Franklin Pierce scored twice in the final 13 minutes to hand the Sumner Spartans a 34-20 South Puget Sound League 3A football defeat Friday night in Parkland.

The Cardinals broke a 20-20 tie with 57.5 seconds left in the third quarter on a 58-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion. They added an insurance TD on a 43-yard run with less than nine minutes to play.

“In the second half we missed some tackles,” Sumner coach Keith Ross said. “They are fast. When you miss tackles against them, they’re going to score.”

Neither team seemed to get on track in the first half as Franklin Pierce jumped out to a 14-6 halftime lead. The Cardinals scored the game’s first TD on a 64-yard punt return.

Setting up the score, Sumner had punted and players let the punt roll before a Cardinal unexpectedly scooped up the ball and raced down the left side of the field with 9:50 left in the opening quarter. The point-after conversion kicked failed.

Sumner scored in the second period on Tyler Salsbury’s one-yard plunge with 8:59 remaining in the first half. The Spartans missed a chance for the PAT as the snapped was low and sailed past the holder.

The Cardinals regained the lead, 14-6, with a TD run and two-point conversion before intermission.

After a short punt by FP, quarterback Aaron Clark handed the ball to Cody Haavik. He rolled out and tossed a 45-yard halfback pass to Brendon Barber to pull Sumner within two points. Clark’s pass was incomplete on the two-point conversion.

FP scored its third touchdown on a 19-yard run, but missed the PAT with less than five minutes in the third quarter.

Five plays later, Clark threw a short pass to Zach Williams who outran the Cardinal secondary for a 39-yard TD. Haavik’s run on the two-point conversion knotted the score at 20 with 2:47 left in the third period.

After the Cards struck twice to take a 34-20 lead, Sumner marched to the FP 10. But Clark’s first down pass in the end zone was intercepted with less than three minutes remaining.

“It was a crazy game with some crazy plays,” Ross said. “Our kids played hard, but I told them we have to make plays to win games. We’re going to struggle if we don’t make plays.”

Clark competed 10 of 17 passes for 106 yards, while Barber caught five balls for 68 yards and Williams had three for 60.

Sumner travels to Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood Friday to face the first-place Lakes Lancers in SPSL 3A action.

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