3afan
09-27-2003, 07:09 AM
China edges Cadets
By BRICE CHERRY Tribune-Herald staff writer
If the Cougars and Cadets keep this up, the manicurists in China Spring and Lacy-Lakeview are going to make a fortune — because no one will have any fingernails left.
For the second straight year, the District 17-3A opener between China Spring and Connally came down to the final play, and for the second straight year the Cougars were the victor. David Ceballos drilled a 30-yard field goal as the clock hit triple zeroes to lift China Spring to a 17-15 win Friday night at Cougar Stadium.
It wasn't always pretty, and yet the final result couldn't have been more beautiful for China Spring coach Mark Bell, whose Cougars move to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the league.
"Our guys kept fighting, all the way to that final quarter," Bell said. "The guys stepped up and really executed down the stretch when we needed them to. It was a hard-fought game."
That much was certain. The two teams traded the lead six times, and the gap on the scoreboard never topped six points. Connally coach Steve Burrow would have preferred a different result, but he couldn't fault his team's effort.
"I'm very proud of our guys," said Burrow, whose team dips to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in 17-3A play with its first loss of the year. "We kept fighting to the end. We had some things go against us, but we didn't let them get us down, and I like to see that."
The final quarter was a test of wills. China Spring grabbed a 14-9 lead on the first play of the quarter when quarterback Jordan Patterson found his tight end Jeremiah Chapman wide open in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown.
The Cougars came right back with a little special teams trickery, as Zack Stroman recovered a Cadet fumble off a pooch kick.
But the Connally defense held firm, forcing a quick three-and-out, and the offense capitalized. The Cadets marched downfield with precision, as quarterback Lance Loftin used both his arm and his legs to guide the team on an 86-yard scoring drive. Loftin accounted for 73 of the yards, and capped the drive off with a clutch 1-yard TD plunge with 3:07 remaining.
Leading 15-14, Connally went for two, but the China Spring defense swarmed and sacked Loftin as he was dropping back.
Then it was the Cougars’ turn to shift from park to drive. Helped along by some nifty play-calling, Patterson led China Spring on its best-looking drive of the night, moving the ball 57 yards in eight plays to set up Ceballos’ last-ditch field goal try with 2.3 seconds on the clock.
After several timeouts and with both sets of bleachers standing and applauding, Ceballos split the uprights to hush the visiting crowd and unleash a deafening roar from the Cougar faithful.
"We worked on special teams all week, because we knew that it could have an impact in this game," Bell said. "The kids executed when the had to."
Though the fourth quarter was marked by several slick-looking drives, the tale of the first half was a much different story. The two teams combined for five turnovers in the opening two quarters, including handing the ball back to each other on subsequent plays.
Connally also had one apparent touchdown wiped out by a somewhat questionable call. The Cadets’ James Newton stripped China Spring's Kerry Harris on a kickoff return and raced 15 yards into the end zone, but after a short delay the officials ruled that Harris’ progress had been stopped.
For much of the game, Connally's best weapon was Loftin's left leg. The senior quarterback also handles all the team's kicking duties and showed why he'll probably be kicking on Saturdays next year, with booming kickoffs and punts, and field goals of 45 and 35 yards in the first half along with a 41-yarder in the third quarter.
China Spring took a 7-6 lead into halftime when Patterson hooked up with Matt Lenart on a five-yard scoring pass with 3:41 left before the break.
Connally actually outgained the Cougars, 255 yards to 229. Loftin led the team with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
For China Spring, Patterson overcame two interceptions to hit 12-of-24 passes for 167 yards and a pair of scores. But the Cougars couldn't muster much on the ground, rushing for only 62 yards on 28 carries.
After the game, Bell and Burrow shared a friendly handshake at midfield, knowing they'd been in a dogfight — and well aware that the schedule doesn't get any easier.
"I think we'll come back from this strong," Burrow said. "We just have to put this one behind us and go back to work next week, because we've got a long district road ahead of us."
Co (1st): Lance Loftin 45 field goal; Co (1st): Loftin 35 field goal; CS (2nd): Matt Lenart 5 pass from Jordan Patterson (David Ceballos kick); Co (3rd): Loftin 41 field goal; CS (4th): Jeremiah Chapman 15 pass from Patterson (Ceballos kick); Co (4th): Loftin 1 run (pass failed); CS (4th): Ceballos 30 field goal.
