Jake Jones puts an end to Cy Falls' 1st drive of the 2nd half with this INT.
So, where to start? 95 combined points, 9 turnovers, 890 yards of offense combined... just another night in District 17-6A football. As you can see by the 9 turnovers (5 for Woods, 4 for Falls), it was not exactly the prettiest display of football, even with the astronomically high final score that we're so accustomed to seeing in District 17-6A.
The Wildcat defense came up huge in the final 5:30 as they faced 2 potential game-winning drives and squashed them both, preserving the tenuous grip that the Cats had on this game. Wade Carson stopped the first potential game-winning drive by forcing a fumble that was recovered by Bryson Powers, and then, on what proved to be the final defensive series of the evening for Cy Woods, Randall Medlin and Wade Carson snuffed out a screen pass on 4th down, giving the Cats the ball back with 2:12 to go. And from there, the Cats ran out the clock and escaped with a 48-47 victory, giving them their first 2-0 start in district play in team history.
Well, they got the ball with 2:13 left, but getting it with 2:12 left sounds a lot better.
OK, I think we can all exhale now. For much of the 4th quarter, flashes of the 2009 game against Falls were running through my head....
So, What Happened Was.....
After the Eagles capitalized on a Nick Hooper lost fumble by scoring first with 9:38 left in the 1st quarter, the Cats went on a 27-0 run that spanned the next 17 minutes (give or take) and was capped off by a pick 6 from Michael Wirt, which pushed the Cats' lead to 27-7 with 4:48 to go in the 1st half.
However, the Eagles suddenly sprang to life and made it a game once again by scoring the final 2 touchdowns of the 1st half, one of which was a pick 6 as the clock struck zero. That was Nick Hooper's 3rd interception of the 1st half, and, needless to say, it proved very costly. The extra point was missed, however, and the Cats entered the locker room with a 27-20 lead that really masked how well they were playing; they just kept shooting themselves in the foot at the most inopportune times possible.
In the 2nd half, the Cats just couldn't seem to shake Cy Falls; the Eagles just had an answer for Woods and managed to keep themselves within striking distance. The Cats scored on 3 of their 4 drives in the 3rd as Nick Hooper scored on a 1-yard run, threw a 36-yard pass to Jared Taylor, and C.J. Jones found the end zone on a 26-yard run. But again, Falls was still very much in this one. The 4th quarter proved to be a near-disaster on offense for the Cats as they lost a fumble and had 3 3-and-outs. The theme of shooting themselves in the foot continued as the Cats finished the game with 19 penalties.
Turning Points
The two scores that Falls got before halftime truly changed the complexion of this game as it turned a possible blowout into a game that got waaaaaaaaaay too close for comfort.
With 5:23 to go, Cy Falls began a drive at the Cy Woods 41. A false start drove them back 5, but they got those yards back to get a more manageable 3rd down. Falls RB Shannon Vaughns looked to have the 1st down, but Wade Carson jarred the ball loose, and Bryson Powers fell on the ball to snuff out the threat.
However, after another 3-and-out, the defense was called upon once more with 3:19 left in regulation. 2 runs from Vaughns gave Falls a 3rd & 4, but Casey Rosellini's pass fell incomplete, forcing a 4th down. The Eagles called a screen pass, but Randall Medlin and Wade Carson made the biggest stop of the season so far as they sealed another Wildcat victory.
Ground
Nick Hooper got the vast majority of the carries; of Woods' 47 attempts on the ground, 37 were to his name. He ran for 148 yards and 3 scores, but he also lost 2 fumbles. C.J. Jones had a 26-yard score in the 3rd, which put the Cats up 48-34 at that point.
All offensive stats per TSRN.
Nick Hooper: 37 carries, 148 yards, 3 TD; 2 fumbles lost
C.J. Jones: 7 carries, 64 yards, TD
Jordan Johnson: 1 carry, 3 yards
R.J. Harmon: 1 carry, -5 yards
Jared Taylor: 1 carry, -6 yards
*TSRN also has 3 carries for -15 yards, accounted to no one. 2 of those were Nick taking a knee, and the other was Nick recovering an errant snap for -13 yards.
