Scoop27
11-05-2016, 03:39 PM
WEST COLUMBIA — Mathematical formulas weren’t necessary for the Columbia Roughnecks to earn a playoff spot as they controlled their District 12-4A Division I showdown with Sealy from start to finish and earned a 31-13 victory Friday night.
The Roughnecks will face North Forest next week in the bidistrict round of the playoffs.
Columbia (2-4, 5-5) overcame an 0-4 start in the district season and found the right time to play their best football of the season.
“I was so proud of our kids,” first-year Columbia coach Brent Mascheck said. “We dug ourselves a little bit of a hole early in the district season. We played some good people. We hung in there and we kept fighting and we are playing really good football right now. Our kids came out and played great football. We came out and beat a very good football team in Sealy.”
The Roughnecks jumped on the Tigers right away as they covered 74 yards on their opening touchdown drive. Keithan Taylor had 70 of those yards on just two plays — a 30-yard run followed by a 40-yard scamper into the end zone with 10:50 left in the opening period to give Columbia a 6-0 lead. The extra point was blocked.
Those big runs were part of a 126-yard first half for Taylor, who finished with 151 yards rushing in the game.
Sealy responded with a 61-yard drive that was capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from Justin Eckhardt. The extra point gave Sealy a 7-6 lead with 5:33 left in the first quarter.
After that initial drive, Columbia’s defense didn’t allow Sealy to do much the rest of the first half. Columbia’s defensive adjustments limited the Tigers to just 21 yards of offense the rest of the half.
“Every game they come out with some new formations,” Mascheck said. “We expected that and we made some quick adjustments. The kids just played outstanding. All the credit goes to them. They bought in to what we are doing and proud of how they performed tonight.”
It was the defense that gave the Roughnecks the lead for good. With 3:07 left in the first quarter, defensive lineman Julian Kay jumped in front of an attempted screen pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion run from Saylaion Dunlap gave the Roughnecks a 14-7 lead.
The Roughnecks extended that lead with 2:53 left in the first half when Taylor scored his second touchdown of the half on a 42-yard run. Taylor’s jaunt capped a 59-yard drive and put Columbia up 21-7.
Just before halftime, after a short Sealy punt, Karch Kaspar added three more points to the Columbia total with a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
Sealy came out in the second half and drove 62 yards to get closer. Eckhardt scored his second touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run to leave the Tigers down 24-13 with 7:53 left in the third quarter.
The Roughnecks didn’t allow much after that opening drive of the second half. They allowed just 55 yards after that as Columbia’s defense limited the Tigers to 199 total yards for the game.
In the fourth quarter, Columbia finally put the capper on the victory as quarterback Josh Jimenez snuck into the end zone from three yards out with 9:52 left in the game to help put the Roughnecks up 31-13. Jarrett Brown had a 39-yard run down to the Sealy 3 to set up the touchdown run.
Mascheck said perseverance paid off for the Roughnecks to get them to the postseason.
The Roughnecks will face North Forest next week in the bidistrict round of the playoffs.
Columbia (2-4, 5-5) overcame an 0-4 start in the district season and found the right time to play their best football of the season.
“I was so proud of our kids,” first-year Columbia coach Brent Mascheck said. “We dug ourselves a little bit of a hole early in the district season. We played some good people. We hung in there and we kept fighting and we are playing really good football right now. Our kids came out and played great football. We came out and beat a very good football team in Sealy.”
The Roughnecks jumped on the Tigers right away as they covered 74 yards on their opening touchdown drive. Keithan Taylor had 70 of those yards on just two plays — a 30-yard run followed by a 40-yard scamper into the end zone with 10:50 left in the opening period to give Columbia a 6-0 lead. The extra point was blocked.
Those big runs were part of a 126-yard first half for Taylor, who finished with 151 yards rushing in the game.
Sealy responded with a 61-yard drive that was capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from Justin Eckhardt. The extra point gave Sealy a 7-6 lead with 5:33 left in the first quarter.
After that initial drive, Columbia’s defense didn’t allow Sealy to do much the rest of the first half. Columbia’s defensive adjustments limited the Tigers to just 21 yards of offense the rest of the half.
“Every game they come out with some new formations,” Mascheck said. “We expected that and we made some quick adjustments. The kids just played outstanding. All the credit goes to them. They bought in to what we are doing and proud of how they performed tonight.”
It was the defense that gave the Roughnecks the lead for good. With 3:07 left in the first quarter, defensive lineman Julian Kay jumped in front of an attempted screen pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion run from Saylaion Dunlap gave the Roughnecks a 14-7 lead.
The Roughnecks extended that lead with 2:53 left in the first half when Taylor scored his second touchdown of the half on a 42-yard run. Taylor’s jaunt capped a 59-yard drive and put Columbia up 21-7.
Just before halftime, after a short Sealy punt, Karch Kaspar added three more points to the Columbia total with a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
Sealy came out in the second half and drove 62 yards to get closer. Eckhardt scored his second touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run to leave the Tigers down 24-13 with 7:53 left in the third quarter.
The Roughnecks didn’t allow much after that opening drive of the second half. They allowed just 55 yards after that as Columbia’s defense limited the Tigers to 199 total yards for the game.
In the fourth quarter, Columbia finally put the capper on the victory as quarterback Josh Jimenez snuck into the end zone from three yards out with 9:52 left in the game to help put the Roughnecks up 31-13. Jarrett Brown had a 39-yard run down to the Sealy 3 to set up the touchdown run.
Mascheck said perseverance paid off for the Roughnecks to get them to the postseason.