Central Texas High School Sports

The Bulldogs couldn’t tie the game on the two-point converison, as Boen came up half a yard short of the goal line. Time stands at 4:06 in the 1st.

7:51 PM: Jason Orts tells us: Mart makes it 2-for-2 on TD drives, with Jones taking an end around, using some nice downfield blocking and making a man miss to get into the end zone. The Panthers went 61 yards in six plays, keeping the drive alive on a 12-yard pass from Strunck to Leonard Williams on a third-and-8 from the Dawson 41. Mart 14, Dawson 0 after Johnny Jones’ 29-yard TD run (Schaeffer kick). 4:50 1st.

7:50 PM: Mexia strikes first, going up 6-0 on Palestine at 1:44 in the 1st. Trae Davis 23-yard TD run. Conversion failed by Doug Gentry.

7:48 PM: Matt Hicks’ 31-yard run for his second TD of game makes it Reicher 14, Carrollton Christian 0. 5:48 1st.

7:47 PM: Penelope 8, Milford 0 after a quarter. Wolverines trying to stay undefeated on the year.

7:45 PM: It didn’t take long for Bartlett to get on the board. QB Gabriel Gadison ran for 61 yards on the first drive — including a 48-yard run on the first play of the game — to set up Leonard Hinojosa’s 1-yard TD. It’s Bartlett 8, Bosqueville 0 at 8:11 in the 1st.

7:44 PM: From the Twitterverse, we’re heading that Abbott struck first but Trinidad has evened things. 6-all in the first. Also, Cove is now up 14-0. Maybe the Dawgs and Reicher should have some sort of wager.

7:39 PM: Mart draws first blood on Holden Strunck’s 2-yard TD run (Matthew Schaeffer kick) to go up 7-0 on Dawson at the 9:51 mark in the 1st. Jason Orts describes the action:

Mart takes the opening kickoff and marches 59 yards in eight plays. Jakeem Hoffman rushed for 49 yards on the drive, including a 31-yard burst down to the Dawson 12.

7:36 PM: Reicher 7, Carrollton Christian 0 at 10:51 in the 1st quarter. Very much not an upset alert.

Copperas Cove has gone up 7-0 on TJT just 16 seconds into the game following an INT returned to the 1, according to @HuddleUpTexas.

We’re ready to go!

• Jason Orts’ High School Preview

• University coach Matt Carroll’s confidence rubs off on playoff-bound Trojans

• Our staff picks

More resources:

• Standings
• Area stats leaders

Radio games tonight:

• Mexia vs. Palestine / 104.9-FM

We’ll have full game reports from our writers at:

• Gatesville vs. Burnet
• Dawson vs. Mart
• Bosqueville vs. Bartlett
• Reicher vs. Carrollton Christian
• Milford vs. Penelope

And a complete roundup of all the scores here on Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter

Thursday 5th Quarter: Nov. 12, 2009

By WacoTrib.com staff | Thursday, November 12, 2009, 10:26 PM

10:26 PM: FINAL: Riesel 23, Itasca 20.

You can read all about that game, plus Troy and Rosebud-Lott in tomorrow’s Tribune-Herald. Pick up a copy so we can keep the lights on.

10:10 PM: Riesel QB J.D. Gooch ran around the left side for a 12-yard TD and Eric Wallace kicked the extra point to put the Indians ahead 23-20 with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter. — Chad Conine

10:01 PM: West Rusk has defeated Rosebud-Lott, 42-6, according to a call we just got. Thanks for calling in the stats!

9:57 PM: Itasca has always had an answer tonight. After Riesel took the lead, it took the Wampus Cats just one play to score. Itasca QB Greg Mason ran 65 yards for a TD, then threw to Shakeal Mozon for the 2-point conversion. Itasca 20, Riesel 16 with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter. — Chad Conine

9:51 PM: Riesel takes the lead on a 4-yard QB sneak by J.D. Gooch. The Indians’ 2-point conversion run failed. Riesel 16, Itasca 12 with 6:45 left in the fourth quarter. — Chad Conine

9:35 PM: Itasca 12, Riesel 10, end of the third quarter. Riesel has fourth-and-8 at the Itasca 11, which makes me wonder who their best 3-point shooter might be. — Chad Conine, confusing things

9:14 PM: And that’s now final: Godley 34, Troy 0. The Wildcats really played like a top-10 team tonight. That’s got to be a discouraging way for the Trojans to end the season, coupled with last week’s loss to McGregor in the district title bout.

9:12 PM: So, what was the over-under on safeties in this one? Riesel registers another safety. This time Indians LB Jacob Holland wrestled down Guy a yard deep in the end zone. Itasca 12, Riesel 10 with 8:55 left in the third quarter. — from Chad Conine

9:03 PM: Godley 34, Troy 0 after Riley Good gets his third TD of the game (Hunt kick), this time on a 20-yard quarterback sweep left with a convoy of blockers in front of him. 6:48 left.

8:51 PM: Godley moves 45 yards in four plays, with Martinez gaining every one of them outside of an offsides penalty on Troy. He punches it on on a 3-yard TD run (run failed) and it’s Godley 27, Troy 0 with 10:04 left in the ballgame.

Martinez now has 116 yards rushing to go with Good’s 150.

8:46 PM: Godley 21, Troy 0 after 3 quarters. On the first play of the fourth, Dylan Sebek’s pass falls incomplete, and Godley takes over on downs at the Troy 45. — Jason Orts

8:42 PM: Godley’s Kolby Brown hauls in a 28-yard pass from Riley Good (Troy Hunt kick) to make it Godley 21, Troy 0 at 2:33 in the 3rd.

Brown catches a pass in the right flat, turns it up, breaks a tackle, spins out of another and makes a Trojan defender miss on his way to the end zone. It was Good’s first completion of the night. The Wildcats go 52 yards in seven plays after Troy’s most promising drive ended with a Trey Collier fumble. — via Jason Orts

8:30 PM: With 1:39 left in the first half, Itasca had run two offensive plays and trailed Riesel, 8-6. But the Wampus Cats will take a 12-8 lead to halftime after QB Greg Mason threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Johnson. Itasca’s second 2-point run of the night failed for the second time. Itasca 12, Riesel 8 at the half. — expertly penned by Chad Conine

8:07 PM: Well, Riesel has run 26 offensive plays, while Itasca’s Desmond Guy has touched the ball once and the two teams have the same number of touchdowns. Guy scored on a 61-yard run but couldn’t convert the two-point conversion. Riesel 8, Itasca 6 with 10:07 left in the first half. — Chad Conine

8:01 PM: With the help of a pass interference call, Riesel turns its second drive into a touchdown. Eric Wallace ran 9 yards for the score. Riesel 8, Itasca 0 with 10:19 left in the first half. — via Chad Conine

7:58 PM: Jason Orts reports at halftime: Riley Good ran for 150 yards and touchdowns of 2 and 1 yards to lead Godley to a 14-0 lead over Troy at halftime.

