ROGERSVILLE — Vicente Pastrana’s cleats are anything but subtle.
The cleats are jeweled, almost sparkling against the football turf. The black-and-red Nike cleats pop. Wearing this kind of shoe requires excellent play.
In Branson’s biggest game of the season, Pastrana rose to the challenge. The quarterback accounted for all four touchdowns in Branson’s 28-21 win over Logan-Rogersville (8-1) on Friday, Oct. 23.
The win marked Branson’s third straight season as Ozark Mountain Conference champions.
“I told our kids that it was going to be a battle. It came right down to it,” Branson head coach Aaron Hafner said. “I’m super proud of both sides of the ball figuring it out when they needed to, it was team football. That’s all you can ask for.”
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Branson (8-1) trailed 21-20 with 4:15 left in the game. Pastrana orchestrated a flawless closing drive. The run-first offense drove the length of the field, suffocating Rogersville’s defense.
Pastrana led the Pirates on a 13-play, 80-yard drive. The senior scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard rushing score.
“It was nerve-wracking. All odds were against us, but we had to flip the switch, turn it on and get the yards. It was awesome,” Pastrana said. “Their defense is great, well-coached and disciplined.”
Pastrana scored two other rushing touchdowns in the game. He also threw a 51-yard passing touchdown to Blake Weber on a swing pass in the first half.
“He deserves everything that he gets,” Hafner said. “He’s a great leader and just an awesome human being. He’s a playmaker.”
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Trailing 20-7, Rogersville needed a spark and Joe Roche delivered. On a trick play, the running back launched a deep pass to Sky Vaughn. It set the Wildcats into the red zone and a few plays later, Roche scored a rushing touchdown.
On the next possession, Pastrana fumbled a handoff, and Rogersville’s Lucas White recovered.
Roche would peel off a 50-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 21-20 advantage.
“The sweeps were getting shut down earlier, but I was going to run as hard as I possibly can,” Roche said. “I don’t really know how it happened. The next thing I know is that I jump cut and I was down the sidelines.”
Pastrana’s fumble fell heavy on the senior. He explained that he didn’t want to let his team down in the final moments. That’s why he took it upon himself to deliver on the final drive.
“I was really discouraged, for sure,” Pastrana said. “We always have to rise above it and overcome it. I had to get it back.”
This was Rogersville’s first loss of the season. According to Roche, the loss was exactly what the Wildcats needed headed into the postseason. This will be a learning opportunity for Rogersville, Roche said.
“We played soft as a team tonight,” Roche said. “When we played West Plains, it was a rough game. But, we came together as a team. We thought we were going to get bailed out again tonight.”
Despite the loss, the Wildcats will have the No. 1 seed in Class 4 District 6 play when it begins next week.
For Branson, a conference title and a big road win will boost the team’s confidence. The Pirates are in one of the state's toughest districts, with Republic (8-1), Neosho (8-1), Carthage (6-3), and Webb City (6-3).
“We are going to celebrate the third conference championship,” Hafner said. “We do have a home game and that’s exciting. We get to be back in Pirate Stadium for the first round regardless of who we are playing.”
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Pastrana's big night leads Branson over Logan-Rogersville for OMC title