By BRICE CHERRY Tribune-Herald staff writer
If the Cougars and Cadets keep this up, the manicurists in China Spring and Lacy-Lakeview are going to make a fortune — because no one will have any fingernails left.
For the second straight year, the District 17-3A opener between China Spring and Connally came down to the final play, and for the second straight year the Cougars were the victor. David Ceballos drilled a 30-yard field goal as the clock hit triple zeroes to lift China Spring to a 17-15 win Friday night at Cougar Stadium.
It wasn't always pretty, and yet the final result couldn't have been more beautiful for China Spring coach Mark Bell, whose Cougars move to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the league.
"Our guys kept fighting, all the way to that final quarter," Bell said. "The guys stepped up and really executed down the stretch when we needed them to. It was a hard-fought game."
That much was certain. The two teams traded the lead six times, and the gap on the scoreboard never topped six points. Connally coach Steve Burrow would have preferred a different result, but he couldn't fault his team's effort.
"I'm very proud of our guys," said Burrow, whose team dips to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in 17-3A play with its first loss of the year. "We kept fighting to the end. We had some things go against us, but we didn't let them get us down, and I like to see that."
The final quarter was a test of wills. China Spring grabbed a 14-9 lead on the first play of the quarter when quarterback Jordan Patterson found his tight end Jeremiah Chapman wide open in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown.
The Cougars came right back with a little special teams trickery, as Zack Stroman recovered a Cadet fumble off a pooch kick.
But the Connally defense held firm, forcing a quick three-and-out, and the offense capitalized. The Cadets marched downfield with precision, as quarterback Lance Loftin used both his arm and his legs to guide the team on an 86-yard scoring drive. Loftin accounted for 73 of the yards, and capped the drive off with a clutch 1-yard TD plunge with 3:07 remaining.
Leading 15-14, Connally went for two, but the China Spring defense swarmed and sacked Loftin as he was dropping back.
Then it was the Cougars’ turn to shift from park to drive. Helped along by some nifty play-calling, Patterson led China Spring on its best-looking drive of the night, moving the ball 57 yards in eight plays to set up Ceballos’ last-ditch field goal try with 2.3 seconds on the clock.
After several timeouts and with both sets of bleachers standing and applauding, Ceballos split the uprights to hush the visiting crowd and unleash a deafening roar from the Cougar faithful.
"We worked on special teams all week, because we knew that it could have an impact in this game," Bell said. "The kids executed when the had to."
Though the fourth quarter was marked by several slick-looking drives, the tale of the first half was a much different story. The two teams combined for five turnovers in the opening two quarters, including handing the ball back to each other on subsequent plays.
Connally also had one apparent touchdown wiped out by a somewhat questionable call. The Cadets’ James Newton stripped China Spring's Kerry Harris on a kickoff return and raced 15 yards into the end zone, but after a short delay the officials ruled that Harris’ progress had been stopped.
For much of the game, Connally's best weapon was Loftin's left leg. The senior quarterback also handles all the team's kicking duties and showed why he'll probably be kicking on Saturdays next year, with booming kickoffs and punts, and field goals of 45 and 35 yards in the first half along with a 41-yarder in the third quarter.
China Spring took a 7-6 lead into halftime when Patterson hooked up with Matt Lenart on a five-yard scoring pass with 3:41 left before the break.
Connally actually outgained the Cougars, 255 yards to 229. Loftin led the team with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
For China Spring, Patterson overcame two interceptions to hit 12-of-24 passes for 167 yards and a pair of scores. But the Cougars couldn't muster much on the ground, rushing for only 62 yards on 28 carries.
After the game, Bell and Burrow shared a friendly handshake at midfield, knowing they'd been in a dogfight — and well aware that the schedule doesn't get any easier.
"I think we'll come back from this strong," Burrow said. "We just have to put this one behind us and go back to work next week, because we've got a long district road ahead of us."
Co (1st): Lance Loftin 45 field goal; Co (1st): Loftin 35 field goal; CS (2nd): Matt Lenart 5 pass from Jordan Patterson (David Ceballos kick); Co (3rd): Loftin 41 field goal; CS (4th): Jeremiah Chapman 15 pass from Patterson (Ceballos kick); Co (4th): Loftin 1 run (pass failed); CS (4th): Ceballos 30 field goal.