Phantom Stang
09-09-2006, 10:17 AM
Area Game of the Week: Last-second kick lives Mustangs
44-yard FG booted into wind gets the win
By Evan Ren / rene@reporternews.com
September 8, 2006
SWEETWATER — The number of legendary Sweetwater quarterback "Slingin" Sammy Baugh may have been retired on Friday, but it was the Mustang kicker James Beckwith who stole the spotlight in a thrilling 24-21 win over Brownwood.
With the score tied at 21 with one second showing on the game clock, Beckwith drilled a 44-yard field goal into the wind to give the Mustangs the victory in Game 2 of the Sammy Baugh Classic.
Beckwith’s kick came on the heels of a game-tying 77-yard Brownwood drive, which had knotted the game at 21 and set the stage for overtime.
The Mustangs, however, drove 37 yards to the Brownwood 27, where Beckwith ended the contest with distance to spare.
"I’ll never forget this," Beckwith said. "If I had gotten nervous, I probably would have missed it. So I just went out there, calm and relaxed."
Beckwith did get a little help from his friends.
Quarterback Duone Cunnings rushed for 133 yards on 14 carries and fullback Auston Davis rushed for 120 to pace Sweetwater (2-0), which pounded out 344 yards on the ground.
Brownwood, which rallied from an early 14-0 deficit, dropped to 1-1 with the loss.
"This was very special," Sweetwater coach Kent Jackson said. "We’re just so fortunate and this was a very special night.
"It was two very proud programs and we’re very blessed to be the one still standing when it was over."
Showing a mixture of Wishbone and Flexbone sets, the Mustangs scored on their first two possessions, including an 80-yard, six-play possession to open the game.
Joseph Banyard did the honors on both Sweetwater scores, beginning with a 3-yard run off the right tackle for a 7-0 lead, and a 2-yard plunge to give the Mustangs a 14-0 edge with 6:09 left in the first quarter.
The Lions struck back with two minutes left in the first when Thomas Beck capped a 68-yard, 10-play possession with a 2-yard touchdown run. But that would close the scoring for both teams in the first half.
Brownwood had two opportunities to tie the game in the second quarter, missing on the first when quarterback Chris Munson was sacked for an 11-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the 2 with 9:55 left in the half. Munson was stopped again on fourth-and-4 from the Sweetwater 17 with 2:13 showing on the clock.
"We’ll look a few things that could have happened a little differently," Brownwood coach Steve Freeman said. "But we’re going to be fine. We’ve been to this rodeo before."
Trailing 14-7 at the break, the Lions tied the game with 7:45 left in the third when Munson hit Kendrick Roberson in the corner of the end zone with a 12-yard scoring pass. Sweetwater reclaimed the lead on their next possession, however, when Cunnings hit Banyard with a 16-yard touchdown pass to give the Mustangs a 21-14 edge with 2:56 left in the third.
Forced to punt on its next to possessions, Brownwood tied the score with 1:33 left in the game when Munson scored from 11 yards out. The Lions had faced a fourth-and-10 at the Sweetwater 33 during the 14-play, 77-yard drive, but Munson hit Bronson Shaw with a 19-yard pass to keep the possession alive.
"There hasn’t been a snap in the last 12 years that I haven’t been proud of our kids," Freeman said. "But coming back the way we did ? those things don’t happen by accident.
"You’ve got to go out and execute and that’s what our kids did tonight. It was a hard-fought war and (Sweetwater) is a very talented team."
Taking over from their own 33 with 1:25 left, the Mustangs drove to the Brownwood 35, where Cunnings ran an option keep to the 27. Jackson managed to get a timeout called with one tick left, and sent out Beckwith for the game-winner with Baugh’s family in attendance.
"I’m not going to lie, this win would have been special on any night," Jackson said. "But we hope this wins means something for (Baugh’s) family and what he’s done for this community."
Notes: Baugh, who went on to become an All-American quarterback and TCU and a Hall-of-Famer with the NFL’s Washington Redskins, is the first player in Sweetwater history to have is number retired. The 92-year-old Baugh was unable to attend, due to ill health. ... Munson was 6-of-8 through the air in the first half, for 101 yards. ... Sweetwater rushed for 186 yards in the first half on 20 carries. The Mustangs didn’t throw a single pass in the first half.
Brownwood 7 0 7 7—21
Sweetwater 14 0 7 3—24
Scoring Summary
First quarter
S — Joseph Banyard 3 run (James Beckwith kick)
S — Banyard 2 run (Beckwith kick)
B — Thomas Beck 2 run (Mason Ellis kick)
Third quarter
B — Kendrick Roberson 12 pass from Chris Munson (Ellis kick)
S — Banyard 16 pass from Duone Cunnings (Beckwith kick)
Fourth quarter
B — Munson 11 run (Ellis kick)
S — Beckwith 44 field goal
Brownwood Sweetwater
First Downs 18 14
Rushes-yards 36-144 43-344
Passing yards 213 16
Comp-Att-Int 14-21-0 1-2-0
Punts 3-43.1 4-28.2
Fumbles-lost 2-0 3-1
Penalties-yards 8-60 2-15
© 1995-2006 The E.W. Scripps Co. and the Abilene Reporter-News.
