Hazen came within a couple feet of completing a comeback, but fell just short on a two-point conversion as Lindbergh walked away with the 22-20 win Friday night.

The Eagles (2-2 overall, 1-1 Seamount) led 16-0 at the half and held on with as the Highlanders (2-2, 0-2) rushed back in the second half.

“It was a little wild, a little crazy,” said Lindbergh coach Pat O’Grady. “We just don’t have that killer instinct we’ve always had in the past and it’s coming back to bite us right now. So we’ve got to figure out how to cultivate that.”

Lindbergh’s defense suffocated the Highlanders for much of the first half as Hazen totaled just seven yards of offense through two quarters. The Eagles controlled the field position game, forcing Hazen to start its drives from an average of the 13-yard line.

“We keep playing from behind,” said Hazen coach Drew Oliver. “We were playing from a long field the entire half. We don’t play from second and long, or third and long. That’s not the type of offense we are.”

Lindbergh got on the board with a 29-yard field goal from Derrick Holt on the opening drive, one of Holt’s three field goals in the game. The Eagles went up 9-0 when Cam Callen scored on a 21-yard rush in the first. Callen struck again when he hit Holt on a 28-yard touchdown pass over the middle early in the second quarter.

Hazen’s biggest play of the first half, a 63-yard touchdown run from Cody Taylor was called back on a penalty. That was a common theme in the half, as Lindbergh also had two long plays called back.

“We were a bit sloppy in the first half,” O’Grady said. “We’re still kind of frustrated that we’re not executing the way we should.”

After Holt nailed another field goal (this one from 30 yards) in the third quarter, Lindbergh went up 19-0. On the ensuing kickoff, Hazen’s Frankie Johnson brought the kick back 30 yards to give Hazen great field position.

Sparked by the play, the Highlanders went on a 12-play drive that culminated with Kyle Nelson connecting with J.D. Peterson for a 17-yard touchdown.

Hazen struck again in the fourth when Nelson found Johnson over the middle for a 76-yard strike to pull the Highlanders within five points, 19-14.

Lindbergh responded with a 32-yard field goal from Holt.

Hazen took over with just over two minutes left in the game, trailing by eight points. Nelson guided the team downfield with three straight completions, then Tray Brown scored on a three-yard rush with 39 seconds left. But Hazen’s two-point try to tie the game fell a yard short.

“As the games get more important, the margin of error is lower,” Oliver said. “We can’t afford to play only quarters of good football.”

Nelson started at quarterback for Hazen as Tony Nipert broke his foot last week against Kennedy Catholic. Nipert will miss six to eight weeks.

In addition to Holt’s three made field goals, he barely missed a 45-yard attempt that bounced off the left upright in the second half.

Callen has now had a hand (either receiving, passing or rushing) in Lindbergh’s past nine touchdowns, going back to the Eagles second game against W.F. West.

Check back at RentonReporter.com Monday to see a photo slideshow from this game.