Week 14 Rewind
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OFF THE TOP
Things that caught my attention in Week 14:
Wylie Bulldogs, team of destiny? After the tough loss to San Angelo Central the Bulldogs have been unbeatable in crunch time. They did it again against Canutillo to advance.
Abilene High saw its run come to an end in Arlington, but a future with Brayden Henry at quarterback looks like a good one.
Wichita Falls upsets Brownwood and the Lions’ season ends sooner than many thought it would.
The rematch we all wanted is coming up Friday: Hawley vs. Cisco in the quarterfinals for the second straight season.
Albany takes care of Wink and moves on to meet Collinsville.
Is anybody playing better than Westbrook? The defending state champs rolled Rankin to move on to the semifinals.
Loraine hands Cherokee its first loss of the season and is on to the semifinals for the second time in school history.
Abilene Christian hangs tough but falls to Fort Worth Covenant Classical in the semifinals.
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BIG COUNTRY A TO Z
Photo: @AbileneClips
Abilene High (6-7) entered the fourth quarter tied 7-7 with Burleson Centennial, but the Spartans took over in the final 12 minutes to move on 24-14.
The Eagles had a hard time moving the ball against the Spartans but went into the locker room at the half tied after a 57-yard Brayden Henry to Ryland Bradford touchdown pass and a fumble recovery in the red zone in the final minute of the second quarter.
After a scoreless third the Spartans scored on the first play of the fourth, recovered a fumble and added a field goal, then returned a fumble for a score to push their advantage to 24-7. Henry ran one in from 11-yards to pull the Eagles closer but they could not recover the onside kick and the Spartans ran out the clock.
An outstanding senior class will cycle out of the Eagle program and leave some holes to fill, especially on defense. But two trips the third round in three seasons isn’t too shabby as Mike Fullen continues to build his program.
Photo: @AbileneClips
Photo: Abilene Christian School
Abilene Christian (9-3) lost for the third time over the past two seasons to Fort Worth Covenant Classical, but the third game was the closest yet by far.
The Panthers fell 26-16 in the TAPPS Division II state semifinals in Dublin and wrap up their year with a 9-3 record. They lost 52-6 earlier this season.
The Cavaliers are looking for their second straight state title and will meet Pasadena First Baptist for the championship in Waco Thursday.
Abilene Christian will be looking for a new head coach in the offseason to replace Daren Miller, who resigned after the regular season.
Photo: Julia Vega: Albany Lions Photos
Albany (11-2) is in the regional finals for the second straight season after eliminating Wink 35-18 in San Angelo Saturday afternoon.
The Lions forced five turnovers, which proved to be a huge factor in the victory. Especially since Albany did not turn it over at all.
Albany led 21-6 at the half and held off a second half Wink rally. The Wildcats pulled with 28-18 heading into the fourth but fumbled at the Albany one with under four-minutes to go. The Lions got another fortunate bounce and added to their lead when Branson Beal recovered a Cole Chapman fumble and took it 86-yards for a game-clinching touchdown.
Chapman threw for 128 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a team-high 91 yards and another touchdown in the win. Coy Lefevre and Adam Hill could not get their usually strong running game going, combining for just 32 yards on 22 carries. However, Hill caught three passes for 72 yards and a score while Lefevre and London Fuentes also caught touchdown passes.
Samuel Rosas led the Lions with ten tackles, Coy Cauble added nine and Fuentes chipped in with eight. Hill had two of the Lions six sacks in the game and Fuentes picked off two passes and now has six interceptions on the season.
Albany advances to meet Collinsville in the regional championship Friday night in Mineral Wells.
Photo: Julia Vega: Albany Lions Photos
Photo: Derrick Stuckly/Brownwoodnews.com
Brownwood (10-3) saw its season come to an end with a surprising 41-19 loss to Wichita Falls at ACU Friday night.
The Lions battled more than the Coyotes, as the rain, penalties and turnovers helped lead to their demise. Four turnovers were the biggest culprit.
Brownwood led 17-6 in the second quarter but saw Wichita Falls outscore them 35-2 the rest of the way to advance to meet Decatur in the fourth round.
The Coyotes ran for 258 yards and held the Lions to 97 yards rushing and 225 total yards. Ike Hall led the Lions with 57 yards rushing and threw for 128 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Thad Hinds caught four passes for 52 yards and a score and Jordan Leach hauled one pass that went for a 52-yard touchdown. Konlyn Anderson ended his great Brownwood career with 30 yards on eight carries.
Photo: Gary Stennett
Cisco (11-2) knocked New Deal out of the playoffs in Colorado City for the second straight season, this time 33-14.
After a scoreless first, the Loboes used a 20-point second quarter to pull away. Cisco led 20-0 at the break and 26-7 at the end of three on their way to the win.
Hunter Long hit Cade Gayle for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, one from 27-yards and another from 57. Long threw for 140 yards and ran for 89 in the game. Gayle caught the two passes for 84 yards and two scores, while Trent Huston led the Lobo rushing attack with 161 yards and two sixers.
Cisco outgained New Deal 416 to 248 and won despite losing the turnover battle 2-0.
Now the Loboes get another shot at Hawley. The Bearcats beat them 33-30 in the regular season finale to win the district title.
Photo: Gary Stennett
Hawley (13-0) has still not been tested in the playoffs and cruised into the quarterfinals with a 57-26 win over Sonora Saturday night in San Angelo.
The Bearcats led just 8-0 after one quarter but outscored the Broncos 30-12 in the second and were on top 38-12 at the half on the way to the win.
Hawley scored their first two touchdowns on defense as Kenny Moore and Will Scott, returning from injury, returned fumbles for touchdowns to give the Bearcats a 15-0 lead. A pair of Rodey Hooper to Diontay Ramon touchdown tosses helped Hawley jump out to a 28-0 lead and never look back.
The Bearcats racked up 512 yards of total offense, 305 passing and 207 rushing. Hooper threw for 286 and three touchdowns. Ramon had a huge night with seven grabs for 207 yards and two scores. Austin Cumpton ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bearcat ground game.
Now Hawley will try to beat Cisco again and advance to the state semifinals. The Bearcats knocked the Loboes out of the playoffs in the fourth round last season and beat them in the regular season finale this year to claim the District 4-2A D1 championship.
Photo: Loraine Bulldog Sports 24/7
Loraine (12-1) outplayed previously unbeaten Cherokee in the rain and mud Friday night in Miles, beating the Indians 24-6 to advance to the 1A D2 state semifinals.
The Bulldogs and Indians were tied 6-6 at the half but the Bulldogs scored all 18 points in the second half to pull away. They led 12-6 at the end of three and got an AJ Williams touchdown run early in the fourth to make it 18-6 and a Davion Walthall scoop and score to put the game away.
Loraine will meet up with Oakwood and star running back Zack Nickerson Friday night in Dublin. Nickerson has 77 rushing touchdowns on the season, a new Texas six-man state record.
Photo: SMcCowen Photography
Westbrook (12-1) seems to be peaking at the right time.
The Wildcats blew out Rankin 62-16 in a game that ended at the half, their second victory over the Red Devils this season. The first one was a 59-58 nail-biter, but this one was nothing of the sort.
Westbrook led 24-8 at the end of the first and pushed the advantage to 48-8 before Rankin got on the scoreboard again in the second quarter.
Cedric Ware ran for 103 yards and five touchdowns, caught a touchdown pass and recorded three tackles in a dominating performance. Grayson Jeffrey ran for 85 yards and Parker Matlock went 6-8 passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns. He also intercepted a pass and tied with Hadley White for the team lead with four tackles.
Now the Wildcats draw Happy in the state semifinals again. They beat the Cowboys 54-20 last year on the way to the state title.
Photo: SMcCowen Photography
Photo: Wylie Bulldogs Athletics
Wylie (10-3) shined again in the fourth quarter and got past Canutillo 21-18 to keep its season alive.
The Bulldogs had never won a 5A playoff game before this season and now have won three and get a shot at unbeaten Argyle in the 5A D2 Region I championship game Friday night in Stephenville.