44-yard FG booted into wind gets the win
By Evan Ren / rene@reporternews.com
September 8, 2006
SWEETWATER — The number of legendary Sweetwater quarterback "Slingin" Sammy Baugh may have been retired on Friday, but it was the Mustang kicker James Beckwith who stole the spotlight in a thrilling 24-21 win over Brownwood.
With the score tied at 21 with one second showing on the game clock, Beckwith drilled a 44-yard field goal into the wind to give the Mustangs the victory in Game 2 of the Sammy Baugh Classic.
Beckwith’s kick came on the heels of a game-tying 77-yard Brownwood drive, which had knotted the game at 21 and set the stage for overtime.
The Mustangs, however, drove 37 yards to the Brownwood 27, where Beckwith ended the contest with distance to spare.
"I’ll never forget this," Beckwith said. "If I had gotten nervous, I probably would have missed it. So I just went out there, calm and relaxed."
Beckwith did get a little help from his friends.
Quarterback Duone Cunnings rushed for 133 yards on 14 carries and fullback Auston Davis rushed for 120 to pace Sweetwater (2-0), which pounded out 344 yards on the ground.
Brownwood, which rallied from an early 14-0 deficit, dropped to 1-1 with the loss.
"This was very special," Sweetwater coach Kent Jackson said. "We’re just so fortunate and this was a very special night.
"It was two very proud programs and we’re very blessed to be the one still standing when it was over."
Showing a mixture of Wishbone and Flexbone sets, the Mustangs scored on their first two possessions, including an 80-yard, six-play possession to open the game.
Joseph Banyard did the honors on both Sweetwater scores, beginning with a 3-yard run off the right tackle for a 7-0 lead, and a 2-yard plunge to give the Mustangs a 14-0 edge with 6:09 left in the first quarter.
The Lions struck back with two minutes left in the first when Thomas Beck capped a 68-yard, 10-play possession with a 2-yard touchdown run. But that would close the scoring for both teams in the first half.
Brownwood had two opportunities to tie the game in the second quarter, missing on the first when quarterback Chris Munson was sacked for an 11-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the 2 with 9:55 left in the half. Munson was stopped again on fourth-and-4 from the Sweetwater 17 with 2:13 showing on the clock.
"We’ll look a few things that could have happened a little differently," Brownwood coach Steve Freeman said. "But we’re going to be fine. We’ve been to this rodeo before."
Trailing 14-7 at the break, the Lions tied the game with 7:45 left in the third when Munson hit Kendrick Roberson in the corner of the end zone with a 12-yard scoring pass. Sweetwater reclaimed the lead on their next possession, however, when Cunnings hit Banyard with a 16-yard touchdown pass to give the Mustangs a 21-14 edge with 2:56 left in the third.
Forced to punt on its next to possessions, Brownwood tied the score with 1:33 left in the game when Munson scored from 11 yards out. The Lions had faced a fourth-and-10 at the Sweetwater 33 during the 14-play, 77-yard drive, but Munson hit Bronson Shaw with a 19-yard pass to keep the possession alive.
"There hasn’t been a snap in the last 12 years that I haven’t been proud of our kids," Freeman said. "But coming back the way we did ? those things don’t happen by accident.
"You’ve got to go out and execute and that’s what our kids did tonight. It was a hard-fought war and (Sweetwater) is a very talented team."
Taking over from their own 33 with 1:25 left, the Mustangs drove to the Brownwood 35, where Cunnings ran an option keep to the 27. Jackson managed to get a timeout called with one tick left, and sent out Beckwith for the game-winner with Baugh’s family in attendance.
"I’m not going to lie, this win would have been special on any night," Jackson said. "But we hope this wins means something for (Baugh’s) family and what he’s done for this community."
Notes: Baugh, who went on to become an All-American quarterback and TCU and a Hall-of-Famer with the NFL’s Washington Redskins, is the first player in Sweetwater history to have is number retired. The 92-year-old Baugh was unable to attend, due to ill health. ... Munson was 6-of-8 through the air in the first half, for 101 yards. ... Sweetwater rushed for 186 yards in the first half on 20 carries. The Mustangs didn’t throw a single pass in the first half.
Brownwood 7 0 7 7—21
Sweetwater 14 0 7 3—24
Scoring Summary
First quarter
S — Joseph Banyard 3 run (James Beckwith kick)
S — Banyard 2 run (Beckwith kick)
B — Thomas Beck 2 run (Mason Ellis kick)
Third quarter
B — Kendrick Roberson 12 pass from Chris Munson (Ellis kick)
S — Banyard 16 pass from Duone Cunnings (Beckwith kick)
Fourth quarter
B — Munson 11 run (Ellis kick)
S — Beckwith 44 field goal
Brownwood Sweetwater
First Downs 18 14
Rushes-yards 36-144 43-344
Passing yards 213 16
Comp-Att-Int 14-21-0 1-2-0
Punts 3-43.1 4-28.2
Fumbles-lost 2-0 3-1
Penalties-yards 8-60 2-15
© 1995-2006 The E.W. Scripps Co. and the Abilene Reporter-News.