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It took a comeback effort on homecoming night, but the Eisenhower Tigers maintained their unblemished record with a 21-17 win against the Andover Trojans.

The Tigers are 5-0 and in third place in the Class 5A West standings. They are one of three 5A West teams that are undefeated, sitting behind Great Bend and Maize South. Twelve points separate the teams in the standings, which means the three remaining games and their scores will matter in playoff seedings.

“That one was a nail biter,” said Eisenhower head coach Darrin Fisher.

He said the Tigers did not make any big changes at halftime. Instead, they simply played better in the second half.

“It was little adjustments, focusing on the details. And we did. We had two bad quarters. I’m glad we didn’t have four,” he said.

Needing to string some big plays together, quarterback Derek Morgan turned to wide receiver Carter Pabst on the game-winning drive. Pabst caught all four of Morgan’s passes on the drive, including a 4-yard touchdown reception that put Tigers ahead for good. Brayden Pappas also delivered several key plays, including a 30-yard pass catch.

Andover has been much improved this season. The Trojans broke a 14-game losing streak and are 2-3, but their three losses have been by a total of 12 points. They easily could be 5-0.

Andover led 9-7 after three quarters. A 32-yard touchdown pass from Morgan to Pabst put the Tigers on top 14-9.

The Trojans answered with a 7-minute scoring drive that gave the lead back to Andover, 17-14.

Andover lead 6-0 at halftime. Eisenhower got on the board in the third quarter with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Morgan to Hayden Nall, putting the Tigers ahead 7-6 on Cole Brown’s PAT kick. The Trojans regained the lead, 9-7, in the third on a 35-yard field goal.

“We showed great resiliency. It was great to see how we responded in the second half,” Fisher said.

Morgan and Pabst stepped up when needed.

“When you have players like that, when you need something to happen, you lean on senior leaders,” he said. “It’s a good lesson to learn, how to get out of this. It’s the growing pains of the season.”

Morgan was 11-for-16 with 168 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception. Pappas finished the game with 17 carries for 106 yards. Pabst finished the night with 6 catches for 78 yards, and Nall had three receptions for 58 yards.

Defensively, Julian Gallegos had 16 tackles, while Joe Santillan, Makai Tagatac and Lucas Freeman had 11 each. Tagatac, Jackson Reed, Jameson Turner and Rylan Devine each had a sack.

The Tigers will be on the road for the next two games. This Friday, they will try to tame the Arkansas City Bulldogs, who are 1-4 and have lost their last three games. Fisher said the Tigers will focus on cleaning things up, like holding blocks longer and tackling better.