CEDAR RAPIDS — The City High Little Hawks have running back Ellis Jordan to thank for their 24-17 win over the Cedar Rapids Xavier Saints on Sept. 11.

Breaking the tie the teams held for the majority of the second half, Jordan ran more than 90 yards for a touchdown with only a couple minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The score sealed the victory for the Little Hawks.

“All I was thinking was, I had to follow my blockers and get to the end zone for my teammates,” Jordan said after the contest.

Starting the game, quarterback A.J. Derby made a 45-yard pass to wide receiver John Chelf, catapulting the Little Hawks across the 50-yard line and deep into the Saints’ territory.

But despite the encouraging start, the game quickly turned into a slow, brutal grind up and down the field, and both teams narrowly staved off numerous potential touchdowns.

After the opening pass, City’s offensive line slowed considerably, taking just under four minutes and some downs to travel 30 yards to reach scoring distance. They scored the first touchdown of the game at 8:19, making the score to 0-7.

The Saints shot back down the field, quickly gaining more than 60 yards toward the end zone. Though briefly stopped by the City High defensive line, they tied the game at 7.

But City High slowly gained ground up the field, stalling at the 50-yard line and turning the ball over to Xavier. The Saints quickly went marching in, and at the 6-yard line, they kicked a successful field goal to lead the Little Hawks, 10-7.

By halftime, Little Hawk coach Dan Sabers said, his players were slipping.

“I told them we had to get the execution down,” he said. “We were making too many mistakes.”

The teams went back and forth across the 50-yard line when the second half resumed.

But Derby broke the chokehold in the third quarter with another pass to Chelf, a rush up the right side — breaking two tackles in the process — and then a bullet of a pass up the center to lineman Tucker Tholen for a touchdown. It took only around a minute, and City took the lead, 14-10.

City seemingly had a more comfortable lead by adding a field goal, but Xavier used an effective series of short passes to tie the game at 17.

With just a couple minutes of playing time left, Xavier kicked the ball off, and Jordan’s put on his game-saving sprint.

“It wasn’t our best playing,” Derby said. “But we tightened up in the second half, and we’ll do better next [time].

Harrison Burke is a junior at City High and writes for the Little Hawk.