INDEPENDENCE — Five turnovers foiled the Labette County Grizzlies, who fell to the Independence Bulldogs, 24-20, on Friday night in Week 7 SEK League football action.
Despite taking a 20-8 lead, the Grizzlies committed three turnovers in the second half to allow the Bulldogs to reclaim the lead.
“We turned the ball over too many times,” Labette County head coach Bradley Argabright said. “We had the ball on the three-yard-line and fumbled it. We talk about it all the time about limiting turnovers. This time, it cost us a game. Now we’ve got to refocus on that.”
Labette County quarterback Aaron Wyrick, who rushed for 29 yards and threw for 37, threw two interceptions and fumbled twice.
“The first turnover, we had a misread on a route concept, he got pressured and had a bad throw,” Argabright said. “On the fumbles, he was fighting for extra yards and also had a bad snap. It was just one bad game from him. We’ll focus on ball protection. I know he’s going to step up and be ready to go this week.”
Deontae Fields amassed 229 rushing yards on 29 carries with one score.
“Our line did a nice job of really setting the tone upfront,” Argabright said. “I know he wants that fumble back. But he was really a spark plug for us. He had a bunch of big plays.”
Labette County ran for 305 yards as a team.
“We moved the ball at will, just everything else went bad,” Argabright said.
Independence proved capable of moving the chains as well.
“Our defense had a good game, we just had a few mental lapses,” Argabright said. “They scored on some fourthand- long plays. And Independence just made plays. Their quarterback made some throws out of the pocket and just did a nice job.”
Up next
Labette County will face Chanute on Friday in Week 8 in Altamont. Chanute secured a share of the SEK League title with the Grizzlies’ loss to Independence.
“It’s another opportunity to play together for a league title,” Argabright said. “And we can also secure the No. 2 seed in the east. That means we could host a lot of games. So this is a huge game for us.”
The Grizzlies can split a share of the league crown with a win over the Blue Comets.
“Their quarterback is an all-league player and he moves the ball around well,” Argabright said. “Chanute plays hard and expects to win. We just want to have a good week of practice, play hard and give ourselves a chance to go win the SEK.”