Wylie scored the only touchdown of the fourth quarter on an amazing KJ Long run and held off the Eagles on their last drive to pick up the win.
Canutillo’s LJ Martin, who has committed to play in college at Stanford, did all he could to get his team past Wylie. He ran for nearly 200 yards and scored all three Eagle touchdowns.
The Bulldogs blocked an extra point, stopped a two-point try and returned a fumble on another two-point try for two points of their own to give them the three extra points that proved to be the difference in the game.
Wylie only picked up 187 yards in the game and allowed 262.
Long threw for 42 yards and ran for 37 and two touchdowns. Landry Carlton racked up 101 yards, including a 72-yard run on the first play of the game that setup the Bulldogs’ first touchdown. Malachi Daniels scored once and ran for 13 yards and Braden Regala was the leading pass catcher with five grabs for 43 yards.
Photo: Kerr Broadstreet/Wyliesports.com
PLAYOFF SCORES AND PAIRINGS
5A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Abilene High 42, El Paso Del Valle 14
AREA
Abilene High 35, Red Oak 0
REGIONALS
Burleson Centennial 24, Abilene High 14
5A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Wylie 54, El Paso High 14
Cooper 49, El Paso Andress 20
AREA
Wylie 50, Colleyville Heritage 40
Grapevine 38, Cooper 21
REGIONALS
Wylie 21, Canutillo 18
QUARTERFINALS
Wylie (10-3) vs. Argyle (13-0) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Tarleton State’s Memorial Stadium, Stephenville
4A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Brownwood 63, El Paso Irvin 0
AREA
Brownwood 31, Canyon 10
REGIONALS
Wichita Falls 41, Brownwood 19
4A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Ferris 31, Snyder 21
3A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Jim Ned 41, Pilot Point 0
Paradise 47, Breckenridge 7
AREA
Bushland 28, Jim Ned 10
3A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Early 62, Odessa Compass 0
Holliday 40, Merkel 12
AREA
Canadian 42, Early 14
2A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Hawley 52, Christoval 8
Cisco 55, Reagan County 0
Forsan 21, Stamford 14
Coleman 46, Alvord 7
Bangs 61, Nocona 21
AREA
Hawley 72, Panhandle 26
Cisco 14, Stratford 8
Crawford 34, Coleman 13
Riesel 38, Bangs 14
REGIONALS
Hawley 57, Sonora 26
Cisco 33, New Deal 14
QUARTERFINALS
Cisco (11-2) vs. Hawley (13-0) - Friday, 7 p.m. - ACU
2A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Albany 49, Eldorado 13
McCamey 42, Roscoe 6
Wink 60, Cross Plains 0
Collinsville 21, Haskell 7
AREA
Albany 56, Muenster 10
REGIONALS
Albany 35, Wink 18
QUARTERFINALS
Albany (10-2) vs. Collinsville (12-1) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Mineral Wells
1A DIVISION I
BI-DISTRICT
Westbrook 72, Garden City 22
Rankin 74, Ira 42
Union Hill 48, Gorman 6
Irion County 104, May 91
AREA
Westbrook 48, Buena Vista 0
QUARTERFINALS
Westbrook 62, Rankin 16
SEMIFINALS
Westbrook (12-1) vs. Happy (12-1) - Friday, 6 p.m. - Slaton
1A DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Newcastle 97, Rule 49
Loraine 56, Panther Creek 0
Blackwell 68, Rising Star 40
Richland Springs 61, Zephyr 16
Cherokee 52, Blanket 6
AREA
Cherokee 36, Blackwell 30
Loraine 52, Richland Springs 0
QUARTERFINALS
Loraine 24, Cherokee 6
SEMIFINALS
Loraine (12-1) vs. Oakwood (11-2) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Dublin
TAPPS SIX-MAN DIVISION II
BI-DISTRICT
Abilene Christian 46, Dallas Lutheran 0
QUARTERFINALS
Abilene Christian 68, Lucas Christian 44
SEMIFINALS
Fort Worth Covenant Classical 26, Abilene Christian 16
