2009 Danbury Panthers & Region III-IV Football News

[Martin DeBerry]

Bucs edge Ricebirds
Chris Greene ~ Special to The Facts
August 29, 2009

CLUTE — Brazoswood head coach Dean De Atley readily admits he’d rather his team’s 27-24 win Friday night over El Campo at Hopper Field finished with much less drama, but he’ll readily take it just the same.

Brazoswood (1-0) scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to build a 27-3 lead before allowing 21 straight El Campo points in the final 6:32 of the game. Still, it was the boys in blue who celebrated an opening-night victory.

“I’m not ever going to be sad about a win,” De Atley said. “It was ugly and we will take it like that for the next nine weeks if we can walk off the field with a win.”

Running back Marquelle Davis led the Bucs’ offensive effort with 185 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. Troi Johnson also had a big night with 92 yards on 10 carries, including a 27-yard touchdown run.

The Bucs’ other touchdown of the night came late in the third quarter when Bradley Peters caught a 27-yard pass from quarterback Chase Matzke.

“I thought that particular touchdown hurt (El Campo) quite a bit,” De Atley said. At the time, it gave the Bucs a 13-3 lead.

Another key for the Bucs was the five lost fumbles the Ricebirds coughed up, two in the first half and three in the second.

Brazoswood’s defense, which De Atley said played “lights out” in the third quarter, came up with two of its biggest stops before halftime.

The Bucs stopped a 14-play El Campo drive early in the second quarter, forcing the Ricebirds to settle for a 30-yard Devan Luedecke field goal. El Campo had gotten as close as the Bucs’ 5-yard line on that drive.

Later in the second quarter, Scott Bailey stuffed El Campo running back Landon Appling at the Bucs’ 8 on fourth down.

Appling scored on a 36-yard run to pull El Campo (0-1) to within 27-10 with 6:32 to play in the game following the extra point.

Brazoswood’s Matzke then threw his second interception of the night on the Bucs’ next drive, and El Campo responded with an 11-play drive for a touchdown as D’vonte Wells scored with 2:43 to play.

The Ricebirds then recovered an onside kick and needed just three plays for Devin Parks to score on a 16-yard run with 1:44 remaining.

El Campo attempted another onside kick, and it took an officials’ conference to determine who would get possession. To the displeasure of El Campo coach Bob Gillis, the Bucs were rewarded the ball, and after a couple of first downs, Matzke took three knees to end the game.

The Ricebirds had three rushers in the neighborhood of 100 yards. Appling finished with 105, Parks with 100 and Wells had 98.

The Bucs wore the letters LZ on their helmets in place of their usual Bucs logo in memory of former coach LZ Bryan, who died July 27. Bryan led Brazoswood to the 1974 state championship. The flags at the stadium also flew at half staff.



INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: (BW) Marquelle Davis 23-185; (EC) Landon Appling 15-105.

Passing: (BW) Chase Matzke 3-11-2, 59yards; (EC) Waylon Malone 8-16-0, 53 yards.

Receiving: (BW) Bradley Peters 1-27; (EC) Anthony Cruz 3-39.

[Martin DeBerry]

Angleton dominates Dickinson, 30-14
Jim Levesque ~ The Facts
August 29, 2009

ANGLETON — The Angleton football team opened up the season and the new Wildcat Stadium on Friday in style.

Angleton started strong with scores on their first two drives and the Wildcats put pressure all night in the Dickinson backfield in a lopsided 30-14 victory.

“It’s a great start to the new year and a big win in the new stadium, our new digs,” Angleton head coach Finis Vanover said. “The guys came through on offense and defense. Everybody did their part. It was a big game, a big start for us.”

It was no surprise to see the punishing Wildcat running game that put up 333 yards on the Gators, but it was the Angleton defense that came through big.

Dickinson quarterback Clay Honeycutt spent more time dodging purple jerseys than completing passes and finished the contest 7-for-21 for 55 yards with a score and one interception. He was sacked four times and lost 28 yards.

“The pressure was key,” Vanover said. “We knew we had to get to him. He’s a great quarterback, a great pocket passer. We thought his mobility might be suspect against our great edge speed. The kids pushed in the middle and we came around the end and got it done.

“The defense had a great game,” Vanover said. “We might not have the size, but people misjudge the size of the fight in the dog. The dog is not real big, but we are fast and strong and aggressive and confident.”

Angleton quarterback Quandre Diggs and tailback Henry Josey led the offense, but seven different players carried the ball for the Wildcats.

Diggs scored twice and totaled 66 yards on 15 tries, while Josey paced Angleton with a team-high 116 rushing yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. Terrance Franks added 71 yards on 11 rushes, Donnie Foster ran four times for 39 yards and Roderick Butler had six carries for 25 yards and one touchdown.

“These kids know what we need to win,” Vanover said. “We keep fresh. There’s no animosity, no jealousy. They just go out there and do what they do and do it as a team. They did a great job.”

Diggs completed one of four passes, a 20-yard strike to Justin Bryant.

Angleton’s defense got sacks from Winston Jones, Ryan Jackson and Darion Nelson, who also forced a fumble. Butler had a sack and interception in the first half.

The Gators were held to 112 yards from scrimmage. Tailback Corey Thomas led the team with 67 rushing yards on 12 carries and returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 91 yards.

The Wildcats started the game strong, but faltered just before the half to let Dickinson on the scoreboard.

Angleton scored on its first two drives of the contest. The team’s defense set up the first touchdown with a tackle for a loss by Darion Nelson and a sack from Butler that put Dickinson in a 19-yard hole. The Gators were forced to punt, and a bad kick gave the Wildcats possession just 24 yards from the end zone.

It took only two running plays by Josey, the last an 18-yard run, to put the Wildcats on the board with 9:54 to play in the opening quarter. His touchdown was the first scored at the new stadium.

Shaun Rodriguez added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

Dickinson went three-and-out on its next series, getting stuffed on second-and-one and throwing an incomplete pass on third down.

Angleton started on the Gators’ 41. Diggs ran four of the next five plays and capped the drive on a 2-yard touchdown run with 7:26 left in the frame to make it a 13-0 lead. The extra point went wide right.

“That start was huge,” Vanover said. “We wanted to come out smoking, make things happen and do whatever it took to put early points on the scoreboard.”

The Gators were able to score seconds before the half, thanks in part to Angleton penalties. The Wildcats were flagged for a roughing-the-passer penalty on a third-and-18 play, and consecutive penalties for pass interference and defensive holding set Dickinson up at first-and-goal from the 5. Honeycutt threw a fade to tight end Colby Ginn for a touchdown with eight seconds left in the half.

Angleton bounced back in the second half with a score on their first possession — a 22-yard field goal by Rodriguez made it a 16-7 game.

Dickinson went three-and-out on in its next possession, its only one of the third quarter. The team totaled 3 yards in the frame and only 18 yards from the scrimmage in the second half.

Angleton took over and capped a 10-play drive on a 14-yard touchdown run by Diggs on fourth-and-goal. The extra point gave the Wildcats a 23-7 advantage.

The Gators fumbled the ensuing kickoff after a hit by Trevon Nwankwo knocked the ball loose and it was recovered by Jeremy Hebert.

Angleton went ahead 30-7 when backup quarterback Butler ran in from 6 yards out with 8:08 left in the game.

The Wildcats play again at home 7 p.m. Friday against Brazoswood.



INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: (AN) Henry Josey 17-116, one TD; Quandre Diggs 15-66, 2TDs; (DI) Corey Thomas 12-67.

Passing: (AN) Diggs 1-4-0, 20 yards; (DI) Clay Honeycutt 7-21-1, 55 yards

Receiving: (AN) Justin Bryant 1-20; (DI) Donte Brown 3-26

[Martin DeBerry]

Late FG drops Pearland, 9-7
Billy Loveless ~ The Facts
August 30, 2009

HOUSTON — Kingwood kicker Mitch Glander got to experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows Saturday afternoon at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Unfortunately for the Pearland Oilers, it was Glander’s shining moment that will be remembered.

After missing an extra point and a field goal attempt earlier in the contest, Glander bounced a 33-yard field goal off the goal post and through the uprights with 41 seconds left in the game to give Kingwood a 9-7 victory over Pearland.

The Mustang kicker’s big shot came only five minutes after missing a 31-yard attempt that would have given Kingwood the lead.

Pearland (0-1) had its own shot to win the game in the seconds following Glander’s big moment.

Quarterback Trey Anderson completed some big passes and the Oilers were helped along by two 15-yard Kingwood penalties to move the ball deep into Mustang territory with five seconds left to play. But Dylan Nowak’s 42-yard kick fell short as time expired.

The Kingwood (1-0) victory was a contrast to what the second half of the game looked like. Pearland controlled the final two stanzas, limiting the Mustangs to only 98 yards of offense, half of those yards coming on one play.

And it was that one play that put Kingwood into a position to win the game.

The big play came on a handoff to running back Taylor Olejniczak with less than five minutes to play. Olejniczak broke free of a couple of would-be tacklers and raced 49 yards to the Oiler 28 yard line. Seven plays later, Glander kicked the game-winner.

“This is part of growing up,” Pearland head coach Tony Heath said. “We have a lot of young kids here. The potential is there, but potential has never done anything. You have to learn. I know this team has a lot of great times ahead of them. We just have to go back and take care of the basics.

“We knew it was going to be a process in becoming a good, football team,” Heath said. “You don’t become a good football team in one game. It’s a journey, it’s a process. These guys are committed. We’ll be alright.”

The Oilers scored their lone touchdown of the game on their opening drive of the third quarter with an impressive 15-play, 69-yard drive. Dustin Garrison capped the surge with a 3-yard run. After Nowak booted the extra point, the Oilers had a 7-6 advantage.

The Oilers were able to move the ball during other possessions, but fumbles halted three drives. One of the fumbles played a huge role in Kingwood’s only touchdown of the game.

On a second-quarter punt, the Pearland punter mishandled the deep snap and was tackled at the Oilers’ 12-yard line. On the first play after the change of possession, Kingwood quarterback Greg Williamson ran it up the middle for the 12-yard scoring run with just less than eight minutes left in the second quarter.

The extra-point kick sailed wide, forcing the Mustangs to settle for a 6-0 advantage, which lasted into the half.

The Mustangs and their option offense moved the ball well in the first half, but Pearland’s defense shut them down for most of the final two quarters until Olejniczak’s breakthrough run.

“We felt like we had momentum, but we came back and shot ourselves in the foot,” Heath said. “It’s not only the ones that everyone sees — the dropped catches or the fumbles. There are missed blocks and other intricacies to the game that people don’t see. And we need to take care of those things.”

Pearland finished with 228 yards of total offense, with Garrison leading the ground game with 70 yards on 16 carries.

Anderson completed 12 of 23 passes for 115 yards. Myles Kanipes had four receptions for 33 yards, while Charles Ortiz pulled in three passes for 40 yards.

Williamson paced the Mustang rushers with 82 yards on 24 rushes. He threw only one pass in the game, which fell incomplete. Kingwood ended with 215 yards of offense.



Individual statistics

Passing: (P) Trey Anderson 12-23-0, 115 yards; (K) Greg Williamson 0-1-0, 0 yards.

Rushers: (P) Dustin Garrison 17-70, Desmond King 14-51; (K) Greg Williamson 24-82, Taylor Olejniczak 11-74.

Receiving: (P) Myles Kanipes 4-33, Charles Ortiz 3-40.

[Martin DeBerry]

Stings fall in weather-delayed game against Lamar
Evan Mohl ~ The Daily News
August 29, 2009

TEXAS CITY — Five turnovers washed away Texas City’s chances of opening the season with a win Friday. In a weather-delayed contest, the Stingarees fell 27-14 to Lamar Consolidated at Stingaree Stadium.

After falling behind early, the Stings mounted a quick comeback and tied the game at 7-7 on a Will Evans 12-yard touchdown run that capped off an eight-play, 40-yard drive.

The Mustangs took advantage of a Stings turnover, though, and regained the lead, 13-7, in the second quarter before lightning and heavy rains forced a two-hour delay. When play resumed about 10:40 p.m., the Stings were able to grab the lead on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Harper to Delynn Rice, followed by Sam Martin’s point-after kick to put Texas City up 14-13 going into the half.

But Lamar Consolidated scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, all off Texas City turnovers, to seal the victory.

“We were our own worst enemy tonight anytime you commit that many turnovers you are not going to beat a team like Lamar Consolidated,” Texas City coach Tim Finn said.

Despite giving up 24 points, Finn said he was pleased with his defensive unit’s play especially two red-zone stops that included a turnover on downs and a blocked field goal.

Texas City (0-1) plays at Alvin on Friday.

[Martin DeBerry]

'Wide-eyed' Wildcats mauled by Mavericks
Joshua Buckley ~ The Daily News
August 30, 2009

PASADENA — The young Clear Creek Wildcats learned a valuable lesson Saturday night.

Playing under the lights can be an intimidating experience.

Pasadena Memorial carved up the Creek defense on its way to a 35-7 victory at Pasadena Memorial Stadium. The Mavs racked up 528 yards of total offense in the game, including 249 on the ground.

“Our defense is so young that it’s tough to try and make adjustments with them on the sideline,” Creek coach Darrell Warden said. “(Memorial) was more physical and kicked our tails. Our young guys had their head spinning all night.”

Using a tricky motion attack, Memorial scored on three of its first four possessions. Creek had an especially hard time stopping Tate Gresham, who completed 8-of-9 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, before moving to running back and rushing for another 118 yards and a score.

Brian Schultz took over at quarterback midway through the first half and ended up completing 8-of-12 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Creek’s offense suffered from several missed opportunities. On its second offense play, C.J. McElroy had a 57-yard run called back because of a clipping call.

“That one hurt, because it probably ended up costing us a touchdown,” Warden said. “I don’t think we ever overcame that play.”

The passing game also had its struggles. Jarryd Garza had his first pass of the game picked off. Wildcat receivers dropped several more passes throughout the contest.

Creek (0-1) trailed 21-0 at halftime, and receiver Chris Collins threw an interception early in the third quarter on a trick play. Memorial converted on the very next play, with Schultz throwing a 66-yard touchdown to Nathan Mourik, his second of the game.

The Wildcats’ lone touchdown came on their next possession, when Garza capped off a seven-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown to Nemanja Bile.

Garza ended up completing 17-of-36 passes for 134 yards. McElroy was the best weapon offensively, rushing for 45 yards and catching another seven passes for 73 yards.

Overall, Creek rushed for 93 yards and converted 15 first downs, 11 of those in the second half after the game was out of hand.

Warden said the Wildcats need to get a little more consistency on offense to take pressure off the young defense.

“All night, we couldn’t make the big play,” Warden said. “On defense, we had several third-and-longs that we couldn’t stop them on. The offensive missed some opportunities, too. We have to start making those plays.”

Warden said it’s too early in the season to panic. The Wildcats still have two more contests, including a home game against Kingwood on Friday, before district play begins.

“I think our guys were a little wide-eyed tonight,” Warden said. “Game night is a lot different than scrimmages. It’s a different atmosphere when the lights are on, the band is playing and the cheerleaders are watching. They just need to settle in and relax.”

[Martin DeBerry]

Furr 20, Hitchcock 10
Staff Reports ~ Galveston Daily News
August 29, 2009

The Bulldogs trailed at halftime and didn’t play the second half due to lightning.

Hitchcock (0-1) had led 10-7 after Darius Dotson scored on a 7-yard touchdown and Zac Tanner kicked a 27-yard field goal.

Furr pulled away, scoring late in the first half and then tacked on another touchdown before the end of the half.

Hitchcock quarterback Morris Tuck finished 12-for-21 passing for 156 yards and an interception. Bryan Smith had a team-high 54 yards receiving, while Scotty Williams added another 28 yards through the air.

Dotson had 48 yards rushing and Steven Downing had an interception for the Bulldogs.

Hitchcock travels to Beaumont Kelly on Friday.

[Martin DeBerry]

Tigers effort falls short against Brazos
Junior Martinez ~ Bay City Tribune
August 31, 2009

WALLIS  Tidehaven came out on the short end of a 22-19 score against Brazos in Friday night's season opener at Cougar Stadium.

Down 22-13 with 3:42 remaining in the game, Tidehavens Marcus Lara took the ball up the middle for a 93-yard touchdown run to make it 22-19. The extra point kick was missed.

Brazos got the ball back and ran the clock down to 1:44 left.

Tidehaven had one last chance and took over at the Brazos 35 and picked up a first down at the 26.

On a fourth and eight, quarterback Sean Dannels connected with Ian Wade at the 25 and time ran out to end the game, which lasted almost four hours.

"We had a little bit of pre-game jitters," said Tidehaven coach Jim Sides. "We didn't know what to expect."

Brazos had three turnovers in the first half and two resulted in touchdowns and one in a safety.

"We can't have those turnovers, thats what killed us," said Sides.

Lara scored only three touchdowns and rushed for 180 yards on 116.

Dannels threw 156 yards and one interception.

Key receivers for the game were Ian Wade and Colt Clontz.

Defensivley Micheal Alvarado was able to get some big hits coming up with 10 tackles and two sacks.

