Connaway fills playmaker role for 14-8 Van-Far Homecoming, district win vs Crystal City

Van-Far needed big plays down the stretch on Friday.

Van-Far vs Crystal City (Homecoming) Photo Gallery

So the Indians turned to their playmaker, senior quarterback Nikos Connaway, in the final minutes of the fourth quarter as he ran for a 54-yard touchdown, intercepted a pass and threw a 79-yard touchdown to Gage Gibson to lead them to a 14-8 Homecoming victory against Class 1 District 2 leader Crystal City. Connaway, who finished with 170 offensive yards, broke free for his long touchdown run with less than three minutes left in the game and then achieved his other feats on the next two drives to give the Indians their first back-to-back victories since the 3-7 2018 team.

Connaway said Van-Far (3-4) felt confident even while down 8-0 in the second half because the defense held Crystal City, who received votes in the most recent Class 1 state poll, to that low of a number after the Hornets won 42-8 against Russellville the previous week. Crystal City (5-2) had also won a couple games this season after scoring at least 50 points.

“Our coaches never had us back down,” Connaway said. “We held them to eight points in three quarters of football so we knew our time was coming to get some points on the board.”

Head coach Lucas Gibson said he was excited that Van-Far kept Crystal City to a close game, especially against a potential district opponent, because it doesn’t matter how little time is left. He believes the Indians proved that after mounting their comeback in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

In close games, Gibson said each play could be the difference, and that’s the message he had for his players at halftime when neither defense wanted to budge at a scoreless tie.

“That was a huge defensive battle the whole game,” Gibson said. “We told them at halftime that that’s what it was going to come down to, ‘Who was going to make the big play?’ We kept them away from that big play and then they were pounding it down the middle, I think, just trying to run the clock.”

Crystal City put pressure on the Indians to react after scoring within the first few minutes of the third quarter as they repeatedly ran the ball with the same kid until he scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Hornets had also intercepted Connaway twice, with the second being on a jump ball that landed in the hands of a defenders.

Connaway was undeterred as she flashed another dangerous weapon on Van-Far’s first scoring drive: his legs. He read the play to search for holes and blockers and then Connaway was gone down the left sideline. After Crystal City ate some clock on the next drive, Connaway returned the favor by winning a jump ball to pick off its quarterback.

“Anytime the ball goes up and there’s two people going after it and if Nikos is one of them, he’s coming down with it – or 95 percent of the time at least,” Gibson said. “I’m jumping up and down in the air when the ball is in the air because I knew he was coming down with it. He’s a ball hawk.”

Connaway makes good use of his vertical jump during basketball season as the Indians’ leading scorer and ball handler. He is a decorated stat-sheet stuffer on the court so Connaway has taken a special liking to the hardwoods, but he has repeatedly proven to be a valuable asset on the gridiron.

A coach on Van-Far’s staff that believes this wholeheartedly is Brian Kurz, who joined the team in September in a volunteer role. Gibson said Kurz does a little bit of everything as he knows the game from playing football at the University of Missouri. Kurz also knows the Connaway family as he played basketball for Connaway’s father and current Van-Far boys basketball coach Pat Connaway.

Going into his senior season, Connaway said he was uncertain if he wanted to continue playing football, but Kurz helped convince him to come back out. The first one Connaway embraced with a hug on the sideline after his touchdown run was Kurz.

“He’s like a big brother to me, always has been and always will be,” Connaway said. “He really keeps me focused in the games, tells me to keep my head up when I mess up. He gives great pep talks, great motivational speeches and is a great guy to have in the locker room with us.”

Being with family was important for Connaway in returning to the field but being with his best friend was also important. Gage Gibson was crowned Homecoming King at halftime – along with queen Carmen Wilburn – and sent his subject home happy with the game-winning touchdown catch with just more than a minute left. Connaway knew exactly where he was going with the ball after his interception and connected with Gibson, who had 138 offensive yards, as the defender fell to the ground to give Gibson plenty of open grass.

“I was like, ‘Gage, go deep,’” Connaway said. “I chucked it and Gage came down with it like I knew he would. I saw him fall and I was like, ‘You got it.’ I just started running trying to chase Gage.”

Lucas Gibson said the Indians’ dynamic offensive duo has known each other since about two years old. It was yet another special moment on a special night that included the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen and the anniversary celebration of the 1992 Indians team that was the first in the program to win a district championship.

There has to be a lot of trust on a championship team, Gibson said, and this year’s Indians demonstrated that on the defensive line by trusting each player had his assignment handled to prevent the big play. Jackson Fischer was involved in several abrupt stops up front and tied Gaven Gaston with two tackles for loss. Evan Utterback, who had a team-high six tackles and three tackles for loss, and Pacey Reading clinched the game later with sacks on Crystal City’s final offensive drive.

“Those three guys are sophomores, and they’re bringing it already,” Gibson said. “I’m loving it. I just hope they can continue to learn from our seniors who are putting in the work in the weight room like Gage, who won the game. That’s why you do all those things for – for that one big moments.”

Van-Far (1-4 EMO) plays at Eastern Missouri Conference and district foe Louisiana (2-5, 1-4 EMO) at 7 p.m. Friday.

Lady Indians lose final regular season game at Clopton

Van-Far softball still needs to make improvements before districts begin this week.

The Lady Indians committed eight errors and allowed 11 unearned runs on Monday to lose 15-0 at Eastern Missouri Conference foe Clopton in four innings. Van-Far finished with three hits as Mylee Keller, Reeve Woodall and Kaelyn Hutcheson each finished with one hit.

Clopton (5-13) scored multiple runs in every inning to secure the run-rule victory.

Van-Far (3-16) is the No. 7 seed in Class 2 District 5 tournament at South Shelby in Shelbina and will play No. 2 seed and third-ranked Bowling Green  (17-6) at 5:30 p.m.on Thursday.