Grain Valley was in trouble.
In Friday’s high school football contest at Kearney, the Eagles were ahead 14-7 late in the fourth quarter and seemed poised for victory as they had the Bulldogs in a fourth-and-10 at their own 9-yard line.
Kearney quarterback Casey Rooney managed to make big play after big play and had the ball at the Grain Valley 11 with 1:13 left. The Eagles needed a big play.
Rooney had been peppering wide receiver Zach Grace with targets as the junior had eight catches for 111 yards at that point. Rooney tried to find him over the middle one more time, but Grain Valley defensive back Keagan Hart jumped the route and intercepted the pass with 1:06 remaining.
That ended up being the deciding play as the Eagles escaped with a 14-7 victory.
“I knew I needed to stay with my man (Grace),” Hart said. “My linemen and linebackers were able to get in the backfield and that helped me get my pick. They made (Rooney) scramble.”
Added Grain Valley head coach David Allie: “Kearney threatened three times and we got out of it every time.”
After the interception, the Eagles offense was able to run the clock down to 9 seconds. After a Kearney punt return that netted no yards, they tried a hook-and-ladder play, but it failed as multiple Grain Valley players leaped up and down and celebrated following the win.
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