The Wildcats drove 71 and 99 yards on their first two drives, but the Trojan defense has dug in since, forcing a punt and a missed field goal on their last two possessions.

Troy has yet to get anything going offensively, as it has mustered 35 yards on 18 plays. Cyrus McKenzie leads the Trojans with 35 rushing yards on nine carries.

7:54 PM: At the end of the first quarter, Riesel is completely controlling the clock, though not necessarily the score board. Itasca ran just one offensive play, which resulted in a safety. Meanwhile Riesel marched for five first downs. The Indians have the ball at the Wampus Cat 25 and a 2-0 lead as the second quarter begins. — as reported by Chad McConine

7:43 PM: The wit of Chad Conine: Riesel gets a two-run single from … err … Riesel tackles Itasca QB Greg Mason in the end zone for a safety. Riesel 2, Itasca 0, bottom 1 … errr … 7:31 left in the first quarter.

7:29 PM: Godley goes 99 yards in 16 plays, with Good doing most of the damage. He already has 147 yards on 16 carries, while Troy has run three plays on offense. Good caps it with a 1-yard TD run with 10:18 left in the half. 14-0 Wildcats.

7:24 PM: End of the 1st, but: Godley has the ball at the Troy 9, fourth-and-1, on a drive that started on the Wildcats’ 1-yard line. An illegal substitution penalty was a killer for the Trojans, as it gave Godley a first down on fourth-and-1 at the Wildcats’ 10 and allowed the drive to continue. — all the deets from Jason Orts. Godley leads 7-0.

7:10 PM: Godley strikes first against Troy with a 2-yard TD run by Riley Good (we’ll try to avoid puns throughout the evening — but no promises). Troy Hunt’s kick makes it 7-0. Jason Orts tells us:

Godley takes the opening kickoff right down the field for a touchdown. Good carries five times for 66 yards during the seven-play, 71-yard drive.

More resources:

• Our staff picks for tonight’s games
• Standings
• Area stats leaders

Radio games tonight:

Not aware that any of the games tonight are on the radio. Drop us a comment if you know differently.

We’ll have full game reports from our writers at:

• Troy vs. Godley
• Riesel vs. Itasca

We’re not at Rosebud-Lott vs. West Rusk, so let us know any updates you might have.

And a complete roundup of all the scores here on WacoTrib.com.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter

High school football podcast: Playoffs week 1

By WacoTrib.com staff | Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 06:09 AM

• We were completely wrong about McGregor
• Reicher looks primed for a three-peat
• We look at the best, worst playoff draws

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, Podcasts

The playoff picture

By WacoTrib.com staff | Saturday, November 7, 2009, 04:30 AM

Want to know how it all finished? Check out our table below.

Click here for our playoff pairings so far. We’ll have plenty of updates later today.

The playoff picture

Here are the playoff teams from each Central Texas district, based on results available at press time Friday night. The teams in bold will play in the Division I bracket in classes 5A-1A.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Football

The 5TH QUARTER: Nov. 6, 2009

By WacoTrib.com staff | Friday, November 6, 2009, 10:11 PM

District 13-six-man (Div. I)

Abbott (champion), Milford

District 14-six-man (Div. I)

Penelope (champion), Trinidad

District 14-six-man (Div. II)

Sidney (champion), Mullin

District 15-six-man (Div. II)

Walnut Springs (champion), Leveretts Chapel

UIL 11-man playoff picture

District 12-5A

Division I

• A&M Consolidated
• Bryan

Division II

• Belton
• Copperas Cove

District 16-4A

Division I

• Waxahachie
• Midway

Division II

• University
• Corsicana

District 7-3A

Division I

• Gatesville

Division II

• Glen Rose
• China Spring

District 19-3A

Division I

• La Vega

Division II

• Mexia
• Lorena

District 24-3A

Division I

• Navasota

Division II

• Caldwell
• Rockdale

District 16-2A

Division I

• Troy

Division II

• McGregor
• Crawford

District 20-2A

Division I

• Franklin

Division II

• Rosebud-Lott
• Leon

District 21-1A

Division I

• Itasca

Division II

• Dawson
• Italy

District 22-1A

Division I

• Riesel

Division II

• Lovelady
• Mart

District 25-1A

Division I

Goldthwaite

Division II

• Chilton
• Bosqueville

10:56 PM: McGregor 50, Troy 48 (3OT) —

McKenzie ran it in on fourth-and-one from the four yard line, but Roy Freeman was tackled on a counter play on the conversion.

The drive was helped when the officials threw a late, personal foul against McGregor. — an exciting finish from Brian Bateman

10:48 PM: McGregor 50, Troy 42 Sean Chappell ran it in for the TD and scrambled in for the conversion.

McGregor 42, Troy 42 (end of 2OT) — A fumbled exchange kept the Bulldogs from picking up the first. Gerhardt hit a 36-yard field goal. — from Brian Bateman

McGregor will start with the ball in the 3rd overtime.

10:38 PM: Troy goes up 42-39 in 2OT. Troy couldn’t pick up a first down, but Clark hit a 39-yard field goal.

OT: Troy drove it to the 6-yard line and Brandon Clark kicked a 23 yard field goal to tie the game.

Troy will start with the ball in the second overtime. — via Brian Bateman

10:29 PM: Pass knocked away! China Spring wins 42-41 over Gatesville. Cougars win District 7-3A, into the playoffs. Radio guys say they’ll face Canyon Lake next week. Believe that Gatesville will go against Burnet.

10:27 PM: Gatesville TD on a Jake Truss pass to Santillan (sp?). Going for 2. This is the season for China Spring.

10:24 PM: Troy won the toss and chose to play defense. McGregor got the ball to the 5 yard line, then Gerhardt hit a 22-yard field goal. — Bulldogs 39, Trojans 36. Troy ball now.

