Friday night, Melissa faced Emerson in an exciting 5A Division 1 matchup that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Melissa entered with momentum after a dominant win over Independence, while Emerson was aiming to rebound from a tough loss to Lovejoy.
Emerson struck first with a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. They stopped Melissa’s first drive and followed up with a touchdown but missed the PAT, going up 9-0. Melissa responded with a touchdown late in the first quarter, narrowing the gap to 9-7. The second quarter was quiet until Emerson found the end zone just before halftime, extending their lead to 16-7.
After halftime, Emerson recovered a fumble and scored again, making it 23-7. However, Melissa fought back, halting Emerson on three straight drives and scoring three consecutive touchdowns to take their first lead of the night, 28-23. Emerson quickly answered with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to regain the lead, 31-28.
Melissa wasn’t done yet, responding with another touchdown to reclaim the lead, 35-31, with two minutes left. Emerson then pieced together a quick drive and found the end zone in the final minute to escape with a 38-35 victory.
Next week, Melissa faces Walnut Grove, coming off a win over Lovejoy. Emerson will try to keep the momentum going as they take on Independence, fresh from a bye week.
