blocked their second extra-point attempt of the game.
 
As first half's time expired, Rocky Mountain drilled a 43-yard field goal to give the Bears their first points of the game while sending the teams to the locker rooms.
 
The start of the second stanza saw a defensive battle between the Mountaineers and the Bears. Neither team could find a way to add to the scoreboard and through the third quarter EOU led, 19-3.
 
With 10:58 remaining in the game, Rocky Mountain finally broke the second-half scoreless streak with a 6-yard touchdown run. The Bears went for two on the point after but the pass was intercepted by Stanley who nearly returned the point after all the way but was taken down at the Bear 15 yard line.
 
That touchdown provided new life for the Bears who with the help of multiple penalties forced EOU to punt from their own end zone, which gave Rocky Mountain the ball at the EOU 41.
 
The short field position was no match for the Bears as they scored their second touchdown of the game on a 5-yard pass. With 3:37 left, the Mountie lead had been cut to three, 19-16.
 
With 2:34 left in the game, the Bears found themselves with the ball at their own 28. Thanks to multiple third and fourth down conversations, the Bears made their way to the Mountaineer 19.
 
With four seconds left, Rocky Mountain called for a timeout and sent in the field goal unit. However, Mother Nature came info effect for the first time all game, pushing the game-tying field goal left of the uprights and thus sealed the win for the Mountaineers, 19-16.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 
7 – Wins on the season for EOU
307 – Combined passing yards between EOU and Rocky Mountain
72 – Rushing yards for Gross
 
UP NEXT
EOU travels to Helena, Mont. Next Saturday to take on Carroll at 12 p.m. MT.