Air
Nick took every snap, with the exception of one play when it looked like his shoe came loose (?). Reece Clark's only pass attempt was incomplete. Hooper fired 2 touchdowns; the first went for 12 to Tre Hart in the 1st quarter, and he connected with Jared Taylor for 37 yards in the 3rd. On the other hand... he also threw 3 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Nick Hooper: 20-31, 311 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Reece Clark: 0-1
Hart and Taylor had over 100 receiving yards apiece. Zac Duncan also chipped in 58 yards. Tre almost added another TD catch to his line, but he was caught at the 2, so he had to settle for a 54-yard gain instead.
Jared Taylor: 7 recs, 101 yards, TD
Tre Hart: 5 rec, 124 yards, TD
Zac Duncan: 4 rec, 58 yards
C.J. Jones: 2 rec, 21 yards
R.J. Harmon: 2 rec, 7 yards
Defense
Bryson Powers showed his versatility by starting at one of the safety spots in place of the injured Matt Swalm. You could say that he had a rather productive night as he got a pick in the 2nd quarter and had a crucial fumble recovery in the 4th quarter.
The Cats dropped about 2 more picks, but they got their hands on 3 more. Falls QB Casey Rosellini slinged one downfield that landed in Bryson's arms in the 2nd. The Cats converted that turnover into points as Nick Hooper scored on a 5-yard run. Then, on Falls' next offensive possession, Michael Wirt took his 25 yards to the house. And finally, Jake Jones opened up the 2nd half by kicking Falls off the field, elevating to snag another deep attempt from Rosellini.
Well, it took 2.5 games, but the Cats have their first sacks of the season. After Nick Hooper threw his 2nd pick of the 1st half, Tyler Greaves and Wade Carson made sure that Falls would not convert that turnover into points as they both got to Rosellini for 8 yards apiece.
Carson recorded a dozen tackles to lead the way. Greaves had another solid night as he had 6 tackles, a sack, and he also forced a fumble.
Tackles: Wade Carson 12 (4 assisted, 3 TFL), Elijah Pierson 9 (2 assisted, 1 TFL), Bryson Powers 7 (4 assisted), Tyler Greaves 6 (3 TFL, 1 assisted, FF), Jake Jones 6, Randall Medlin 5 (2 assisted, 2 TFL), Brandon DePrato 4 (2 assisted), Michael Wirt 3 (1 assisted), Justyn Johnson 3 (2 assisted), Morgan Tosten 2 (1 assisted), Taylor Tesch 1, Kason Franklin 1, Myles Wilson 1, Luis Reyes 1, Hayden Stoeber 1, Danny Malone 1
Sacks: Tyler Greaves 1 (8 yards lost), Wade Carson 1 (8 yards lost)
Fumbles forced: Tyler Greaves 1, Wade Carson 1
Fumbles recovered: Bryson Powers 1
Interceptions: Jake Jones 1, Michael Wirt 1 (returned for TD), Bryson Powers 1
Special Teams
Powers had a 64-yard punt return TD negated by a block in the back. He had 111 total return yards in this game (65 punt, 46 kick).
Bryson Powers: 3 punts returned, 65 yards, 3 kicks returned, 46 yards
Zac Duncan: 1 kick return, 19 yards
Jordan Johnson: 1 kick returned, 35 yards
Luis Reyes: 6-6 XP; a 7th was not attempted due to a bad snap.
Jordan Johnson: 4 punts, 170 yards (42.5 per punt), long of 49, 1 downed inside the 20
Other Happenings in This Game
Unlike last year's affair, the officials made sure that order would be maintained. At no point did it appear that this game would degenerate into anything ugly.
The 19 penalties against Woods surely has to be a team record. It's not often that a team wins despite committing 19 penalties, but the Cats found a way. The number of penalties that the Cats have racked up so far this season is just mind-blowing.
The two missed extra points from Falls turned out to be the difference.
Bryson bore the scars and wounds of this game; it appears that he had a bag of ice over his left collarbone after the game.
Man of the Match
You know... I'm very tempted to give it to Nick simply for the fact that he had 5 total touchdowns........ but he also had 5 turnovers, so.......
We're 3 games into the season and I have officially run out of good things to say about Bryson Powers. It doesn't matter where he is on the field; he simply possesses that knack to make plays. Great players make plays wherever they are.
Honorable mentions go out to Tre Hart and Jared Taylor, who both had 100+ receiving yards. Also one for Michael Wirt for his pick 6.
Looking Ahead
In the last of 3 straight Saturday games, the Cats will face off against the hated Cy Ranch Mustangs at the Berry Center. They'll be the away team in this contest. Kickoff is at 6:00.
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