Legacy falls short against Utah foe

No doubt, Aaron Holloway would like to have a single play back from Friday night.

The sophomore wide receiver for Legacy’s football team had raced down the left sideline in the fourth quarter, and was behind a double team from Dixie (Utah) defenders. Legacy quarterback Evan Olaes threw his best pass of the game, and hit Holloway in stride around the 20-yard line.

Holloway had it, then didn’t, then had it on his fingers a second time. But he couldn’t quite pull the ball in. The pass went incomplete, and the Longhorns missed a chance to grab the momentum in what became a 27-7 loss at home.

“That play was the back-breaker,” Legacy coach John Isola said. “We catch that, it’s 21-14 and we have all the momentum with 8 minutes left.”

Instead, the Longhorns (1-1) were forced to punt on fourth-and-10 from their own 40. The defense held the Flyers (1-1) to a three-and-out on Dixie’s next possession. But the moment had passed.

Legacy turned the ball over on each of its final two possessions in the final 6 minutes, 39 seconds, while giving up the game’s final score with 3:14 to play when Dixie quarterback Reggie Graff weaved his way into the end zone from 12 yards out on a second-and-goal.

“We’re young,” said Isola, who said he has three seniors on offense and three on defense. “We made youthful mistakes. We had opportunties left and right. But that’s why we play these games.”

Isola was talking about nonleague contests. Chances to get experience and chances to improve before heading into Northeast League play in a couple of weeks. In Week 1, the Longhorns youngsters played a clean game. And Legacy won at Burroughs, California, 31-0.

“The message at halftime tonight was, ‘Play undisciplined and you will lose the game,’” Isola said. “The discipline we can fix. Youth will fix itself during the season. Inherently with young guys playing, they get experience.”

Dixie broke the scoreless tie Friday with 11:07 left in the second quarter, when Graff connected on a 5-yard strike to Tyson Miller. The Flyers made it 14-0 heading into the halftime break, capping a 15-play, 78-yard drive with Weston Banuelos’ 1-yard run with 25 seconds to go in the first half.

Legacy rushed for 166 yards, led by Amorey Foster’s 71 yards on 14 carries. He scored the only Legacy touchdown of the game to cut the Longhorns deficit to 14-7 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter. But the Longhorns got no closer.

“Everybody would like to win every game,” Isola said. “And I can’t stand that we lost. But as long as you get something from it. And these guys are studs. They’re just so young.”