Stangster
11-22-2003, 11:16 PM
CANYON -- Going into its Class 3A area playoff game with Sweetwater on Friday, Perryton was probably unprepared to see another quarterback named Carrillo and wearing No. 15 lead the Mustangs to victory.
And, quite frankly, before the game Sweetwater didn't expect to see it either.
But Carrillo did return Friday against the Rangers. And he did indeed lead Sweetwater to vic-tory for the second straight season, as the Mustangs staged a miraculous last-minute rally for a 28-27 victory which advances Sweetwater (9-2) into the Division II regional playoffs for the second straight year.
Only it wasn't Mychal, who completed his great career as the team's signal caller at the end of the 2002 campaign and was just another face in the crowd of fans.
Instead, it was younger bro-ther Kendal, a mere sophomore who had never started a varsity game at quarterback, who triggered one of the greatest playoff finishes in Mustang history.
Forced into duty when starter Jeremy Thompson went down with a concussion late in the first period, Carrillo displayed the poise of a well-seasoned veteran when the game -- not to mention Sweetwater's season -- was on the line Friday.
After trailing 21-9 at halftime, Perryton (8-4) completed a run of 18 unanswered points by scoring a go-ahead touchdown with just 70 seconds left in the contest. It came on a 1-yard run by Rangers quarterback, Bo Merrell, who also added a two-point conversion run to put the Rangers ahead 27-21 with 1:10 to play.
Yet that still left enough time on the clock for the Mustangs to stage a memorable drive -- and also showcase the latest of their many surprising heroes who have emerged throughout the team's current eight-game winning streak.
Sweetwater began from its 35 with 1:06 left, and needed just six plays to cover the distance.
The longest of those six plays came on the only pass. On second-and-1, Carrillo connected on a 27-yard throw to tight end Giles Montgomery which gave the Mustangs a first-and-goal at the 5.
Carrillo then dialed his own number on the last two plays. Sweetwater called its last time-out after he scrambled to the 3, and from there Carrillo ran in for the touchdown with only 11 seconds left in the game.
With the score tied at 27, the focus quickly shifted to the all-important extra point kick of another Mustang who was relatively untested in the playoffs.
Parker Morrow, a junior who was called up from the JV at the end of the regular season, booted it through to give Sweetwa-ter a one-point lead. It was his second successful extra point kick of the game, but only his third since being on the varsity.
Sweetwater's defense then did its part to protect the lead after the ensuing kickoff, as the game ended with Perryton at its 20-yard line.
"These kids have proven they are going to overcome; they always have," said a relieved Kent Jackson, who has now guided Sweetwater to the third round of the playoffs in each of the last two of his three years as Mus-tang head coach. "They just refuse to give in.
"It's a great win for the team and the community. I'm really proud of the effort they put in. We've said all along that there's something special about being a Sweetwater Mustang. ...They were bound and determined to make something good happen (on the last drive)."
Carrillo, who is technically the team's No. 3 quarterback behind Thompson and Reid Bishop, the original starter who has missed the last seven games with a season-ending knee injury, said he had faith in his team at crunch time.
"I knew there was plenty of time left," he said. "I knew our offense could do the job. I felt good about our chances after the first couple of plays."
"The two-minute offense is something we work on all year long," said Sweetwater offensive coordinator Joe Willis. "The challenge was Kendal had not been getting near the reps Jeremy had at quarterback.
"But these kids were going to win the ballgame. I'm just incredibly pleased with the effort. They just willed the ball into the end zone."
But until the last-ditch drive, Sweetwater had saved most of its offensive heroics for the second quarter, the only one in which it outscored Perryton.
The Rangers led 7-6 at the start of the period, thanks to a 38-yard fumble return and extra point kick by Trey Allen late in the first quarter. Thompson, who scored Sweetwater's first points on a 15-yard run, was injured shortly after the Perryton touchdown.
Carrillo's first series at quarterback began at his team's 11 and produced a total of just five yards. It got worse when the ensuing punt was blocked into the end zone for a safety that hiked Perryton's lead to 9-6.
But Sweetwater soon recovered a Perryton fumble at the Mustangs' 36, and begin an im-pressive comeback by marching 64 yards to a touchdown to regain the lead.
Sweetwater managed to convert a fourth-and-3 from Perryton's 32 when the Rangers were called for being offsides. On the next play, Carrillo ran for a 27-yard touchdown to give the Mustangs a 12-9 lead. Sweetwater went for two after the TD and Josh Jackson got over to increase the lead to five, 14-9, with 6:14 left.
The Mustangs were not content to keep that lead, as they put together a 12-play drive that produced another score shortly before intermission.
Carrillo was thrown for a 2-yard loss on third-and-10 from the 25. But after a timeout, Carrillo fired to Montgomery who outfought his defender to pull in the 27-yard reception and increase the lead to 21-9 at halftime.
The third quarter was scoreless until Perryton started its gradual rally on a 44-yard field goal by Allen that cut it to 21-12 with 2:45 left in the period. Allen set up his own kick a few minutes earlier when he caught a 52-yard pass from Merrell.
Merrell took the honors on each of Perryton's fourth quarter touchdowns, starting with a 2-yard run that came with 6:25 left in the game and shaved the Mustang lead to 21-19.
