Scoop27
09-14-2013, 09:45 AM
For the first half at least, all the superstitions about Friday the 13th and Blackcats seem to come true as El Campo trailed twice early and limped to a 14-12 halftime lead over Bay City.
However, the halftime break seemed to reverse the Ricebirds’ fortunes as they scored 28 unanswered points and ran past the Bay City Blackcats 42-26 at Ricebird Stadium Friday night.
EC Head Coach Bob Gillis said he was happy to claim the eighth consecutive win over the team’s biggest rival.
“It looked like in the first half, the first quarter especially, we tried to give the game away to them,” Gillis said. “We had all sorts of miscues, mistakes; but we hung in there and the second quarter got some scores. Then the third quarter we put together some drives and really took control. That was big.”
Four different Ricebirds scored rushing touchdowns for El Campo as they improved to 3-0 on the season and rolled up 400 yards of total offense.
BJ Flagg rand for 250 yards and 3 TDs on the night to power a stiff Ricebird rushing attack.
El Campo blocked a Blackcat field goal on Bay City’s first possession then fell behind on an 11-yard TD run by Zavian Gartica at the 5:39 mark of the first. The score would remain 6-0 after Ryan Drapela blocked the BC extra point attempt.
Flagg then ran in a 4-yard touchdown with 5:22 left in the second. The extra point kick from Alex Montes was good, bringing the score to 7-6.
Bay City followed with a 40-yard touchdown with 2:33 left in the second. After a failed 2-point conversion, the scoreboard showed a 12-7 Bay City advantage.
With under two minutes left before halftime, EC took possession and marched down the field as Flagg bulled in for a 5-yard touchdown with 1:01 left in the half. After the extra point kick from Montes, the score was 14-12, with El Campo ahead at the half.
The third period saw El Campo get its bearings. JD Henderson scored on a 19-yard touchdown with 6:43 left in the quarter, bringing the score to 21-12.
Flagg then rushed for a 5-yard touchdown with 2:35 left in the third, raising the score to 28-12.
Following an interception by Clayton Harp, his second of the game, EC was back on the board after Kory Supak added rushed for a 1-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left in the third. The Ricebirds went into the fourth quarter up 35-12.
“At halftime we talked about we just needed to get back to playing our style,” Gillis said. “Get our blocks better, run harder, pound the football. I’m real happy with how our offensive line played from that point on. We got better in this game. We got that 80-yard drive and then got some real confidence in our offense. Gave us a little boost.”
As the Ricebirds continued to exert their dominance, sophomore Kevin Dove ran for a 50-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter with just 7:24 left in the game. The Ricebirds’ scoring ended at 42-12.
The Blackcats added a pair of late scores, as they ran for a 30-yard touchdown with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 42-19.
With the clock ticking under a minute, BC scored again, running in a 9-yard touchdown with just 45 seconds left in the game. After another failed two-point conversion attempt, the final score read 42-25.
“They had a couple of what I would call trash touchdowns late that didn’t really affect the outcome,” Gillis said. “But overall we’re happy with the win and moving on to the next one.”
Gillis also complimented the spirited Ricebird crowd that packed the home stands.
“Aw man,” he said. “Looking up there and seeing all those red shirts. That was awesome for us and for our players. They got loud and it was like old times in our stadium. A great atmosphere for high school football.”
Up next, the Ricebirds will close out the pre-district slate with a game against former district foe Foster next Friday.
El Campo has won 17 of its last 18 games, dating back to last season.
“We just want to keep winning,” Gillis said. “Foster is awful good and we’ll have to go on the road and play a good football team if we want to keep it up.”
However, the halftime break seemed to reverse the Ricebirds’ fortunes as they scored 28 unanswered points and ran past the Bay City Blackcats 42-26 at Ricebird Stadium Friday night.
EC Head Coach Bob Gillis said he was happy to claim the eighth consecutive win over the team’s biggest rival.
“It looked like in the first half, the first quarter especially, we tried to give the game away to them,” Gillis said. “We had all sorts of miscues, mistakes; but we hung in there and the second quarter got some scores. Then the third quarter we put together some drives and really took control. That was big.”
Four different Ricebirds scored rushing touchdowns for El Campo as they improved to 3-0 on the season and rolled up 400 yards of total offense.
BJ Flagg rand for 250 yards and 3 TDs on the night to power a stiff Ricebird rushing attack.
El Campo blocked a Blackcat field goal on Bay City’s first possession then fell behind on an 11-yard TD run by Zavian Gartica at the 5:39 mark of the first. The score would remain 6-0 after Ryan Drapela blocked the BC extra point attempt.
Flagg then ran in a 4-yard touchdown with 5:22 left in the second. The extra point kick from Alex Montes was good, bringing the score to 7-6.
Bay City followed with a 40-yard touchdown with 2:33 left in the second. After a failed 2-point conversion, the scoreboard showed a 12-7 Bay City advantage.
With under two minutes left before halftime, EC took possession and marched down the field as Flagg bulled in for a 5-yard touchdown with 1:01 left in the half. After the extra point kick from Montes, the score was 14-12, with El Campo ahead at the half.
The third period saw El Campo get its bearings. JD Henderson scored on a 19-yard touchdown with 6:43 left in the quarter, bringing the score to 21-12.
Flagg then rushed for a 5-yard touchdown with 2:35 left in the third, raising the score to 28-12.
Following an interception by Clayton Harp, his second of the game, EC was back on the board after Kory Supak added rushed for a 1-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left in the third. The Ricebirds went into the fourth quarter up 35-12.
“At halftime we talked about we just needed to get back to playing our style,” Gillis said. “Get our blocks better, run harder, pound the football. I’m real happy with how our offensive line played from that point on. We got better in this game. We got that 80-yard drive and then got some real confidence in our offense. Gave us a little boost.”
As the Ricebirds continued to exert their dominance, sophomore Kevin Dove ran for a 50-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter with just 7:24 left in the game. The Ricebirds’ scoring ended at 42-12.
The Blackcats added a pair of late scores, as they ran for a 30-yard touchdown with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 42-19.
With the clock ticking under a minute, BC scored again, running in a 9-yard touchdown with just 45 seconds left in the game. After another failed two-point conversion attempt, the final score read 42-25.
“They had a couple of what I would call trash touchdowns late that didn’t really affect the outcome,” Gillis said. “But overall we’re happy with the win and moving on to the next one.”
Gillis also complimented the spirited Ricebird crowd that packed the home stands.
“Aw man,” he said. “Looking up there and seeing all those red shirts. That was awesome for us and for our players. They got loud and it was like old times in our stadium. A great atmosphere for high school football.”
Up next, the Ricebirds will close out the pre-district slate with a game against former district foe Foster next Friday.
El Campo has won 17 of its last 18 games, dating back to last season.
“We just want to keep winning,” Gillis said. “Foster is awful good and we’ll have to go on the road and play a good football team if we want to keep it up.”