10:23 PM: Wow — Seeing on Twitter from @texashsfootball: Refs threw the entire Heights team out of game in 3Q for repeated fighting. Final score: Copperas Cove 32, Harker Heights 14.

10:21 PM: Brian Bell goes 25 yards untouched for a China Spring TD in overtime. Cougars go up 42-35 after the kick. Gatesville ball.

10:19 PM: McGregor 36, Troy 36, going to overtime: Two quick passes from Keith Reineke to Peyton Fisk put the Bulldogs in scoring range at the Troy 24-yard line with 4.9 seconds remaining. Kicker Dirk Gerhardt has had trouble tonight, missing a 31 yard field goal on the Bulldogs’ first possession.

The Bulldogs tried a 37-yard field goal from just inside the right hash mark, and Gerhardt hit it to tie the game and send it to overtime. — from Brian Bateman on the scene

10:18 PM: Going to overtime. China Spring 35, Gatesville 35

10:15 PM: China Spring goes down the field in less than a minute to tie things at 35 with Gatesville. 16.6 seconds left in the half.

10:14 PM: FINAL: University 27, Ennis 21

10:12 PM: Ennis’ D.J. Betik’s eight-yard TD run brings Ennis to within 27-21 of University with 2:22 to play. University’s Gerrell Griffin recovers the onside kick for the Trojans, but not before it went in and out of the hands of a leaping Ennis player. — via Brice Cherry

10:08 PM: Troy 36, McGregor 33 — Two straight pass plays and then a 3-yard touchdown run by Collier put the Trojans up. McKenzie scored on the 2-point conversion, putting the Trojans up by 3. — from Brian Bateman

10:07 PM: Updated from Brian Bateman at McGregor-Troy: The Trojans still have the ball, but the fans on both sides — and the players — aren’t happy with the officials’ calls in the game. Troy was the beneficiary of the last call, a late hit on a receiver. That set up a 31-yard pass play to Collier.

Troy has the ball on the 15 yard line with 46 seconds remaining.

10:06 PM: Long TD pass puts Gatesville up 35-28 with about a minute left.

10:05 PM: Lorena 21, La Vega 7 is a FINAL. From 19-3A, La Vega goes Div. I, Mexia and Lorena in Div. II.

9:59 PM: McGregor 33, Troy 28 with 2:12 left: Reineke picked off Trojans’ QB Dylan Sebek, and it looked like it was over. Then Julian Young fumbled the ball and Logan Tucker picked it up, returning it to the five-yard line. Roy Freeman scored on a pitch to cut to lead to five. — from Brian Bateman

On the onside kick, the Trojans recovered, but they were called for an illegal block. On the second attempt, they recovered it again with no flag.

9:52 PM: Lorena 21, La Vega 7 (2:08 left) — Brent Berryhill recovers a fumble for the Leopards caused by Dustin Mottley. Via Jason Orts.

9:48 PM: China Spring 28, Gatesville 28 (9:38 left) — Zach Hogeda 20 pass from Brian Bell, conversion good. Whoa!

9:47 PM: One big play deserves another. University’s Gerrell Griffin squirts through the line, then hits overdrive on his way to a 78-yard, crowd-pleasing TD run. Randy Price’s pass to Alton Montgomery for the two-point conversion brings the score to 27-14, University, with 10:21 to play. Thanks to that run, Griffin now has 110 yards rushing on just seven carries. — Brice Cherry

9:45 PM: Connally’s Craig Madkins returns an INT for a TD to go up 42-21, 6:47 4th.

9:42 PM: The University defense delivers again, in a big way. The Trojans stop Ennis on a 4th-and-inches at the University 4, taking over on downs. University still leads 19-14 with 11:22 to go in the game.

9:39 PM: Connally 35, Robinson 21 with 7:45 left. Cadets doing everything they can to make the postseason.

9:38 PM: Just checking in on Mexia, which has gone up 60-22 on Groesbeck with a 70-yard Isaiah Pevia TD run on the last play of the 3rd quarter.

9:36 PM: McGregor 33, Troy 21: Taylor Fox just ran in a three-yard score to put the Bulldogs up by two scores.

The Trojans have only attempted one pass so far this game. It was batted down at the line. It’ll be interesting to see when coach Rowe goes to the passing game. — from Brian Bateman

9:35 PM: Guess what? Another turnover to start the second half for Midway. The Panthers fumble at their own 17, but the Midway defense holds Waxahachie to a 37-yard FG by Taylor Brown. Waxahachie 27, Midway 13 with 9:57 left in the third quarter. — via Chad Conine

9:34 PM: McGregor 26, Troy 21 The majority of this game has been played between midfield and the Troy 20 yard line. Julian Young is ripping through the Troy defense for 151 yards so far, but Troy’s done a better job of taking him out of the game in the second half. — from Brian Bateman

9:33 PM: Gatesville 28, China Spring 20 now after Michael Armstrong’s 20-yard TD run. 1:08 3rd.

9:24 PM: University 19, Ennis 14 after Ennis starts the second half with a 66-yard scoring drive that culminated with a big fourth-down conversion for the score. On that play, D.J. Betik faked a handoff to Zarron Dove, then threw a three-yard TD pass to his tight end Adam Martinez for the TD. It’s now 19-14 University, with 6:06 left in the third quarter. — from Brice Cherry

9:23 PM: Jason Orts: Lorena 14, La Vega 7 end of 3rd. Lorena just converted a fourth-and-5 on an 18-yard Kailin Ketcherside run and now has the ball, first-and-goal at the La Vega 7 as the fourth quarter opens.

9:19 PM: McGregor 26, Troy 21 after Trey Collier broke free of the Bulldog defense on fourth-and-one, scoring from 41-yards out for the Trojans’ first offensive score of the game. The drive was set up by Reineke’s first interception of the night. — Brian Bateman, 7:53 3rd

9:16 PM: Connally takes the lead over Robinson 28-21 with 6:18 left in the 3rd. Cadets still have playoff hopes alive if they can knock off the Rockets and if La Vega beats Lorena.

9:13 PM: A touching and spine-tingling tribute ends the halftime ceremonies here at Waco ISD, as the University band plays “Taps” to honor the victims of the Ford Hood tragedy. University’s Junior ROTC members also carried 13 American flags, one for each of the victims. — from Brice Cherry

9:12 PM: Gatesville puts more room between itself and China Spring, going up 28-13 on Nardi Meyers’ 84-yard TD catch from Jake Truss. 8:54 3rd.

