Sweetwater Red
10-20-2008, 11:04 AM
Mustangs survive Graham in thriller
Written by Ron Howell
Sunday, 19 October 2008
http://www.sweetwaterreporter.com/content/view/115498/122/
The conventional wisdom was that the first two weeks of Sweetwater's District 2-3A football schedule — with games against struggling teams from Breckenridge and Graham — would be relatively stress-free in comparison to the last three when the Mustangs face a Murderer's Row diet of Snyder, Brownwood and Wylie.
Conventional wisdom, however, took another hit Friday at Mustang Bowl. Graham proved to be all Sweetwater could handle for the full 48 minutes, but Sweetwater ultimately — and barely — held on for a 31-24 victory.
The Mustangs, as expected, had no trouble moving the ball against a Graham team that has given up an average of 36 points a game. But Sweetwater had trouble holding on to the ball (four lost fumbles), had too many penalties (eight for 92 yards), and allowed Graham quarterback Chase McCoy to pass for 286 yards and two touchdowns, though the Steers were almost completely ineffective running the ball all night.
Just the opposite was true for the Mustangs, who improved to 6-1 overall with their sixth straight win and are tied with Wylie for first place in District 2-3A with a 2-0 record. Graham, which might be the best 1-6 team in the state of Texas, is tied for last at 0-2.
Not only did Sweetwater exceed 400 yards rushing (404) for the second straight game, but senior running back Daniel Jackson also smashed the 200-yard barrier a second straight time as well. He gained 227 yards on just 20 carries, and saved his biggest heroics for the end.
In a game in which neither team ever led by more than seven points, Graham tied the game for the last time, 24-24, with a 14-play, 52-yard drive that resulted in a fourth-down TD pass from McCoy to Garrett Spears from Sweetwater's 6.
The Mustangs took over with 4:21 to play, and methodically moved 71 yards in 13 running plays to the winning score. Jackson's 30-yard run helped Sweetwater overcome a third-and-16 and moved the Mus-tangs into scoring range at Graham's 36. From there, it took seven more runs to complete the drive with Jackson hitting paydirt on a 3-yard run with just 14 seconds to play. Cameron Studdard's extra point made it 31-24, but Sweet-water's worries weren't over.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff put Graham all the way back to its 4. But incredibly, the Steers — who had just :09 showing on the clock — were nearly able to get the remaining 96 yards. First, McCoy completed a 21-yard pass and Sweetwater was flagged for roughing him, putting Graham at its 40 with :01 left. Then Spencer Sims ran 30 yards to Sweetwater's 30 as time ex-pired. But Sweetwater was flagged for a late hit as the play ended, putting it at the 15 and giving the Steers another shot since it was a defensive penalty.
However, the miracle comeback came up just short — much to Sweetwater’s relief —when McCoy's end zone pass fell incomplete.
In just about any other district, Graham would be a serious playoff contender. Instead, the Steers have lost to Snyder and Sweetwater by a total of 11 points — and must still face heavyweights Brownwood and state-ranked Wylie.
"This district has so many good players and coaches," said Sweetwater coach Kent Jackson. "Nobody is going to roll over. They're going to keep fighting to the end. All we can do is count our blessings and continue to work hard, and that's what we're going to do."
Sweetwater had a chance to score first on Friday after the first turnover of the game, as a pass by McCoy was intercepted by Steven Fields on Graham's opening possession and re-turned to the Mustang 47. Two plays later, Daniel Jackson ran 23 yards to Graham's 24. A pass completion to Nathan Bobbitt inside the 10, however, was fumbled and the Steers recovered at their 6.
Sweetwater fumbled again on its next possession, and this time Graham took full advantage as the ball fell right into the hands of Hubbell Allen, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. Josh Elkins kicked the extra point to give the Steers a 7-0 lead with 3:29 left in the first quarter.
A 57-yard punt by Rufus McCann forced Graham to start from its 14 late in the period, and McCoy was sacked for a 7-yard loss on third down. The Steers tried to kick it away from their end zone, but the snap went through the punter's hands and gave Sweetwater a safety that cut Graham's lead to 7-2 with :05 left in the quarter.
Sweetwater quickly scored again after Graham punted from its 20. A 37-yard run by Fields opened the short drive that covered 67 yards in four plays. A.J. McCoy's 23-yard run gave Sweetwater an 8-7 lead and the Mustangs went for two after the touchdown. Quarter-back Zach Birdwell rolled to his left and threw to Jackson, increasing the margin to 10-7.
Sweetwater's third fumble of the half helped Graham tie the game 10-10 at halftime, though the Mustangs did their best to keep the Steers off the board.
Graham started at Sweet-water's 35, but managed only a net total of 19 yards in 10 plays despite a pass interference call that gave Graham a first down at the 11. On the next play, McCoy was flagged for intentional grounding, and the Steers had to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Elkins.
Sweetwater quickly regained the lead to start the second half, moving 75 plays in just three plays. The drive began wih Daniel Jackson's 61-yard run to the Graham 14 and from the 8, Birdwell ran it over to make it 17-10. The lead didn't hold up as the Steers rallied to tie the game again, 17-17, on a 3-yard pass from McCoy to Corey Groves later in the third quarter. But Fields returned the kickoff to near midfield and Sweetwater used another short drive, capped by Birdwell's 35-yard run, to go up 24-17 with 1:54 left in the period.