Brazos got a safety on a mishandled snap with 4:08 left in the first quarter to go up 2-0.

The Cougars got the ball back after the free kick. With 6:14 left in the second quarter, DeAnthony Alabi-Isama scored on a 22-yard sweep to make it 8-0. The extra point kick failed.

Dannels then got intercepted and the Cougars took over at their own 21-yard line with 5:37 left. Alabi-Isama then scored on six-yard run with 4:38 remaining. The kick by Caleb Little brought the score to 15-0.

Tidehaven got the ball at its own 20 to start the second half. Three play later, Lara scored from the one with 6:57 left. The missed kick left the Cougars with a 15-6 lead.

Later in quarter, Brazos was faced with a fourth and nine, Wade made a big hit and the Tigers took over on downs with 4:09 left in the third.

Four plays later, Lara scored on a 10-yard run with 1:07 and the kick brought the score to 15-13.

With 11:15 left in the fourth quarter, Lara came up a big tackle to turn the ball over on downs. The Tigers couldn't convert and Brazos took over with 5:31 left.

With 5:31 left, Brazos' Rico Hernandez raced 40 yards to make it 22-13 and the extra kick failed.

It set up the remainder of the game

Tidehaven plays Matagorda County rival Palacios next Friday on the road.

[Martin DeBerry]

Brahmas whitewash Palacios 33-0
Roland Orsak ~ Bay City Tribune
August 31, 2009

EAST BERNARD - East Bernard came out of the shoot ready to play in its season opener against Palacios Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Brahmas scored on all of its four first half possessions to come away with a 33-0 win.

The EB defense was equally impressive allowing the Sharks only one first down in the first half.

That smothering Bulls defense set the tone early in the game by forcing the Sharks to three downs and out on their first possession.

The Brahmas scored quickly on a five-play drive covering 62 yards in their opening possession of the season.

Tyler Sainz carried for 25 yards on the first play from scrimmage for East Bernard to the Palacios 43.

Four plays later, quarterback Justin Breedlove found tight end Miles Lee across the middle for a juggling catch for the touchdown to make the score 6-0 with 7:56 left in the first quarter. The Donnell Schuler point was wide right.

The Brahmas would score again on their next possession on a 39-yard run by Jermaine Perkins. Perkins took the handoff and got off the left side and broke it back to the right across the grain showing his explosive speed and going in untouched to make the score 12-0 Brahmas.

Austin Matura bulled his way over to convert the 2-point try to make it 14-0 with five minutes left in the first quarter.

The Bulls defense once again forced the Sharks to three downs and out.

The Brahmas would up the lead to 20-0 on a 1-yard run by Sainz to finish off a 9 play 64-yard drive.

Schuler missed the extra point to keep the score the same with 10:21 of the second quarter.

East Bernard's final score of the first half took 14 plays and 76 yards with slot back Perkins slicing in from one yard out. Schuler converted the extra point to make it 27-0 with 22 seconds left in the half.

Two big third down runs by Zack Castillo for 19 and 28 yards helped to keep the Brahmas scoring drive alive

East Bernard took the second half kickoff and scored on the opening drive.

Zack Castillo set up the score on a 53-yard run all the way to the Shark 2-yard line. Sainz completed the drive with a 2-yard run on an option pitch off the right side to make the score 33-0.

Next week the Sharks host Matagorda County rival Tidehaven who lost to Brazos 22-19.

[Martin DeBerry]

Ploch, Dayton skin Cats 42-20
Mike Konvicka ~ Bay City Tribune
August 31, 2009

Dayton quarterback Payton Ploch took matters into his own hands in Friday night's season opener against Bay City at Memorial Stadium.

Ploch accounted for five touchdowns and 400 total yards as the Broncos charged past the Blackcats 42-20 in a game that ended in a heavy rain.

It was delayed 30 minutes earlier after lightning moved into the area.

Ploch scored three touchdowns and rushed forn 309 yards. He passed for two and had over 100 yards in throwing.

On the first play of the game, Bay City's Derek Brown lined up as a receiver and got a pitch. He connected with Robert Taylor at the Dayton 25 and took the ball in for a touchdown.

Taylor Brown booted the extra point kick to put the Cats up 7-0 with 11:43 remaining.

Bay City had to kick off the ball four times after three five-yard penalties. Dayton finally took over at its own 33 and drove quickly to the Blackcat 46.

