Falcons defensive force staves off Norsemen

PARKERSBURG – Whether on the football field or in the big picture, Alex Pollock doesn't want his Aplington-Parkersburg football team to rely on someone else for the Falcons' own success.

The big picture has come into focus for Pollock, A-P's head coach, after the A-P defense had another strong second-half performance to send the homecoming crowd happy with a 28-21 victory over Roland-Story that puts A-P's district title destiny directly in the hands of the Falcons.

Sam Thorn scored the game-winning touchdown with 4-1/2 minutes left as A-P made several key defensive stops to hold the Norsemen scoreless in the second half following a 21-21 tie at halftime.

"It's a huge effort for our guys," Pollock said. "Sometimes in situations like that we have to throw out the Xs and Os and ask, 'How bad do we want it?' And we came out all night and battled. Sometimes we were great, sometimes not so great, but effort makes up for a lot of mistakes."

Read more in the Oct. 4 Eclipse.

Slideshow: Roland-Story vs. A-P football (Click here for all photos as thumbnails)