It was a hugely disappointing ending to Friday’s game for the Bowie Jackrabbits.
Iowa Park came back to not only tie the score in the final seconds, but eventually win in overtime 25-22.
The Jackrabbits came into the game still seeking their first win of the season, though they had come close more than once. After a better than expected showing against Jim Ned the previous week and facing a similarly struggling Hawks team that came in with only one win, expectations were high for Bowie to get its first win.
The first quarter went by scoreless as neither team had much success moving the ball. The Jackrabbit defense early on seemed to be winning the line of scrimmage and shutting down Iowa Park’s run game, pushing the Hawks backwards on most plays.
That did not spread to the offensive side of the ball as Bowie’s offense failed to get much push running the ball consistently.
Still, the Jackrabbits did have the most successful drive of the quarter as quarterback Brody Armstrong used his legs to extend a pass play before hitting deep on a pass that put Bowie into Iowa Park territory. Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits stalled at the Hawks 24-yard line.
A beautiful punt from Iowa Park was downed at the one-yard line and Bowie’s offense embarked on the first scoring drive of the game. Armstrong plunged in from a yard out about midway through the second quarter to put the Jackrabbits up 6-0.
The defense kept up its energy for Bowie and forced a turnover on downs near midfield. The offense took over and then drove down the field again, punctuating the drive with running back Matthew McCarty scoring on a short run. A successful two-point conversion put the Jackrabbits up 14-0.
Running out of time before halftime, the Hawks offense made their first real bid to score hitting on some big run plays from quarterback Parker Allen. With less than two minutes to play, Allen hit his receiver on a contested 14-yard catch in the end zone cut the lead to 14-7.
Bowie tried to answer, but ended up punting the ball away with a little more than a minute left to play. The Hawks bid to try and tie the score up before halftime was interrupted as Brycen Park intercepted a pass on the drive’s first play to keep the Jackrabbits lead heading into the second half.
Bowie’s offense started the second half driving into Iowa Park territory. A touchdown run that would have put the Jackrabbits up two scores was called back thanks to a taunting penalty during the run. Later in the drive a desperate throw to the end zone was intercepted by the Hawks, wiping out that score and coming back to haunt Bowie later in the game.
The Jackrabbit defense held strong on the next drive, forcing a turnover on downs at their own 24-yard line, but they could not hold forever now that Iowa Park’s offense had some momentum running the ball from the end of the first half.
After Bowie punted the ball away, the Hawks drove down the field and scored on a short jet sweep run to tie the score at 14-14 right before the end of the third quarter.
Coming into the final period, the Jackrabbit offense responded on their next drive. Armstrong scrambled up the middle of the defense mostly untouched on a 12-yard run. The good two-point conversion put Bowie up 22-14 with 9:08 left to play.
The Jackrabbit defense then tried to seal the game. On the next drive Braden Rhyne intercepted a pass near midfield.
After the offense could not do much, the Hawks drove down into Bowie territory before the defense again got a big stop, forcing a turnover on downs at its own 17-yard line with 1:42 left to play.
Iowa Park had two timeouts left and the Jackrabbit offense failed to move the ball after three plays and had to punt the ball back to the Hawks with less than a minute left.
Unfortunately, disaster struck as an Iowa Park player came through to the punt and recovered the ball at Bowie’s one-yard line with 34 seconds left.
The Jackrabbit defense somehow held on the first quarterback sneak attempt, but could not stop the second hurried attempt that was pushed over with seven seconds left.
The Hawks then needed to convert on the two-point conversion and succeeded to tie the game up at 22-22 to force overtime.
Bowie got the ball first at Iowa Park’s 25-yard line. If the Jackrabbits scored first and then held the Hawks then they would have won.
Unfortunately, the first offensive play saw Bowie throw an interception. Iowa Park then got the ball on the Jackrabbit’s 25-yard line and just needed to score in any way, even a field goal, to win the game.
The Hawks moved the ball to Bowie’s 12-yard line, but was stalled on third down.
This set up Iowa Park for a 29-yard field goal to win the game. The kick went through the uprights to give the Hawks the 25-22 overtime win.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.