9:08 PM: Thanks to “wacojony” in the comments for the score — West 35, Whitney 14. Assume that’s somewhere around halftime.

9:07 PM: Lorena 14, La Vega 7 as Kailin Ketcherside scores on a 30-yard TD run (Sampson kick). 7:24 3rd. Jason Orts tells us:

Nothing fancy as Ketcherside takes a handoff straight up the middle and sprints through a big hole and into the end zone. The Leopards took over on a short field after a partially blocked punt, going 45 yards in two plays.

8:58 PM: Waxahachie’s Taylor Brown kicks a field goal with no time left in the first half. Waxahachie 24, Midway 13 at the half.

8:45 PM: Brice Cherry’s halftime report: The playmaking ability of senior quarterback Randy Price, combined with the big-play University defense, has the Trojans one half away from their first playoff berth since 2004. Price has rushed six times for 78 yards and a touchdown, while passing for 40 more and another score. And other than surrendering one 58-yard scoring drive, the U-Dawg defense has proven feisty, getting a fumble recovery from Katron Marshall and interceptions from Davionte Dobbins and Dominic Guinyard, the latter of which resulted in a huge touchdown just before the break.

It’s University 19, Ennis 7 at the break. The Trojans make the playoffs with a win.

8:40 PM: Midway QB Smith threw a great pass under pressure across the field to Ronnie Lee for a 10-yard TD. The point after kick failed. Waxahachie 21, Midway 13; 1:16 left in a hideous first half that has seen seven turnovers.

8:39 PM: McGregor 26, Troy 14. Brian Bateman tells us: Keith Reineke saw Sean Chappell streaking toward the end zone, but a defensive back jumped in and intercepted it — or so it looked like. Chappell popped the ball free of the defender and corralled it for a 30-yard TD before the half ended.

A kick-catch intereference penalty gave the Trojans the ball at the Bulldog’s 40 yard line, but a delay of game penalty nixed any chance for a long field goal.

8:35 PM: Lorena 7, La Vega 7 at halftime. Brian Bateman’s halftime report: La Vega ran for 129 yards in the first half, highlighted by what was officially a 61-yard scoring run by Garrett Nunley to help the Pirates to a 7-7 tie with Lorena at halftime.

On the Pirates’ touchdown, quarterback Devin McGowan broke through the line on the left side, darted back to the right sideline before the Lorena defense finally caught him at about the Leopard 10-yard line. But as McGowan was being spun down, he pitched the ball to Nunley, who took it the rest of the way.

Lorena struck first, taking advantage of a La Vega fumble to march 15 yards, capped by a Sky Dolezel 1-yard plunge on a quarterback sneak.

The Leopards were unable to get much going after that and finished with 58 total yards in the first 24 minutes.

8:33 PM: Gatesville 21, China Spring 13 — Here come the Cougars. Zach Hogeda’s 5-yard pass from Brian Bell narrows it. 0:41 left in the half.

8:30 PM: University’s opportunistic defense comes up with its third takeaway of the first half, and this one is the biggest yet. Dominic Guinyard picks off a sailing pass from Ennis QB D.J. Betik over the middle, slices toward the visiting sideline, then finds a wide-open cutback lane to the left. After that, it’s clear sailing to the end zone on his way to an 86-yard touchdown. Ricardo Casarez’s kick makes it 19-7 University with 51 seconds before halftime. — Brice Cherry

8:28 PM: Robinson 21, Connally 20 — Connally fumbles, Robinson drives 25 yards for go-ahead TD, capped by Matt Walker’s 6-yard run. 0:40 left in the half.

8:26 PM: Well, Midway will still be in the playoffs, right? Waxahachie comes right back as QB Venique Benton threw a 43-yard TD pass to Ladarius Brown. Cofer added 2-point run. Waxahachie 21, Midway 7 with 300 left in first half. — from Chad Conine

8:25 PM: McGregor 19, Troy 14. Brian Bateman reports: McGregor got a boost from Julian Young, who ran 44 yards to set up a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Sean Chappell ran it in on a one-yard, quarterback sneak.

Raul Olvera mishandled the snap and found a receiver, but it fell short of the goal line on the conversion.

He made up for it on the next play, recovering an onside kick.

8:23 PM: Connally 20, Robinson 14 (1:57 2nd)

8:22 PM: Chad Conine: Midway scores as Smith throws a 24-yard TD pass to Levi Norwood. Norwood initially took ball away from Cofer, then Cofer tipped ball and Norwood grabbed it in the air and waltzed in for TD. Waxahachie 13, Midway 7; 4:31 left in first half.

8:19 PM: China Spring gets on the board courtesy of a Michael Armstrong 1-yard run at 3:14 2nd. It’s Gatesville 21-7 now.

8:18 PM: McGregor’s Julian Young fumbled at the Troy 40 and Troy linebacker Justin Morales picked it up and raced back for a 60-yard touchdown. Brandon Clark added the extra point to go ahead, 14-13. 4:13 2nd, Troy leads in this classic 16-2A showdown for the district crown.

8:17 PM: Connally 20, Robinson 7. 4:34 2nd.

8:16 PM: La Vega’s Garrett Nunley breaks off a 61-yard TD run (Eddy Gonzalez kick) to square things at 7 at the 6:03 mark. Jason Orts tells usL

La Vega ties it up in spectacular fashion. Devin McGowan takes the snap and breaks through the line on the left side, cuts it back to the right sideline before the Lorena defense finally catches him at about the Leopard 10. But as McGowan is going down, he spots Nunley, who takes a lateral and runs into the end zone to cap a 91-yard drive for the Pirates.

Remember, Lorena has to win to make the playoffs.

8:14 PM: University reclaims the lead on a 4-yard TD quarterback sneak by the ever-elusive Randy Price, who has 78 yards rushing thus far. The Trojans try to pass for two, but can’t complete it. It’s 12-7 University with 5:04 remaining in the half. — from Brice Cherry, public enemy No. 1

8:12 PM: Stop us if you’ve heard this before — Cody Cryer 3-yard TD pass from Jake Truss puts Gatesville up 21-0 on China Spring at 6:19 in the 2nd.

This is bad, bad news for Cougar Nation. Remember, China Spring is out of the playoffs if they lose here and West beats Whitney (which is a good bet).

