Geary Football Goes Out Winners, Beats Beaver in Last Game

GEARY – The Geary Bison had several games canceled this season and struggled through several more. But for the second time in 2021, the Bison came out victorious Friday with a 22-14 win over the Beaver Dusters on Senior Night.

As usual, senior quarterback Major Lewis paced the Bison with 222 rushing yards and another 82 through the air. He ran for one of Geary’s touchdowns, a 40- yard scramble, and threw a 15-yard TD to senior Keaton Akridge.

Akridge finished with 71 receiving yards.

Spencer Davidson also notched a rushing touchdown for Geary, while senior running back Raul Espinoza tacked on 40 yards of his own.

The Bison started the game on a positive note, as Beaver took the opening kick but turned the ball over on downs after notching a single first down. Geary overcame a holding penalty to start its drive, going 65 yards down the field in a possession that lasted most of the first quarter. Akridge’s reception gave Geary the first points of the ballgame, and senior Jaydin Leger earned Geary a successful two-point conversion to go up 8-0.

Things didn’t improve for Beaver on its second drive, as the Dusters quickly fumbled the ball away to Geary. But the Bison weren’t able to capitalize. The teams traded punts before Geary recovered another Dusters fumble, but ultimately the teams went into halftime with the score still 8-0 Geary.

Geary finally scored again in the third quarter after yet another Beaver fumble to begin its first drive of the half. Taking over just 10 yards from glory, Davidson rumbled home and Lewis added the two-pointer himself to put Geary up 16-0.

Geary went up 22-0 in the fourth quarter after a 40- yard Lewis run to the house, followed by the team’s only unsuccessful two-point try.

It was then that Beaver’s sputtering offense finally woke up; unfortunately for the Dusters, it proved too little, too late. Beaver gained its first score on a trick play, a hook-and-ladder for 65 yards to draw within 16 points.

Beaver tried that hook-and-ladder again later, but the Bison were ready to stop it.

The final points of the ballgame came with 2:42 remaining, as Beaver capped a 58-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass. When the Dusters added a successful two-point conversion, it was suddenly just an eightpoint, one-score game.

But Geary’s fate was squarely in its own hands. Keeping the ball on the ground and with its leader, Lewis, Geary was able to gain two first downs and ice the contest away.

Geary head coach Jason Goodknight was emotional after the victory. Goodknight lost his son, Isaac, earlier this year, and the Bison players paid tribute to Isaac during and after the game. “That last timeout, they broke it out on my son’s name,” Goodknight said. “They’ve done a tribute to him. That’s one of the last things my son said to me before he passed, was ‘Go get that job, Coach.’”

Goodknight praised his seniors for building a “foundation” for success.

“Just for them to come out here with only 10 players and finish this job – it feels great.”

The Geary football senior class included: Lewis, Akridge, Espinoza, Leger, Joe Littlebird and Chris Ward.