The Broncos then made it to the 36 for a first down.

Ploch connected with Xavier Frank in the endzone for a touchdown with 7:50 remaining. Juan Carranco's kick tied the score at 7-7.

Bay City went backward on their next possession, losing yardage and had to punt.

Dayton took over at the Bay City 47-yard line with 5:55 left.

After a procedure penalty, LD Stone recovered a Dayton fumble and the Blackcats took over Bay City had to punt three plays later and Dayton took over at midfield with 2:01 remaining.

Ploch kept the ball and raced down the sidelines for an easy touchdown. Carranco's kick put the Broncos up 14-7 with 1:51 left.

Bay City came back and drove to the Bronco 38 after a run by Derek Brown.

On a fourth and 10 from the 28, Tavoris Southhall Mack was stopped short of the necessary yardage.

Dayton took over at its own 19-yardline with 8:14 left.

Ploch kept the Broncos on the move as they made it the 32 after a Bay City person foul penalty.

Ploch scored two plays later from the 33 with 6:40 remaining.

Carranco's kick put the Bronco's up 21-7.

Bay City had to punt on it's next possession and Dayton took over at its own 31 with 438 left.

Two plays later Southall-Mack recovered a Dayton fumble at the Bronco 45 with 4:28 remaining.

The Cats had a 15-yard catch by Courtney Finney at the 34. Robert Taylor caught a pass to the Bronco 14.

One play later, Bay City was flagged for a personal foul that moved the ball back to the 28-yard line.

On a fourth and long , Sean Clay dropped a pass and Dayton took over at it's own 28 with 2:26 left.

Ploch took charge again as the Broncos drove to the 48. A 15-yard personal foul penalty put the ball at the 38.

Dayton then turned the ball over on downs and the Cats took over at their own 41 with only 12 seconds left and the half ended.

The Broncos took over at their own 36 to start the third quarter and had to punt. The Cats took over at their own 30 with 10:44 left.

Three plays later, Finney raced 40 yards to the Dayton 14 yard line.

Two plays later Wilcox got a first down at the nine. Then he made it to the two.

He scored on the next play and Browns kick brought the score to 21-14 in favor of the Broncos with 8:10 remaining

Bay City's Jarvis Griggs sacked Ploch for 10 yard loss back to the 37 and the Broncos punted.

Southall-Mack returned the punt back 41 yards to the Bronco 42 with 5:20 remaining.

Wilcox picked up five yards to the 26 on the first play. On a fourth and one from the 32, Southall-Mack got a first down to the 31.

On a fourth down and nine from the 30, the Cats punted and the Broncos took over at their own 6-yard line with 2:05 remainng.

Dayton came back and drove to the Bay City 39. The Cats third personal foul penalty put the ball at the Blackcat 24 as the third quarter ended.

Ploch then connected with Fowler in the end zone for a touchdown with 10:43 left. Carrrancos kick made the score 28-14.

Robert Taylor returned the kickoff back 29 yards to midfield and Jarvis Griggs then caught 40 yards inside the 10.

Finney ran to the one to set up a second and goal. After Wilcox failed to pick up the touchdown, Finey scored on the next play. Taylor Brown missed the extra point to leave the Broncos with a 28-20 lead with 8:45 remaining.

The game was then delayed 30 minutes by lightning.

Dayton took over at its own 33 with 8:43 left. Ploch took the ball the distance on the first play from scrimmage for this third rushing touchdown.

Carranco's kick brought the score to 35-20 with 8:28 remaining.

The Broncos recovered the ensuing kickoff and took over at the Blackcat 28. They later turned the ball over on downs.

Bay City responded and got a first down on a pass interference penalty at the 46. Robert Taylor caught a pass at the 41.

Tony Hill recovered a Bay City fumble at the 46 with 6:24 left.

The Broncos drove to the Blackcat 26.

Ploch fumbled the ball away and the Blackcats took over at their own 16 with 3:35 left.

Fowler then picked up a Bay City fumble and retunred it six yards for a Bronco touchdown with 3:09 remaining.

Carranco's kick put the the Broncos up 42-20

Bay City will wait until next Saturday to play their second game, taking on Houston Yates in a 6 p.m. at Barnett Stadium.

The Lions beat Houston Washington 41-25 in their opener on Thursday night.

[Martin DeBerry]

Beaumont Kelly 42, Hitchcock 15
Staff Reports ~ Galveston County News
September 5, 2009

The Bulldogs’ young defense was eaten up by Kelly, allowing 485 yards of offense.