8:10 PM: Brian Bateman reports it’s now Bulldogs 13, Trojans 7 at 5:47 in the 2nd: McGregor’s Julian Young took a handoff and broke through two arm tackles and a leg tackle for a 30-yard score. Gerhardt’s extra point was no good.

The drive was set up by a partially blocked punt, which was returned to the 30 yard line.

8:07 PM: Robinson narrows it to 12-7 on Matt Walker’s 25-yard TD run. 9:15 2nd.

8:05 PM: Chad Conine reports: Waxahachie’s Oshae Cofer stripped Marc Martinez for the Indians third takeaway of the first quarter. As the second quarter starts, Waxahachie has a third-and-7 at the Midway 39. Waxahachie 13, Midway 0.

8:03 PM: Connally 12, Robinson 0 — Robinson fumbled on 1, then Connally drove 99 yards for the touchdown. They went for 2, got it, but was nullified by a penalty, then missed an extra point kick attempt.

Remember, as you probably read in our playoff scenarios story, if the Cadets win, Lorena must beat La Vega to get in the playoffs. Otherwise, Connally is in.

8:01 PM: Gatesville 14, China Spring 0 after Caleb Pratt’s 1-yard TD run (10:38 2nd). Cougars are hoping Whitney’s mounting a Herculean effort tonight …

7:59 PM: McGregor 7, Troy 7 after a quarter. Both squads tested the middle of the defensive front, but the Bulldogs just starting testing the outside. They’re driving (at the Troy 35) to start the second. — Brian Bateman

7:58 PM: Ennis 7, University 6. End of 1st.

7:57 PM: End of 1st: La Vega just converted a fourth-and-6 with an 8-yard pass and now has the ball, second-and-9 at the Lorena 20. — from Jason Orts. Still Lorena 7, La Vega 0.

7:56 PM: Midway’s only loss this season came when QB Ryan Smith had two picks returned for TDs and Waxahachie just got one of that variety. Indians CB Sam Gagliano gathered in a tip pass in the flat and sprinted 55 yards for a touchdown. Kick failed. Waxahachie 13, Midway 0 — as reported by the globetrotting Chad Conine

7:55 PM: Ennis bounces back, as 1,000-yard rusher Zarron Dove flies through the Trojan defense on an eight-yard TD run. Juan Patlan’s PAT kick gives Ennis a 7-6 lead at the 1:19 mark of the opening quarter. — from Brice Cherry

7:54 PM: McGregor 7, Troy 7 at the end of the 1st. Brian Bateman tells us:

Troy fumbled the ball twice inside its own 30 — once on running play and another on a muffed punt. Troy couldn’t capitalize on the first, missing a 31-yard field goal, but Sean Chappell found the end zone on a 5-yard run from the wildcat formation.

Then, Roy Freeman bobbled the kickoff, which slowed the Bulldogs just enough for him to escape the first line of attackers and run the kick back 100 yards for a touchdown.

McGregor: Sean Chappell 5 run (Dirk Gerhardt kick), 1:03, 1st
Troy: Ray Freeman 100 kick return (Clark kick), :49, 1st

7:49 PM: Lorena’s Sky Dolezel scores on a 1-yard run (Josh Sampson kick) to make it 7-0 Leopards. Jason Orts tells us:

Lorena gets a La Vega fumble at the Pirate 15 and takes five plays to cash it in.

7:48 PM: Gatesville 7, China Spring 0 on Cody Cryer’s 3-yard TD pass from Jake Truss. 5:37 1st.

7:42 PM: Brice Cherry reports from Waco ISD Stadium: Great start for the University Trojans here at Waco ISD. On the first play from scrimmage, Randy Price fools the Ennis defense on a keeper and darts 53 yards into Lion territory. Then three plays later, he scrambles around, looks as if he’s going to run, but then spots an open Jarrod Hall in the back of the end zone for a 22-yard TD connection. The kick is no good, but the Trojans lead 6-0 with 10:18 left in the first.

7:41 PM: Chad Conine reports from Floyd Casey Stadium: Waxahachie strikes quickly as runningback LaJordan Easley runs 44 yards down the far sideline for a touchdown. Waxahachie 7, Midway 0; 10:44 left in first quarter.

7:40 PM: Not sure why some last-minute schedule shuffling happened, but Reicher clinched the district title last night with a 61-0 home win vs. Texas School for the Deaf.

That’s an undefeated district slate for the Cougars, who will host a first-round playoff game next week against either Fort Worth Calvary or Carrollton Christian.

7:35 PM: Although we’re not covering it tonight, Mexia has taken a quick 8-0 lead on Groesbeck via Jeremy Strain’s TD. Blackcats lead with 10:31 left.

This is it!

• Playoff scenarios — the complete breakdown

• Jason Orts’ High School Preview

• Midway football coach Kent Bachtel takes shot at final district title of long career

• Our staff picks

More resources:

• Standings
• Area stats leaders

Radio games tonight:

• University vs. Ennis — 1010-AM / 1010kbw.com or 94.5-FM
• Midway vs. Waxahachie — 94.5-FM
• Robinson vs. Connally — 1660-AM / 1660espn.com
• Mexia vs. Groesbeck / 104.9-FM
• China Spring vs. Gatesville — 92.9-FM / star929fm.com

We’ll have full game reports from our writers at:

• Midway vs. Waxahachie
• University vs. Ennis
• La Vega at Lorena
• Troy at McGregor
• Gatesville at China Spring
• Robinson at Connally

And a complete roundup of all the scores here on Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter

High school football podcast: Week 10

By WacoTrib.com staff | Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 02:35 AM

• Do too many teams make the playoffs?
• We break down playoff scenarios
• Our best memories of Midway coach Kent Bachtel

Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, Podcasts

The 5TH QUARTER: Oct. 30, 2009

By WacoTrib.com staff | Friday, October 30, 2009, 10:47 PM

10:47 PM: China Spring 47, Glen Rose 44 is a final.

