Legacy converts second chance

Four-and-a-half feet. That was all that separated Legacy from victory Thursday night.

Senior William Purcell cleared it with ease.

Purcell dived over the goal line for a 2-point conversion in overtime as the Longhorns took advantage of a second chance to gain a 30-29 road win over Cimarron-Memorial.

"I feel pretty confident with our offensive line and they believe in themselves, so we went with our gut play," Legacy coach Dave Snyder said.

The third-ranked Longhorns (6-0, 4-0 Northwest League) had pulled within 29-28 on a 10-yard scoring keeper by quarterback Devin Weidemann.

When Andres Ortiz missed the conversion kick, No. 6 Cimarron (3-2, 3-2) appeared to have escaped with a victory. But the Spartans' celebration proved premature when they were called for running into the kicker, moving the ball inside the 2 and giving Legacy a chance to go for the win.

Purcell's 2-point conversion run got the Longhorns there.

"(Cimarron) has a lot of tradition, and winning is what is expected," Snyder said. "For us to come out and do what we did on their home turf shows a lot of character and how far we've come in four years."

Cimarron got the ball first in overtime and scored on the first play when Kenny Banks hit Tim Hasson with a 10-yard TD pass, and Alex Ramos kicked the extra point.

Weidemann's overtime run was his second big carry of the night. He had a 20-yard TD with 8:19 left to tie the score at 22. Weidemann also threw a 41-yard TD to Chris Lyle.

Deshae Edwards rushed for 123 yards on 18 carries to lead the Legacy offense.

Cimarron's James Poole ran for 135 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown.

Cimarron led 14-0 early before a big special teams play ignited the Longhorns. Martell Crockett's 87-yard kickoff return put the Longhorns on the board and shifted the momentum.

"That kickoff return really saved us," Snyder said. "We were struggling a little bit."