Hitchcock (0-1) trailed 21-7 at halftime and couldn’t close the gap.

Morris Tuck completed 18-of-30 passes for 160 yards and a 33-yard touchdown to Dwayne Barnes. JaMarcus McCardell also scored for Hitchcock on a 10-yard run, followed by a conversion pass by Tuck to Frank Garner. Darius Dotson added 92 yards rushing and 17 through the air.

[Martin DeBerry]

Sloppy Danbury takes tough homecoming loss
Butch McReynolds ~ The Facts
September 12, 2009

DANBURY — The much-anticipated rain never fell here at Humber Field Friday night. But the bad news was that visiting Weimar Wildcats stormed in and flooded the Danbury homecoming festivities with an lopsided 41-0 victory in a nondistrict contest.

The Wildcats (3-0) wasted little time lighting up the scoreboard as senior quarterback Brixx Hawthorne zipped a 31-yard pass to brother Lynx Hawthorne with 3:31 left in the opening quarter for a 6-0 lead.

Weimar took advantage of two of Danbury’s five lost fumbles for the game, along with a 43-yard interception return by defensive back Logan Rameriz, to take a commanding 28-0 lead at the intermission.

Brixx Hawthorne, who closed out the romp with 76 yards rushing and 235yards passing, tossed a second touchdown pass his brother, while teammate B.J. Jones (14 carries, 74 yards) dove other from a yard out for the other second-quarter touchdown.

The Panthers (0-3) could not get much going against the Wildcats. And losing five of 10 fumbles and having the interception returned to paydirt certainly did not help matters. The Panthers were outgained by a 190-88 count in the first half.

Weimar came out in the second half and continued to control the contest as Brixx Hawthorne scampered home from 14 yards out for a touchdown, and Jones hammered in from a yard out to close out the scoring in the contest.

Danbury, which finished with 171 yards rushing for the game, was led by bullish fullback Garrett Zimmerle, who clocked out with 96 yards on 23 tough carries.

Dakota Sebesta, Danbury’s starting quarterback, gave the Panthers a spark as a running back in the second half.

After carrying the ball three times for negative-3 yards in the first half, Sebesta stormed off 50 yards in the second half, including runs of 10, 11 and 17 yards. The 17-yard scamper was Danbury’s longest play from scrimmage.

Danbury used its only completion of the second half, a 15-yard pass from Zimmerle to Dillon Peltier, to get down to the Weimar 16-yard line in the final seconds. But after an intentional toss to the ground to stop the clock with one second left, Peltier was swamped for a 6-yard loss after the game clock expired.

The anemic Panther passing game produced 24 yards on three completions.

Panther running back Kendal Evers closed out the contest with 34 yards on nine carries.

Danbury will try to bounce back and dent the victory column for the first time when they travel to Houston Lutheran next Friday night.



INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Passing — (D) Sebasta, 2-7-1, 8 yards; (W) Hawthorne, 10-26-1, 235 yards, 2 TDs

Rushing — (D) Garrett Zimmerle, 23-96, Dakota Sebesta, 8-48; (W) Hawthorne, 15-76, 1 TD, BJ Jones, 14-74 yards, 2 TDs.

Receiving — (D) Dillon Peltier (1-16 yards); (W) Brandon Williams (4-57 yards), Lynx Hawthorne (3-110 yards, 2 TDs)

[Martin DeBerry]

Danbury looking for 1st win
Joel Luna ~ The Facts
September 17, 2009

DANBURY — It has been a long tough nondistrict season for the Danbury Panthers, and they’ve only played three games so far.

On Friday, Danbury (0-3) travels to Houston to take on the Pioneers (2-0) from Lutheran South in a 7:30 p.m. start.

The Panther offense has been held to 22 points and was blanked by Weimar on homecoming night last Friday, 41-0.

Danbury has gained 555 yards — 448 yards on the ground and 107 yards in the passing game — and are averaging only nine first downs a contest. Dakota Sebesta, Garrett Zimmerle and Dillon Peltier have shared time at quarterback.

The run game has been handled by Zimmerle, Sebesta and Kendal Evers. Wide receivers Nick Dees and Peltier lead the receiving corps.

In their loss against Weimar, the Panthers fumbled the ball 10 times, losing five to the Wildcats.

Coming into the season, the Panthers had several objectives, including making the playoffs for the first time since 1984.