Also:

• Troy 56, Hico 7
• Bynum 72, Kopperl 26
• Milford 46, Blum 22
• Penelope 50, Trinidad 41
• Star 64, Cranfills Gap 16
• Leveretts Chapel 57, Oglesby 12
• Iredell 62, Morgan 6
• Leveretts Chapel 57, Oglesby 12
• Evant 42, Comanche Paradigm Charter 20
• Live Oak Classical 59, FW Our Lady of Grace 0

10:36 PM: Some finals:

• Lorena 21, Robinson 7
• Mexia 50, Connally 21
• Gatesville 31, West 21
• Cameron 24, Navasota 22
• McGregor 40, Clifton 7
• Franklin 25, Marlin 0
• Rosebud-Lott 33, Leon 20
• Itasca 26, Frost 20
• Wortham 28, Axtell 6
• Mart 30, Normangee 26
• Riesel 28, Bremond 6
• Goldthwaite 37, Bosqueville 22
• Cleburne 21, University 0
• Midway 20, Waco High 17

10:22 PM: Gatesville keeps flinging to the finish to try to cover the 10-point spread, scoring on a 10-yard TD pass from Jake Truss to Cody Navarro with 1 second left. Then the Hornets naturally go for 2, and score on a end-around pass from Dominique Moore to Garrett Johnson. The Gatesville fans go bananas, as that clinches a playoff berth. Gatesville’s kickoff goes out of bounds, giving West one final play, but Anthony’s Hail Mary pass falls incomplete. Final score: Gatesville 31, West 21

10:18 PM: China Spring just stopped Glen Rose on 4th and 9. They get the ball with 5:36 left at its own 46.

10:08 PM: Wow — University got shut out, 21-0. By Cleburne.

10:06 PM: Midway went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Waco 39. Panther RB Marc Martinez burst through the middle for 7 yards to give Midway a big first down with less than 2:30 left. — from Chad

10:04 PM: The cardiac kids from West are at it again, as they’ve pulled to within 23-21 with 54 seconds remaining. The TD came on a 5-yard connection between Kelvin Anthony and Heath Harris. You can surmise that an onside kick is forthcoming. (West recovered its last onside try). — from Brice Cherry

9:57 PM: Midway retakes the lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Smith to Ronnie Lee. The point-after kick failed, so the Panthers lead 20-17 with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter. — Chad Conine

9:55 PM: China Spring scores a huge TD, conversion to pull within 3 points. Cougars trail Glen Rose 36-33 at the beginning of the 4th.

9:53 PM: Tyler Horton QB keeper probably puts it away for Goldthwaite, 37-22. 3:17 left.

9:52 PM: Reicher goes up 67-14 on Bryan St. Joseph.

9:51 PM: Glen Rose 36, China Spring 25 as the 3rd quarter comes to a close.

9:50 PM: McGregor 40, Clifton 7 after the Dogs recover a Cubs fumble. Dirk Gerhardt 40-yard FG with 1:13 left in the 3rd.

9:49 PM: McGregor goes up 37-7 after Keith Reineke’s 47-yard pass to Sean Chappell. About 3 left in the 3rd.

9:48 PM: Goldthwaite 30, Bosqueville 22 after Joel Wymore’s 73-yard pass from Cody Feight. 7:38 4th.

9:44 PM: Chad Conine tells us: Kollin Kahler perfect ball to Izaial Floyd on a flag pattern for a 39-yard touchdown. Waco High 17, Midway 14 with 11:16 left in the game.

9:42 PM: Bremond gets on the board to make it 28-6 with 3:54 left: Bremond quarterback Jonathan White found his favorite target, Dylon Lindley, streaking down the middle of the field for a 54-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was wide left.

The Tigers attempted an onside kick, but Riesel recovered. — Brian Bateman

9:40 PM: Gatesville might have just squirreled this one away, as Jake Truss dances in from three yards out for his second TD run of the game. Truss misses the PAT, but the Hornets still lead 23-6 with 4:25 remaining in the game. — from Brice Cherry

9:39 PM: Goldthwaite 30, Bosqueville 15 (8:34 4th) — Williams 25 run

9:38 PM: Lorena’s Evan Ward breaks free for a 58-yard TD run (Sampson kick) with 9:24 left. Leopards lead 21-7. Jason Orts tells us:

The Rockets are stopped on a fourth down, and Ward does it again. This time, he took the direct snap around left end, found a crease and burst into the open field, made a Robinson defender miss at about the 15-yard line and took it into the end zone.

9:34 PM: Bosqueville closes it to one score, 23-15, after J.T. Antis scores on a 2-yard pass from Cody Feight (Michael Carpenter run). 11:42 left in the ballgame.

9:33 PM: Reicher 53, Bryan St. Joseph 7. And it’s only 6:59 3rd. Maybe they need a 45 rule in TAPPS, too.

9:29 PM: Brice Cherry reports: West finally gets on the board on the first play of the fourth quarter, as Kelvin Anthony finds Cody Aycock in the flat, and the running back does the rest, darting 24 yards to paydirt. The normally-reliable Heath Harris misses the PAT, but it’s a little more interesting, as Gatesville leads 17-6 with 11:49 to play.

9:28 PM: Jason Orts: Lorena 14, Robinson 7 — end third quarter.

Robinson just went for it on fourth-and-four on its own 49 and got it on a 7-yard run by Domonic Degrate on a speed option. The Rockets now have the ball, second-and-8 at the Lorena 42.

9:27 PM: Waco High recovered a muff punt at the Midway 26 and turned it into a touchdown. Cameron Terry, operating out of the Wildcat, ran 12 yards, then Dennis Gibson took an option pitch from Kollin Kahler and went 10 yards for a touchdown. Midway 14, Waco 10 with 6:22 left in the third quarter. — Chad Conine

9:26 PM: Goldthwaite 23, Bosqueville 7. Luis Arredondo 35 field goal, 5:56 3rd.

9:25 PM: Cody Wilson just intercepted his third pass of the night for the Riesel Indians. 28-0 over Bremond going to the 4th.

9:24 PM: McGregor goes up 30-0 with a 37-yard Dirk Gerhardt field goal.

9:20 PM: Lorena takes a 14-7 lead on Robinson with Evan Ward’s 2-yard TD run (Sampson kick) at 3:46 in the 3rd. Jason Orts tells us:

The Leopards go 75 yards in seven plays, with three passes in the flat going for 37 yards, and Ward took them to the 2-yard line with a 33-yard run on a quarterback sweep before taking it in himself on the next play.

9:19 PM: Riesel goes up 28-0 at 1:08 left in the 3rd. Brian Bateman:

Bremond took away the Indians’ outside running ability in the second half, but Riesel added a new element to their offense — the passing game.