Written by Ron Howell
Sunday, 19 October 2008
http://www.sweetwaterreporter.com/content/view/115498/122/
The conventional wisdom was that the first two weeks of Sweetwater's District 2-3A football schedule — with games against struggling teams from Breckenridge and Graham — would be relatively stress-free in comparison to the last three when the Mustangs face a Murderer's Row diet of Snyder, Brownwood and Wylie.
Conventional wisdom, however, took another hit Friday at Mustang Bowl. Graham proved to be all Sweetwater could handle for the full 48 minutes, but Sweetwater ultimately — and barely — held on for a 31-24 victory.
The Mustangs, as expected, had no trouble moving the ball against a Graham team that has given up an average of 36 points a game. But Sweetwater had trouble holding on to the ball (four lost fumbles), had too many penalties (eight for 92 yards), and allowed Graham quarterback Chase McCoy to pass for 286 yards and two touchdowns, though the Steers were almost completely ineffective running the ball all night.
Just the opposite was true for the Mustangs, who improved to 6-1 overall with their sixth straight win and are tied with Wylie for first place in District 2-3A with a 2-0 record. Graham, which might be the best 1-6 team in the state of Texas, is tied for last at 0-2.
Not only did Sweetwater exceed 400 yards rushing (404) for the second straight game, but senior running back Daniel Jackson also smashed the 200-yard barrier a second straight time as well. He gained 227 yards on just 20 carries, and saved his biggest heroics for the end.
In a game in which neither team ever led by more than seven points, Graham tied the game for the last time, 24-24, with a 14-play, 52-yard drive that resulted in a fourth-down TD pass from McCoy to Garrett Spears from Sweetwater's 6.
The Mustangs took over with 4:21 to play, and methodically moved 71 yards in 13 running plays to the winning score. Jackson's 30-yard run helped Sweetwater overcome a third-and-16 and moved the Mus-tangs into scoring range at Graham's 36. From there, it took seven more runs to complete the drive with Jackson hitting paydirt on a 3-yard run with just 14 seconds to play. Cameron Studdard's extra point made it 31-24, but Sweet-water's worries weren't over.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff put Graham all the way back to its 4. But incredibly, the Steers — who had just :09 showing on the clock — were nearly able to get the remaining 96 yards. First, McCoy completed a 21-yard pass and Sweetwater was flagged for roughing him, putting Graham at its 40 with :01 left. Then Spencer Sims ran 30 yards to Sweetwater's 30 as time ex-pired. But Sweetwater was flagged for a late hit as the play ended, putting it at the 15 and giving the Steers another shot since it was a defensive penalty.
However, the miracle comeback came up just short — much to Sweetwater’s relief —when McCoy's end zone pass fell incomplete.
In just about any other district, Graham would be a serious playoff contender. Instead, the Steers have lost to Snyder and Sweetwater by a total of 11 points — and must still face heavyweights Brownwood and state-ranked Wylie.
"This district has so many good players and coaches," said Sweetwater coach Kent Jackson. "Nobody is going to roll over. They're going to keep fighting to the end. All we can do is count our blessings and continue to work hard, and that's what we're going to do."
Sweetwater had a chance to score first on Friday after the first turnover of the game, as a pass by McCoy was intercepted by Steven Fields on Graham's opening possession and re-turned to the Mustang 47. Two plays later, Daniel Jackson ran 23 yards to Graham's 24. A pass completion to Nathan Bobbitt inside the 10, however, was fumbled and the Steers recovered at their 6.
Sweetwater fumbled again on its next possession, and this time Graham took full advantage as the ball fell right into the hands of Hubbell Allen, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. Josh Elkins kicked the extra point to give the Steers a 7-0 lead with 3:29 left in the first quarter.
A 57-yard punt by Rufus McCann forced Graham to start from its 14 late in the period, and McCoy was sacked for a 7-yard loss on third down. The Steers tried to kick it away from their end zone, but the snap went through the punter's hands and gave Sweetwater a safety that cut Graham's lead to 7-2 with :05 left in the quarter.
Sweetwater quickly scored again after Graham punted from its 20. A 37-yard run by Fields opened the short drive that covered 67 yards in four plays. A.J. McCoy's 23-yard run gave Sweetwater an 8-7 lead and the Mustangs went for two after the touchdown. Quarter-back Zach Birdwell rolled to his left and threw to Jackson, increasing the margin to 10-7.
Sweetwater's third fumble of the half helped Graham tie the game 10-10 at halftime, though the Mustangs did their best to keep the Steers off the board.
Graham started at Sweet-water's 35, but managed only a net total of 19 yards in 10 plays despite a pass interference call that gave Graham a first down at the 11. On the next play, McCoy was flagged for intentional grounding, and the Steers had to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Elkins.
Sweetwater quickly regained the lead to start the second half, moving 75 plays in just three plays. The drive began wih Daniel Jackson's 61-yard run to the Graham 14 and from the 8, Birdwell ran it over to make it 17-10. The lead didn't hold up as the Steers rallied to tie the game again, 17-17, on a 3-yard pass from McCoy to Corey Groves later in the third quarter. But Fields returned the kickoff to near midfield and Sweetwater used another short drive, capped by Birdwell's 35-yard run, to go up 24-17 with 1:54 left in the period.