HESSTON, Kan. — The Hesston College flag football team earned a dramatic 20-13 double overtime victory over Cottey College on April 19, rallying late and finishing the job in extra periods.
Cottey struck first in the opening quarter, capitalizing on an early interception to set up a short touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead. Hesston’s offense showed flashes early, including a 36-yard connection from Alexis Pabon to Emma Pfannenstiel, but turnovers stalled multiple drives and kept the Larks off the scoreboard through three quarters.
The Larks broke through in the fourth quarter. After forcing a stop deep in their own territory, Hesston put together a scoring drive midway through the period, capped by a 9-yard touchdown pass from Pabon to Akiva Brown to cut the deficit to 7-6.
Moments later, the defense came up with another stop, and Hesston quickly capitalized. A short touchdown pass to Pfannenstiel, followed by a successful conversion run, gave the Larks a 13-7 lead with just over a minute remaining.
Cottey responded with urgency, driving the length of the field in the final minute. A 10-yard touchdown pass tied the game at 13-13 with 30 seconds left, sending the contest into overtime.
In the first overtime, both teams came up empty. Hesston’s possession stalled, but the defense answered with a key interception to keep the game tied.
The Larks broke through in double overtime. After a defensive penalty moved the ball inside the 10-yard line, Pabon found Pfannenstiel for a 7-yard touchdown. Pabon connected on the conversion pass to give Hesston a 20-13 lead.
Cottey had one final chance, but the Hesston defense held firm, forcing incompletions on fourth down to seal the win.
Pabon led the offense through the air, completing 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, while Pfannenstiel hauled in five catches for 58 yards and a score and also made a key interception on defense. Brown added five receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown, and the defense came up with multiple interceptions to help swing momentum.
Hesston finished with 181 yards of total offense and forced four interceptions in the victory.
The Larks will now move on to the KCAC conference tournament as the No. 8 seed.