9:17 PM: Midway starts the second half with a 68-yard drive for a TD. Ryan Smith, who threw 24 yards to Kevin Thomas for the key play to the Waco 18, capped it by plunging ahead for a 1-yard TD. Midway 14-3, 8:02 left in the third quarter. — from Chad Conine

9:15 PM: West has now missed on two chances to score here in the second half, as the Trojans were stopped on 4th-and-goal from the 1, and then followed with a missed 29-yard field goal from Heath Harris on their next drive. It’s still 17-0 Gatesville with about five minutes left in the third quarter. — Brice Cherry

8:57 PM: Here’s a summary of the 1st-half action at the McGregor-Clifton game, thanks to my dad:

McGregor started the scoring early with a 2-yard run by Julian Young to cap a 70-yard drive. Kick failed, 6-0 Bulldogs. They then went up 13-0 on another Young TD run after picking up a Clifton fumble for a short drive.

Young kept McGregor piling up points from 7 yards out at 2:12 in the 1st to cap a 45-yard drive, making it 20-0.

Clifton nearly got on the board with a long pass play down to the Dogs’ 10, but the receiver fumbled the rock when he got hit. The Bulldogs returned the favor by driving to the Cubs’ 4-yard line and fumbling with 9 minutes left in the half.

McGregor went up 27-zip when Keith Reineke took a QB keeper toward the end zone from 13 yards out, but lost the ball. Teammate Chris Alamon snatched it out of the air for the score.

The Cubs drove down to the McGregor goal line with 17 seconds left, but the Dogs were able to keep them out of the end zone. Halftime score is McGregor 27, Clifton 0.

8:49 PM: China Spring 19, Glen Rose 14 (halftime)

8:45 PM: One more note: The scuttlebutt in the press box is that a Gatesville win by 10 points or more will sew up a playoff spot for the Hornets. — Brice Cherry

8:43 PM: Brice Cherry’s halftime report: Talk about playing the perfect game of keep-away. Gatesville has held the ball for more than 19 minutes in building a 17-0 halftime edge over West in a matchup of District 7-3A playoff hopefuls. The Hornets have 15 first downs to West’s one, and have amassed 217 yards of offense to the Trojans’ 21. One reason Gatesville has been able to move the chains with such effectiveness is the precise route-running and sticky hands of senior receiver Dominique Moore, who has eight catches for 72 yards.

8:42 PM: Cleburne leads University 7-0 at the break.

8:41 PM: Glen Rose narrows things to 19-14 behind China Spring and Gatesville is shutting out West, 17-0 at the half. District tiebreaker situations are starting to loom on the horizon.

8:38 PM: Brice Cherry: Gatesville runs its one-minute offense to perfection to build its lead to 17-0 over West here at McKamie Stadium. Jake Truss, who has completed 10 of 18 in the passing game, does it with his feet for the touchdown, pounding up the middle on a 1-yard TD keeper with 4 seconds left in the half. The score remains that way as the halftime gun sounds on a very complete first-half effort from the Hornets.

8:34 PM: Robinson 7, Lorena 7 at halftime. Jason Orts gives us his insight:

Robinson’s Josh Reeves and Lorena’s Evan Ward both caught a touchdown pass to send a hard-hitting District 19-3A contest into halftime tied at 7.

Both scores came in the second quarter, and it was the Rockets who struck first.

Reeves got open behind the Lorena secondary and hauled in a Tanner McGee pass, just managing to drag his foot inside the pylon for a 37-yard score. But Lorena answered right back on an 18-yard score from Sky Dolezel to Ward, who had to reach back and tip the ball to himself before scooting into the end zone.

Robinson ran for 91 yards on 20 carries, while Reeves’ touchdown catch was the Rockets’ only completion of the first half. The Leopards managed 115 yards of total offense — 71 on the ground, while Dolezel was 6-for-10 for 44 yards.

Neither team turned the ball over in the first 24 minutes.

8:33 PM: Midway 7, Waco High 3: Midway takes the lead on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Smith to Ronnie Lee. On second-and-10 from the Midway 47, Waco High showed that they were bringing the house and Smith threw to a wide open Lee, who didn’t have a Waco High player within 30 yards of him. Midway 7, Waco 3; 1:25 remaining in the second quarter. — as described by Chad Conine

8:32 PM: China Spring goes up 19-7 on Glen Rose after an 83-yard TD from Brian Bell to Kyal Meyers. 2:37 until the break.

8:31 PM: Riesel 21, Bremond 0 at halftime. Brian Bateman says:

Bremond moved backward with a fumble, and the half ended at 21-0. D. Ray Morgan, has only rushed twice for minus four yards. The Tigers finished the half with 13 yards of offense, compared to 196 for the Indians.

On the other sideline, quarterback JD Gooch has 92 yards rushing and a touchdown.

8:29 PM: Cleburne leads University 7-0 in the 2nd.

8:28 PM: Mexia is cruising. 36-7 over Connally at halftime.

8:25 PM: Riesel 21, Bremond 0. Brian Bateman says: Riesel lined up in its normal offensive set, but then quick-kicked it down the field. Bremond didn’t stay away from it, and after a fumble, Riesel’s Triston Jablonowski recovered it in the end zone.

Gooch ran it on on the conversion.

Riesel has 196 yards of offense to Bremond’s 23.

8:22 PM: Jonathon Williams’ 70-yard TD run puts (PAT no good) puts Goldthwaite up 20-7 on Bosqueville at 1:34 in the 2nd. Williams already has 149 yards on ground

8:21 PM: Reicher 29, Bryan St. Joseph 7 (6:38 2nd)

8:19 PM: Chad Conine reports: Waco High kicker Ernesto Guevara gives the Lions the lead with a 21-yard field goal. Waco 3, Midway 0; 5:39 left in the second quarter.

8:18 PM: Chad Conine reports: Waco High gets the first big break as Midway punter Beau Blackshear chased an errant snap to his 8 before he had to fall on it. Waco High has first-and-goal from the Midway 8. 0-0 6:18 left in second.

8:17 PM: Scores after a quarter from the Corsicana Daily Sun, http://corsicanadailysun.com —Dawson 6, Italy 6; Wortham 7, Axtell 6

8:16 PM: Reicher 22, Bryan St. Joseph 7 (8:33 2nd) — Matt Hicks 80-yard run for the score.

8:15 PM: Brice Cherry: It’s all Hornets here in Gatesville, who now lead 10-0 over West with 3:11 left to play in the opening half. Jake Truss found Dexter Knox on a high 20-yard touchdown pass lofted toward the back of the end zone for the Gatesville touchdown. The Hornets have 10 first downs to West’s none.

