The thrilling Lindbergh Flyers football team added another dramatic action scene to its 2010 script Friday with a 42-28 comeback win over Eureka High School.
“The kids played very well, coming back. It was one of those situations where they score and we score,” Lindbergh head coach Tom Beauchamp said.
Lindbergh came from behind in the second half for the third time this season to improve its record to 5-1. The Eureka Wildcats dropped to 5-1 and the two teams, along with Marquette High School, now sit atop the Suburban West Conference standings with one conference loss.
The Wildcats scored first and the Flyers answered. This repeated itself in the second, third and fourth quarters. But in the fourth, Lindbergh disrupted the pattern by scoring the final three touchdowns of the game in the last seven minutes.
“We came out to play this time. We played four quarters. We put it together, never let up, never quit and when you do good things like that, good things happen,” Beauchamp said.
The Flyers responded perfectly from their 35-21 loss to Marquette in week five.
“We got a few breaks,” Beauchamp said. “They’re a good ball team. There’s no doubt about that. We kept hammering at them. I think our kids were on tonight.”
Flyers junior quarterback Peter Simpson threw two interceptions, but completed 16 of 30 passes for 458 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the Flyers in rushing with 48 yards on 10 scampers.
“Peter’s a pretty talented quarterback. I think he’s got a good hand. He threw to a bunch of (wide receivers). Will (Spitzfaden) and (Adam) Schremp had a couple long ones,” Beauchamp said.
The senior Schremp caught five passes for 155 yards and a 32-yard touchdown. The senior Spitzfaden caught four passes for 140 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Senior Tim Hamm-Bey caught three passes for 117 yards.
Tied 21-21 after the third quarter, Eureka took a 28-21 lead on a touchdown pass with eleven minutes left.
Lindbergh pulled off a flea-flicker touchdown pass for the second time during a fourth-quarter comeback this season. After a handoff was tossed back to Simpson, he launched a 71-yard pass to Spitzfaden for the tying score with 7:11 remaining.
Lindbergh’s defense stood up to the Wildcats’ balanced offense to give possession right back to its offense. Spitzfaden intercepted a Eureka pass and seniors Chris Collins and Matt Klingler recovered fumbles. Klingler’s may have saved Lindbergh early in the game. After Eureka intercepted Simpson’s pass at Eureka’s one-yard line, the Flyers’ defense forced the fumble in the end zone and Klingler landed on it with 18 seconds left in the first half.
“We kept battling and battling. We had a chance to lose some momentum, and then we get the touchdown right before halftime,” Beauchamp said.
Lindbergh took its first lead of the game with 4:19 left when senior Sam Smith rushed in from three yards out for his second touchdown of the game to give the Flyers a 35-28 lead.
Simpson connected with Spitzfaden on a 33-yard touchdown pass with 2:30 left for the final score. Sophomore Jordan Harmon converted all six extra-point kicks.
The Flyers will try to continue their dominance over winless Northwest High School at 7 p.m. Friday at home.