In the latest Class 2A poll by huddleuptexas.com, Danbury is ranked 167th out of 205 schools. Lutheran South is No. 45 in the private school rankings.

The Pioneers have wins against Bay Area Christian, 32-19, and Kipp Academy, 48-14.

Running back John Fuhrman leads the Pioneers with 488 rushing yards on 44 attempts and six touchdowns, averaging 11.09 yards a carry.

Quarterback Austin Annello has thrown for 13 completions on 25 attempts for 182 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Lutheran South has 914 yards of offense and 39 first downs.

The Pioneers exploded against Kipp Academy, gaining 495 yards, and Fuhrman ran for three touchdowns in the win.



Joel Luna is the sports editor for The Facts. Contact him at 979-237-0160.

[Martin DeBerry]

Danbury loses lead, game late
Staff reports ~ The Facts
September 26, 2009

DANBURY — It was a tale of two halves Friday night in Danbury.

After being dominated by the Danbury Panthers and falling behind by two touchdowns in the first half, the Ganado Indians turned it around with 21 unanswered points in the final two quarters to pull out a last-minute 21-14 victory.

Even more difficult to swallow for Danbury fans, Ganado scored its last two scores on two huge plays with less than four minutes left in the contest.

The first game-changing play came on a fourth-and-10 run by Indian running back Josh Labay. With a 14-7 lead and a chance to put the game away at the 3:20 mark with a stop, the Panther defense was unable to corral Labay, as he broke a few tackles before racing 47 yards for the score. After the PAT, the game was tied 14-14.

On their next possession, Danbury moved the ball down to Ganado’s 44-yard line. However, a fourth-down pass from quarterback Dillon Peltier with one minute to play was intercepted by Jacob Benavides, who raced down the sideline for the eventual game-winning touchdown.

Danbury had a final attempt in the waning moments to tie the game, but four incomplete passes sealed the Ganado victory.

The Panthers also played the final few minutes without Peltier and running back Garrett Zimmerle, who were both sidelined with injuries. The status of their injuries was unknown immediately after the game.

Ganado also scored a touchdown early in the third quarter on a 12-yard run by Labay to erase a 14-0 halftime deficit.

“I’m proud of the way we played tonight,” Danbury coach Jimmy Thomas said. “We’ve been improving and we continued to improve in this game.

“That was a good team over there that we just played.”

In sum, Danbury (0-4) outgained Ganado (3-2) in total yards 270 to 203. Ganado won the second-half battle, though, with 149 yards to 63.

The first half was another story.

Actually, to say that Danbury dominated the first half would be a big understatement.

The Panthers’ offense held on to the ball for most of the first half and jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

In fact, Danbury held possession for 17:32 of the first half, compared to only 6:28 for Ganado. The Panthers also had 14 first downs, while Ganado went into the locker room with three.

Along the way, Danbury accumulated 203 first-half yards — including 102 rushing yards from Zimmerle — compared to 54 yards for the Indians. Thirty of the Indians’ yards came on a run as the first-half clock was about to expire.

The opening-half dominance was so strong that Kendel Ever’s 13 carries was more than Ganado’s 11 total plays from scrimmage.

The Panthers used an 11-play drive to score on the opening possession of the contest. Evers capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge, followed by the extra-point kick by Ismael Ayala.

As good as the Panthers’ first drive was, their second possession was even more impressive.

After stopping Ganado on its initial drive of the game, Danbury went on a time-consuming 16-play, 81-yard drive to grab a 14-0 advantage. Zimmerle ran for a total of 34 yards on the drive, while Dakota Sebesta sprinted for 18 yards.

Peltier snuck the ball in from the 1 for the score. The Panther drive took more than eight minutes off the clock.

Danbury also went on an eight-play drive before the half ended, but turned the ball over on downs.

Ganado’s Labay led all rushers with 162 yards on 16 carries.

Danbury was paced by a 116-yard rushing performance from Zimmerle.

Evers and Sebesta added 77 and 51 rushing yards, respectively, for the Panthers.


Individual statistics

Rushing: (D): Garrett Zimmerle 12-116; (G) Josh Labay 16-162.

Passing: (D) Dillon Peltier 1-7-8 yards, 1 Int.; (G) Charlez Ortiz 1-4-16 yards, 1 Int.

Receiving: (D) Zimmerle: 1-8; (G) Travis Cook 1-16.