BRYAN, TX -- The Rudder Rangers lost to C.E. King 22-16 in triple overtime Friday night at Merrill Green Stadium. The loss dropped Rudder to 1-2-1 on the season.

C.E. King scored the first touchdown of the game on a Bernard Mackey 5 yard run. That gave the Panthers a 9-0 lead. Rudder would get on the board in the second quarter on an Austin Baron 51 yard punt return for a touchdown. That cut the C.E. King lead to 9-7. That would be all the scoring until the fourth quarter.

Brendan Steptoe was forced into action at quarterback for Rudder after Jamarcus Davenport left the game with an injury. Steptoe gave the Rangers their first lead of the game at 13-9 on a 32 yard touchdown run. An Austin Baron 20 yard field goal would push the Rudder lead to 16-9. The Panthers tied the game with 27 seconds left on a John Portillo five yard touchdown pass to Mackey. The game would go to overtime.

Neither team scored in the first two overtimes. In the third overtime C.E. King got the ball first. Portillo threw a touchdown pass to Carlos Smith. The Panthers went for two points and failed on the conversion so there lead stood at 22-16. Rudder could not find the end zone on their possession in the third overtime.

The Rangers return to action September 24 when they travel to Hutto to open up district play.

Rudder defensive lineman David Wilganowski was at the game two weeks after he collapsed on the field in the fourth quarter against Leander Rouse. He was released from the hospital earlier this week. Between the first and second quarter of the game Wilganowski was part of a ceremony to recognize Rudder athletic trainer Jamie Woodall as the teacher of the week. Woodall helped save Wilganoski's life when he collapsed two weeks ago.