With two touchdowns, another long catch from freshman Ryan O’Donnell, and the late emergence of freshman Ryan McKean, the Red Spartan Hill Raiders defeated the Iowa Pharm Team, 33-20, at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields on Tuesday.

In the second-to-last week of the season, the two teams faced off with the night’s winner clinching a spot in the playoffs and second place in their section in the men’s open league.

Early in the game, it was all short passes to O’Donnell from initial freshman quarterback Jon Holland.

Yet, Pharm Team scored in the first quarter on a 10-yard pass from Chase Moore to Bryan Ajuluchukwu for a 6-0 lead. After a failed extra point, the end of the first quarter came without another tally, and Pharm Team players said they were satisfied with their opening period.

“We completed passes, did the things that we needed to do,” Moore said. “Short yards here and there, just enough to get a first down.”

In the second quarter, the scoring exploded for both sides. A pass from Holland resulted in O’Donell’s first touchdown of the game after a nifty juke to break a flag tear. The Red Spartans also missed the extra point, and the score remained tied at 6.

After only a few plays, a 37-yard toss to Ryan Etscheid from Moore put the Pharm Team back on top with under a minute left in the half. The first half looked as if it would end 14-6 after the two-point conversion was good.

Getting the ball with 31 seconds, though, Red Spartans freshman McKean, who was late for the game after missing a bus, came in to quarterback a two-minute drill and gave Oliver Howe his first touchdown catch of the year.

“I was kind of hoping for [a touchdown], because it’s the last game [of the regular season],” Howe said. “But I had confidence. I knew I would get one. I was bound to.”

At halftime, the Pharm Team led, 14-12, and got hot in the second half. A tipped pass early in the third quarter to JP Webb then gave Pharm Team a 20-12 lead.

Thanks to some defensive changes, however, the Red Spartans adjusted to hold the Pharm Team scoreless for the remainder of the game. After not blitzing at all in the first half, the defense decided to change it up.

“We’ve gone between putting pressure on and not putting pressure on,” O’Donnell said. “And we thought, you know, if we can get pressure on the quarterback, we can stop him.”

Stop him the Red Spartans did; two interceptions by Holland and one more from O’Donnell wreaked havoc on the Pharm Team offense. Late in the third, Nick Amato caught a deep touchdown behind the safeties to put his team just one point behind at 20-19.

Another O’Donnell screen pass turned in to a long touchdown, giving the Red Spartans the lead 26-20 after an extra point catch from Mike Southard.

Southard tacked on a late touchdown catch in the fourth quarter to give the Spartans the 33-20 win.

“We just got to stay consistent,” he said. “And watch the penalties … and the swearing.”