Dewar’s 52-40 victory extends win streak to 49

The Dewar Dragon varsity football team needed almost all 48 minutes on the game clock this past Friday to keep their regular-season win streak alive.

TheDragons,behinda6-touchdown night from senior tailback Nevin Corbin, increased its win streak to 49 games with a hardfought 52-40 victory over the visiting Velma-Alma Comets in Friday’s non-district finale.

Last Friday’s contest was a battle between two 4-0 teams, who are ranked in the Top 5 in Class B with Dewar ranked second and Velma-Alma ranked fourth.

Besides his 6-TD night, which matched a career-best scoring total that came against Gans in last year’s Class B opening-round win, Corbin set career-highs in carries and rushing yards in the Dragons’ double-digit win. The 5-8, 185-pound, senior running back finished the contest with 36 carries for 365 yards, breaking his previous best totals of 27 carries and 315 yards set in last year’s second-round win over Pioneer-Pleasant Vale.

The Dragons will enter this Friday’s district opener at home against the Webbers Falls Warriors, who are currently 5-0 on the year, looking to make it 50-straight regular-season wins for the Dewar gridiron squad.

Friday’s district-opening battle with the unbeaten Webbers Falls Warriors is scheduled to get started at 7 p.m. at historic Dr. Ted Lewis Stadium in Dewar. Friday’s contest will also serve as the Army National Guard Game of the Week.

In last Friday’s non-district battle with Velma-Alma, Nevin Corbin scored the first two touchdowns of the contest on identical 1-yard runs. The first short TD run came at the 9:29 mark of the opening frame, while the other short TD run came with 4:19 remaining in the quarter. Peyton Kilhoffer completed passes to Keelan Berry on both conversion attempts to give Dewar a 16-0 advantage.

Velma-Alma’s first score of the contest came at the 3:29 mark of the first stanza on a 45-yard pass from Talon Quick to Langsten Walker on a halfback pass play. The try for two was unsuccessful to make it a 16-6 lead for the host Dewar Dragons after the first 12 minutes of action.

With 11:01 remaining in the first half, the visitors cut the Dewar lead to four, 16-12, with a 3-yard TD run by Strickland.

Corbin’s 12-yard TD run at the 9:19 mark of the second quarter pushed the Dragon advantage back to double digits, 22-12, while Strickland’s 52-yard run and successful conversion pass to Walker at 7:13 in the second made it a 22-20 contest.

Cash Faulkner returned the ensuing kickoff 73 yards to paydirt with Berry running in the conversion attempt to extend the Dewar lead to 30-20 with 7:01 left in the first half.

Corbin’s fourth TD run of the contest came at the 5:03 mark of the second quarter and went for 58 yards in distance to make it a 16-point Dewar advantage, 3620.

The final tally of the first half came with 4:09 left on a 57-yard aerial strike from Strickland to Walker. The try for two was unsuccessful to send the Top 5 contest to the halftime break with the host Dragons in front by 10 points, 36-26.

The visitors cut the Dewar lead to four, 36-32, with a 77-yard pass from Strickland to Issac Camarillo just 25 seconds into the third quarter.

Corbin’s 2-yard TD run and Kilhoffer’s successful conversion run at 6:33 of the third gave Dewar a 44-32 lead, heading into the final 12 minutes of regulation.

Velma-Alma opened the fourth-quarter scoring with a 31-yard TD pass from Strickland to Jace Riley at the 9:39 mark. Strickland connected with Conner Akers on the conversion attempt to make it 44-40 contest.

Corbin’s final tally of the contest came with 8:07 left in regulation, scoring on a 1-yard plunge. Kilhoffer raced into the end zone on the conversion try to put the finishing touches on the Dragons’ 52-40 victory.

--- Dewar 52, Velma-Alma 40

Velma-Alma: 6 - 20 - 6 - 8 (40) Dewar: 16 - 20 - 8 - 8 (52) --- First Quarter Dewar - Nevin Corbin, 1-yard run (Keelan Berry pass from Peyton Kilhoffer); 9:29 Dewar - Nevin Corbin, 1-yard run (Berry pass from Kilhoffer); 4:19 Velma-Alma - Langsten Walker, 45-yard pass from Talon Quick (Pass Failed); 3:29 --- Second Quarter

Velma-Alma - Slade Strickland, 3-yard run (Run Failed); 11:01 Dewar - Nevin Corbin, 12-yard run (Run Failed); 9:19 Velma-Alma - Strickland, 52-yard run (Walker pass from Strickland); 7:13 Dewar - Cash Faulkner, 73-yard kickoff return (Berry run); 7:02 Dewar - Nevin Corbin, 58-yard run (Pass Failed); 5:03 Velma-Alma - Walker, 57-yard pass from Strickland (Run Failed); 4:09 --- Third Quarter

Velma-Alma - Issac Camarillo, 77-yard pass from Strickland (Pass Failed); 11:35 Dewar - Nevin Corbin, 2-yard run (Kilhoffer run); 6:33 --- Fourth Quarter

Velma-Alma - Jace Riley, 31-yard pass from Strickland (Conner Akers pass from Strickland); 9:39 Dewar - Nevin Corbin, 1-yard run (Kilhoffer run); 8:07