After an uneven first half that saw 3 turnovers, a big injury and a tie game for the Vandals, they were able to get it going in a big way in the 2nd half on their way to a 42 to 21 win over the Greenville Comets in Round 2 of the Playoffs at Don Stout Field.
The Vandals had their early struggles offensively against the Comets, but the defense was able to hold to keep it a scoreless game in the first quarter. Mostly notably was on the Comets opening drive when the Comets had a 1st and goal and the Vandals were able to stop 2,000 yard rusher Dayton Oliver from getting into the end zone on 4 straight carries and take over on downs. The Comets were able to get on the board early in the 2nd quarter to take a 7 to 0 lead. For the Vandals, Quarterback Qwentyn Stombaugh was injured early in the 2nd quarter and was unable to return. Andrew Casey stepped in at QB for the Vandals and would shortly after connect with Kohnor Depew on a pass that was tipped by the Comets defender in the end zone but that Kohnor came up with to tie up the game. The Vandals would then take the lead about 3 minutes later in the game, only to see the Comets tied it up less than a minute before halftime–sending the teams to the locker room tied at 14.
But, the Vandals really got going in the 2nd half. They would get two TDs in the 3rd quarter and one early in the 4th to extend their lead to 35 to 14. After a Comet score, the Vandals got back on the board one more time to get it to 42 to 21. The Comets had two late game turnovers and the Vandals were able to go into victory formation and finish off the playoff win.
The Vandals are now 11-0 on the season. They will be making a long road trip in the 3rd round of the playoffs as they will travel to St. Joseph-Ogden on Saturday afternoon at 1 pm.