After stopping Sweetwater on a fourth-and-1 at the Perryton 26, the Rangers scored on a 9-play drive to take the lead. Merrell's 59-yard, third-down pass to Anthony Newcomb got his team in scoring range.
By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor
And, quite frankly, before the game Sweetwater didn't expect to see it either.
But Carrillo did return Friday against the Rangers. And he did indeed lead Sweetwater to vic-tory for the second straight season, as the Mustangs staged a miraculous last-minute rally for a 28-27 victory which advances Sweetwater (9-2) into the Division II regional playoffs for the second straight year.
Only it wasn't Mychal, who completed his great career as the team's signal caller at the end of the 2002 campaign and was just another face in the crowd of fans.
Instead, it was younger bro-ther Kendal, a mere sophomore who had never started a varsity game at quarterback, who triggered one of the greatest playoff finishes in Mustang history.
Forced into duty when starter Jeremy Thompson went down with a concussion late in the first period, Carrillo displayed the poise of a well-seasoned veteran when the game -- not to mention Sweetwater's season -- was on the line Friday.
After trailing 21-9 at halftime, Perryton (8-4) completed a run of 18 unanswered points by scoring a go-ahead touchdown with just 70 seconds left in the contest. It came on a 1-yard run by Rangers quarterback, Bo Merrell, who also added a two-point conversion run to put the Rangers ahead 27-21 with 1:10 to play.
Yet that still left enough time on the clock for the Mustangs to stage a memorable drive -- and also showcase the latest of their many surprising heroes who have emerged throughout the team's current eight-game winning streak.
Sweetwater began from its 35 with 1:06 left, and needed just six plays to cover the distance.
The longest of those six plays came on the only pass. On second-and-1, Carrillo connected on a 27-yard throw to tight end Giles Montgomery which gave the Mustangs a first-and-goal at the 5.
Carrillo then dialed his own number on the last two plays. Sweetwater called its last time-out after he scrambled to the 3, and from there Carrillo ran in for the touchdown with only 11 seconds left in the game.
With the score tied at 27, the focus quickly shifted to the all-important extra point kick of another Mustang who was relatively untested in the playoffs.
Parker Morrow, a junior who was called up from the JV at the end of the regular season, booted it through to give Sweetwa-ter a one-point lead. It was his second successful extra point kick of the game, but only his third since being on the varsity.
Sweetwater's defense then did its part to protect the lead after the ensuing kickoff, as the game ended with Perryton at its 20-yard line.
"These kids have proven they are going to overcome; they always have," said a relieved Kent Jackson, who has now guided Sweetwater to the third round of the playoffs in each of the last two of his three years as Mus-tang head coach. "They just refuse to give in.
"It's a great win for the team and the community. I'm really proud of the effort they put in. We've said all along that there's something special about being a Sweetwater Mustang. ...They were bound and determined to make something good happen (on the last drive)."
Carrillo, who is technically the team's No. 3 quarterback behind Thompson and Reid Bishop, the original starter who has missed the last seven games with a season-ending knee injury, said he had faith in his team at crunch time.
"I knew there was plenty of time left," he said. "I knew our offense could do the job. I felt good about our chances after the first couple of plays."
"The two-minute offense is something we work on all year long," said Sweetwater offensive coordinator Joe Willis. "The challenge was Kendal had not been getting near the reps Jeremy had at quarterback.
"But these kids were going to win the ballgame. I'm just incredibly pleased with the effort. They just willed the ball into the end zone."
But until the last-ditch drive, Sweetwater had saved most of its offensive heroics for the second quarter, the only one in which it outscored Perryton.
The Rangers led 7-6 at the start of the period, thanks to a 38-yard fumble return and extra point kick by Trey Allen late in the first quarter. Thompson, who scored Sweetwater's first points on a 15-yard run, was injured shortly after the Perryton touchdown.
Carrillo's first series at quarterback began at his team's 11 and produced a total of just five yards. It got worse when the ensuing punt was blocked into the end zone for a safety that hiked Perryton's lead to 9-6.
But Sweetwater soon recovered a Perryton fumble at the Mustangs' 36, and begin an im-pressive comeback by marching 64 yards to a touchdown to regain the lead.
Sweetwater managed to convert a fourth-and-3 from Perryton's 32 when the Rangers were called for being offsides. On the next play, Carrillo ran for a 27-yard touchdown to give the Mustangs a 12-9 lead. Sweetwater went for two after the TD and Josh Jackson got over to increase the lead to five, 14-9, with 6:14 left.
The Mustangs were not content to keep that lead, as they put together a 12-play drive that produced another score shortly before intermission.
Carrillo was thrown for a 2-yard loss on third-and-10 from the 25. But after a timeout, Carrillo fired to Montgomery who outfought his defender to pull in the 27-yard reception and increase the lead to 21-9 at halftime.
The third quarter was scoreless until Perryton started its gradual rally on a 44-yard field goal by Allen that cut it to 21-12 with 2:45 left in the period. Allen set up his own kick a few minutes earlier when he caught a 52-yard pass from Merrell.
Merrell took the honors on each of Perryton's fourth quarter touchdowns, starting with a 2-yard run that came with 6:25 left in the game and shaved the Mustang lead to 21-19.
After stopping Sweetwater on a fourth-and-1 at the Perryton 26, the Rangers scored on a 9-play drive to take the lead. Merrell's 59-yard, third-down pass to Anthony Newcomb got his team in scoring range.
By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor