Byers, Healy combine for late “magic” over Lansing, 39-32

Piper’s Roman Byers Jr. and Leeum Healy turned a broken play into the winning touchdown Friday, Sept. 11. Piper held on to beat Lansing, 39-32, in its home opener.

With less than three minutes remaining and the score tied at 32, Healy faced a 4th and 10 just inside Lansing territory. Anticipating a pass, the Lions rush was quickly into the Piper backfield. Healy scrambled, feeling the heat, but just as the defenders caught up with him, he offloaded a short shovel pass to his game-changing senior back. Byers broke four tackles on his way to the end zone, a 42-yard touchdown run.

Needless to say, that’s not how head coach Cole Orrick and the staff drew it up. Orrick credited “our quarterback making some magic and getting the ball to Roman and then he does his thing.” He called the score “completely off-script.”

Still, feeding Byers is always a big part of the game plan. Orrick joked that his star back “makes me look like a genius play caller when I just, ‘Hey, just give it to Roman and he’ll figure it out.’”

Byers rewarded the approach. He ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. He also caught three passes for 40 yards and a receiving TD. The senior, a South Dakota commit, rushed for 1,263 yards and 26 touchdowns last season. Orrick called him “a remarkable player and a remarkable kid.”

Senior receiver Easton McCarty carried the American flag onto the field before the game.

Piper takes first-half lead

Lansing got on the Pirates Stadium scoreboard first, reaching the Piper 1 on its opening series but settling for a 23-yard field goal. Easton McCarty answered on the next snap. He returned the kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, and Mason Masloski’s extra-point kick put the Pirates up 7-3.

Byers caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Healy early in the second quarter to make it 14-3. Lansing’s Noah Mathis, a wrecking ball in short-yardage situations, trimmed the lead with a 4-yard scoring run. Sawyer McDaniel then picked off Lansing quarterback Caden Garcia and returned the ball to the Lansing 12. Healy scored from 3 yards out two plays later, and Piper carried a 20-10 lead into halftime.

The Piper Pearls dance team performed at halftime.

Special teams swing the third quarter

Piper’s kicking and coverage units wobbled in the third quarter, and the Lions pounced, taking advantage for two short-field touchdowns.

After an unsuccessful Piper drive, Masloski, an All-State punter, struggled with the snap and couldn’t get off the punt or an emergency pass. The Lions took over at the Piper 15, and shortly afterwards Jameson Barnes caught a 6-yard touchdown to make it 20-17.

The ensuing kickoff, a hard, low drive, squirted through the Piper return squad, and Lansing recovered it at the Piper 12. Austin Oakley caught a 12-yard scoring pass. The Lions led 24-20.

Orrick pointed to a hard lesson from a year ago. “Last year we lost a couple one-score games,” he said. He liked the way his team answered. “I was really proud of their fight and pushing through and their perseverance,” he said.

Senior lineman Ronin Trusskey held off the rush during a third quarter drive.

Byers takes over

Byers erased the deficit himself. He broke a 60-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left in the third quarter. Piper led 26-24 after a failed two-point try. McCarty set up the next score with a punt return to the Lansing 31. Byers ripped off a 22-yard run, and Andrew Durham caught a 9-yard touchdown to stretch the margin to 32-24.

Lansing would not fold. Oakley caught his second touchdown, an 11-yard strike. The Lions ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 32 with 4:39 left. That set the stage for Byers’ broken-play winner on the ensuing drive.

Piper’s defense finished it. The Pirates stopped Lansing on downs at their own 42 with 1:04 left. Healy took two kneel-downs to end the game.

Orrick admitted the Pirates made it harder than it needed to be. “We still made some mistakes and kind of let them back into it,” he said. He believes the test will help. “That’s going to serve us big the rest of the year,” he said.

Healy completed 15 of 23 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He ran for 31 yards and a score. In addition to McCarty’s return duties, he caught five passes for 37 yards. He also starred on defense, breaking up two would-be touchdown passes, one in the end zone before halftime and another on a deep throw in the third quarter. Keyon White pressured Garcia all night. He recorded a sack in the first quarter and later hit Garcia as he threw to force an incompletion.

Orrick credited the supporting cast. “Our receivers are doing some good things,” he said. He also pointed to backfield depth and the play up front. “We’ve got some good backup running backs too. [We] couldn’t really feature them tonight, but up front we played tough,” he said.

Healy was congratulated by his coaches on the sideline for his quick-thinking play that lead to the winning touchdown.

Up next

The win kept Piper unbeaten at 2-0, both wins in the United Kansas Conference. The Pirates opened the season with a 56-18 rout of Topeka West. Lansing, which lost its opener to Spring Hill, gave Piper all it could handle.

Orrick expects more of the same across the league. “It’s a grind. It really is week in and week out. You can’t overlook any opponent, and every week it’s going to be a grind,” he said. He praised the Lions, too. “That is a tough Lansing team. They’re going to be a really good football team this year. Super well-coached,” he said.

Piper travels to Turner next week. The Golden Bears are 0-2 after losses to Shawnee Heights and Spring Hill.