As a spirited homecoming week came to an end, bright stadium lights and an electric crowd surrounded Yutan High School’s football field, where the football team delivered a memorable 33-32 win against Malcolm in overtime. 

“It felt really rewarding knowing that we were resilient throughout the game, and we stayed focused and knew we had to win,” senior Carson Jurey said.

That sense of determination was echoed by the coaching staff, who approached the game with a clear strategy and level-headed mindset despite the fact that it was both homecoming and a tough opponent.

“We knew what areas of the game we had to focus on to get the outcome we wanted,” head football coach Dan Krajicek said. “However, I typically try to ignore homecoming and just treat it like every other game, but we did know it was going to be one of our harder homecoming games.”

While the coaches remained calm, the players felt pressure not just from homecoming but also because they had lost to Malcolm the past three years.

“We knew Malcolm was going to be a hard game, especially before homecoming,” senior Tyler Keiser said. “Us seniors haven’t yet beaten Malcolm, and we knew this would probably be our last chance at (beating) them.”

Entering the game with a predator mindset was one factor that helped secure the win for the Chieftains.

“Our team’s mindset was to come out on the field, do our jobs, be ‘dawgs’ and beat Malcolm,” sophomore Kaleb Fenner said.

The players’ mindsets were not the only factor that contributed to the win. There were also a few memorable turning points throughout the game that helped lock in the victory. Two early touchdowns set up a lead for the Chieftains, leaving the score at 12-0 at the end of the first quarter.

“The first quarter was a big turning point in the game, and we knew we could beat [Malcolm] from then,” Keiser said.

In the second and third quarters, Malcolm pulled together an efficient offense, scoring three touchdowns and taking the lead with a score of 18-22. Fenner said that their drive to reclaim the lead in the fourth quarter was a “huge moment.” 

However, Malcolm responded with a late field goal to tie the game, sending it into overtime. In the extra period, Malcolm scored first and kicked the extra point, putting pressure on Yutan. But in the final seconds, Yutan answered back with a touchdown of their own, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

“I had the TD catch in OT that was one of the better catches I have ever had,” Jurey said. “We were running out of time, and I knew I had to be a playmaker.”

After Jurey scored the touchdown, the coaches decided to end the game with a try for two. Junior quarterback Nathan Daniell passed the ball to Fenner, who ran through Malcolm’s defense to score the game-winning two-point conversion, though the coaches really saw this as a team effort.

“The players contributed to the game big time. Kaleb Fenner did really good, and (junior) Otto Henkel ran really well too,” Krajicek said. “Probably the biggest one for me was (sophomore) Charlie Tasich stepping in on the offensive line. All of his blocks and everything really helped us out on the win a lot.”

While Krajicek was relieved to see the team pull out the win, he also noticed many areas that the team could improve on. 

“I definitely think that going forward, the team can use this game to focus on what we need to improve on,” Krajicek said.

Keiser said that the game showed the team what they could improve on and what the team’s weaknesses were.

“It wasn’t our cleanest performance, but games like this are where teams grow the most,” Keiser said. “It revealed some faults, and now we know exactly what needs fixing.”

However, after winning a tight game, the team also gained confidence that they have the willpower to beat any upcoming opponent.

“The Malcolm win definitely gave us a lot of confidence, getting our team ready for the top contenders,” Fenner said. “If we do all of our techniques, we could come out on top of any game.”

That boost of confidence has continued to carry the team forward, building momentum that the team believes could fuel a winning season.

“Having the homecoming game earlier in the season definitely helped our team in the long run,” Krajicek said. “I think that we now know that we have an opportunity to win the rest of our games.