GREENWOOD VILLAGE | The lights went out at Stutler Bowl Saturday night, but not on the perfect season for the Smoky Hill football team.
Immediately after the lights came back on after shutting off for a few minutes in the midst of a tense overtime contest between the Buffs and Far Northeast Warriors, junior running back Obasanjo Sanni scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to deliver a wild 35-34 victory.
Smoky Hill, which couldn’t hold an eight-point lead in the final minutes of regulation, extended its unbeaten start to 5-0 and kept pace with Westminster and Denver East at the top of the Metro 10 conference standings.
Sanni racked up 275 yards rushing and scored four of the five touchdowns for coach Tom Thenell’s Buffaloes (5-0 overall, 4-0 Metro 10), while junior Chase Lyons returned a fumble for another score.
Smoky Hill had allowed just six points in its first four games, but watched the Warriors (2-2, 2-3) pile up 34, including 14 in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.
Far Northeast took the opening possession of overtime and scored on a fourth-and-goal play from the 1 yard-line on a keeper by quarterback Dachaun Davis. Kicker Jason Reyes connected on the extra point to put the Warriors ahead by seven points.
The Stutler Bowl lights went out at precisely 10 p.m. as scheduled by timer according to Smoky Hill athletic director John Thompson, which left the field bathed in darkness for about 15 minutes.
Smoky Hill wasted little time giving the ball to Sanni — who reached the end zone in the first quarter and twice in the fourth quarter — and the junior used a hole opened by his offensive line to score.
Thenell wasted no time calling in a play for the two-point conversion and Sanni hammered it in as he slipped to the left of a big block by junior lineman Jesse Gomez.
The Buffaloes play host to Boulder (2-3, 2-2) at 1 p.m. Sept. 29.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
SMOKY HILL 35, FAR NORTHEAST WARRIORS 34
Score by quarters:
FNE Warriors 0 7 6 14 7 — 34
Smoky Hill 7 0 7 13 8 — 35
RUSHING
Far Northeast Warriors: Breyon Woods 6-104, Kumasi Sayers 14-47, Chris Adams 2-3, Dachuan Davis 10-(minus 19)
Smoky Hill: Obasanjo Sanni 41-275, David Hoage 6-79, Kamari Lewis-Stallworth 2-2, Maurice Walker 1-1
PASSING
Far Northeast Warriors: Davis 14-21, 172 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Smoky Hill: Lewis-Stallworth 4-12, 43 yards, 1 interception
RECEIVING
Far Northeast Warriors: Onye Onuoha 7-75, Woods 3-50, Russell Grant 4-47
Smoky Hill: Hoage 2-28, Ryan Hollingsworth 1-12, DeAngelo Horn 1-3
