CAMERON – To Tigers coach Jake Danneman, Excelsior Springs’ 34-21 Sept. 11 road loss to Cameron in varsity 11-man football had something in common with the Tigers’ first two games this season: Excelsior Springs played better the second half than it did the first.

“We’re having a hard time starting fast,” Danneman said. “And we paid the price for it tonight.”

But the Tigers were poised to turn their second-half effort against Cameron into a comeback win. Trailing 26-7 about midway through the third quarter of the Midland Empire Conference (MEC) clash, Excelsior Springs scored on back-to-back possessions to make it a five-point ballgame. The Dragons, however, answered by capitalizing on a fourth-quarter turnover to score some insurance points and get their first victory this season.

“I could see it on our kids’ faces – as soon as that turnover happened, it was time to hit the eject button,” Danneman said.

Before the Tigers (0-3 overall, 0-1 MEC) staged their second-half comeback threat, they…