The Explorers and Condors had a great back and forth battle ending with the condors snagging victory from the jaws of defeat, winning the game by a score of 26-21.  The now 10-5 Condors had a slow start to the game, only being able to put up 6 points on a pair of long drives to start the game. The Explorers were not having any luck themselves until Latavien Worrell found his All Pro WR CJ Robinson for one of the great catches of the year putting the Explorers on top. He and often overlooked TE Braxton Banjo combined for over 200 yards through the air as the 2 teams took shots at eachother all game long. The Condors may not have CJ but they have an All Pro of their own in Ronnie Nickens. The former Thunderbird brought the thunder against the unprepared Columbus D as the Birdy Boys ran over them for 163 yards. The Explorers held a slim 14-13 lead coming out of half time and drove down the field culminating in a Worrell touchdown scramble putting them up 21-13. After trading a null drive and a missed field goal, the Condors got a big 66 yard TD to Devon Dean, his 5th on the year. The 6'4” rookie just out ran the coverage up the seam as if the defense had disappeared into the Bermuda triangle. They did miss the 2-point conversion keeping the Explorers in the lead 21-19. But Columbus punted setting up Chase McCoy from his own 1 yard line. Chase McCoy never looked back, orchestrating an amazing 90+ yard drive while also taking 6 of the remaining 7 minutes off the clock.  The Condors finished off the drive with just under a minute left with Ricky Flores,who came in for an injured Ronnie Nickens and punched it in for the go ahead score. The Condors move to 10-5 and keep their playoff hopes alive while the Explorers fall to 11-4 but hold on to the first wildcard spot.

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Written By: Noah Underhill

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5/19/19