Despite looking like the better team for spurts Friday, the Lindbergh football team couldn’t overcome a hectic, second quarter and fell to Kennedy Catholic 43-23.

It was the first league loss for Lindbergh (4-2 overall, 3-1 Seamount) in nearly two years.

“They played hard and definitely deserved to win this one,” said Lindbergh coach Pat O’Grady.

The Eagles took a 6-0 lead when Matt Stuart connected with Diondre Toms for a 24-yard touchdown pass along the left sideline.

Kennedy answered on the first play of its next drive with a 68-yard throw and catch from Jason Thompson to Darian Brooks.

The Eagles weren’t fazed. Toms caught the ensuing kickoff, handed the ball to Bakari Davis and Davis scurried to the right for an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Lindbergh led through the first quarter with the offense clicking The defense had denied the Lancers a first down on two straight drives. Then things started to go wrong.

Kennedy intercepted a Stuart pass to set up a short field. L.J. Jennings scored on a one-yard rush four plays later to bring the game to a 13-13 tie.

Lindbergh fumbled the ensuing kickoff return. Jennings scored again seven plays later. Lindbergh failed to get anything going on the next drive. Jennings scored once more three plays later.

The Eagles were forced to punt on their next drive. Kennedy blocked the punt and Derrick Holt was able to fall on the ball in the end zone, saving a touchdown but giving the Lancers a safety.

Brooks then returned the safety kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown.

“We had that stretch where we gift-wrapped 15 points for them, then we lose by 11,” O’Grady said. “That’s tough.”

In less than 10 minutes of game time, Lindbergh went from leading 13-7 to trailing 36-13.

Lindbergh was able to pull itself together and put together a nine-play drive, capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown from Davis. That gave them a 39-19 deficit and some momentum to work with heading into the half.

Davis scored again from one yard out in the third quarter to bring Lindbergh to within 10 points, at 36-26. But the Eagles couldn’t get any closer as the toll of playing from behind started to wear the team out.

“They took it to us,” O’Grady said. “Towards the end we were running out of gas.”

Lindbergh plays Evergreen (Oct. 21) and Foster (Oct. 28) to finish the regular season.

Game notes:

• Lindbergh came out in the Wild Cat package with Davis lined up at quarterback three times. The first two were rushes by Davis that went for five combined yards. The third was an option play where Davis pitched to Isiah Corwin who ran for 19 yards.
• Cam Callen caught Thompson with a nice tackle for a seven-yard loss early in the third quarter.
• Toms made a number of great tackles. His best may have been knocking Kennedy’s Ian Nobman off his feet in the open field in the third quarter.
• There was an odd officiating moment when a Lindbergh defender dragged down Jennings by his feet from behind, yet was called for an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit. The call helped along a Kennedy scoring drive.
• In addition to saving a touchdown by recovering the blocked punt in the second quarter, Holt boomed a 49-yard punt in the fourth quarter.
• Toms’ second touchdown catch was a beauty. Stuart threw up the pass from 10 yards out and Toms out-jumped two Kennedy defenders to pull it down.