8:14 PM: Conversion fails. 12-7 Cougars.

8:13 PM: Kyal Meyers hauls in a nice TD catch for China Spring to bring it to 12-7. Probable conversion pending.

8:12 PM: Jason Orts tells us that Lorena’s Evan Ward evens things on an 18-yard pass from Sky Dolezel (Josh Sampson kick) at 5:39 in the 2nd:

Ward has to reach back to catch the pass, manages to tip the ball in the air and gather it in dragging across the field and take it into the end zone to cap a 10-play, 60-yard drive.

8:11 PM: Reicher 15, Bryan St. Joseph 7 (8:53 2nd)

8:10 PM: Goldthwaite 14, Bosqueville 7. Tyler Horton 1-yard run puts the Eagles ahead. 5:26 2nd.

8:09 PM: Riesel goes up 13-0 after halfback Ty Marshall huddled low to the ground in a shotgun set, then caught the direct snap and sat still before running off the left side — think modified fumblerooskie — for a 24-yard touchdown.

The Indians had a bad snap on the extra point attempt. — from our Brian Bateman

8:05 PM: Mexia goes up 22-0 on Connally after a Doug Gentry TD, conversion.

8:03 PM: Robinson 7, Lorena 0, as Jason Orts tells us: Robinson stops Lorena on a fourth down, then goes 77 yards in seven plays. On the touchdown, Reeves gets open behind the Leopard secondary and caught a pass from McGee just inside the pylon and managed to drag his foot inbounds for the score. 10:45 2nd.

8:00 PM: Brian Bateman’s observations after a quarter: The Bremond receivers have been turning inside on every pass play. That usually works when they’re in one-on-one coverages, but the passes have been so close to the line of scrimmage that almost every reception has netted negative yardage.

Riesel has moved the ball well on the outside. The Indians have three runs of 10 yards or more in the quarter, including a 56-yard pitch that set up the first score of the game.

7:56 PM: Bosqueville ties it at 7 after Michael Carpenter’s 26-yard TD run on the final play of the first quarter.

7:55 PM: Riesel 7, Bremond 0, reports Brian Bateman: Riesel safety Cody Wilson intercepted a pass in the end zone setting up an 80-yard drive for the Indians. Wingback Eric Wallace broke off a 56-yard run, setting up quarterback JD Gooch’s 3-yard TD run on 4th-and-2.

7:53 PM: Gatesville strikes first in its 7-3A showdown with West, as Jake Truss nails a 32-yard field goal using the rare straight-ahead style rather than the soccer-style method. That capped off an 11-play scoring drive for the Hornets, who lead 3-0 with just five seconds to play in the first quarter. — from Brice Cherry

7:52 PM: Robinson 0, Lorena 0 after a quarter of play. Robinson has the ball, second-and-4 at its own 45, reports our Jason Orts.

7:51 PM: Midway drove 96 yards for no points as kicker Cameron Dorsett missed a 21-yarder. Panthers QB Ryan Smith completed five of eight passes on the drive for 68 yards. Still 0-0 with 3:34 left in the first quarter. — via Mr. Chad Conine

7:50 PM: Reicher 15, Bryan St. Joseph 0 (4:35 1st)

7:49 PM: Goldthwaite goes up a TD on Bosqueville with under a minute left in the 1st quarter on a Cagen Smith 14-yard scoring run. 7-0 Eagles.

7:47 PM: Another TD on a 37-yard drive for the Cats, but conversion failed on a soggy field. Mexia 14, Connally 0 at 5:48 in the 1st.

7:44 PM: Sounds like the Cadets fumbled the snap on their first play. Blackcats recover around the Connally 35.

7:41 PM: Can hardly get 104.9 on the radio in the office, but Mexia has taken an 8-0 lead on Connally. (Yeah, they went for 2 without any hesitation.)

Resources this week:

• Standings
• Area stats leaders

Radio games tonight:

• Midway vs. Waco High — 1010-AM / 1010kbw.com or 94.5-FM
• Robinson vs. Lorena — 1660-AM / 1660espn.com
• Mexia vs. Connally / 104.9-FM
• China Spring vs. Glen Rose — 92.9-FM / star929fm.com

We’ll have full game reports from our writers at:

• Midway at Waco High
• West at Gatesville
• Lorena at Robinson
• Bremond at Riesel
• Goldthwaite at Bosqueville
• Bryan St. Joseph at Reicher

And a complete roundup of all the scores here on Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter

High school football podcast: Week 9

By WacoTrib.com staff | Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 02:19 AM

• The playoffs are almost here — we look at our preseason predictions that came true
• What’s better — a shootout or a defensive matchup?
• Game of the week: Midway-Waco High, Lorena-Robinson or West-Gatesville?

Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, Podcasts

The 5TH QUARTER: Oct. 23, 2009

By WacoTrib.com staff | Friday, October 23, 2009, 11:07 PM

FINAL: La Vega 54, Robinson 46 in 4OT. Arron Brandon’s 4-yard TD run (and 2-point run) clinch it.

10:53 PM: Robinson’s Tanner McGee gets picked off by La Vega’s Melvin Allenin the 4th OT. Pirates need any points to win.

10:49 PM: La Vega 46, Robinson 46 — Going to 4OT. Matt Walker stretches the ball across the goal line on an option play.

10:45 PM: La Vega 46, Robinson 44 (3OT) — Domonic Degrate 6-yard TD run for the Rockets, splitting 2 defenders. Conversion pending.

10:41 PM: La Vega 46, Robinson 38 (3OT) — Arron Brandon went 25 yards on one play for a TD. Pirates had to go for 2, and they got it. Robinson ball.

10:36 PM: Brian Bateman: Whitney put together a late drive, and Dillon Hightower scored on the final play to make it 56-13 China Spring.

10:32 PM: In double OT Robinson’s Kacy Walton makes it 38-31 over La Vega on a 24-yard TD run (Ceballos kick). Jason Orts describes it:

Walton takes a handoff on a quick-hitting trap, and there’s nobody beyond the line of scrimmage. It’s La Vega’s ball.

10:28 PM: Robinson 31, La Vega 31 after one overtime, behind Matt Walker’s 2-yard run (Ceballos kick).

One play after an interception was negated by a pass interference call, Walker runs left, spins off a tackle and dives to the pylon to send the game to a second overtime.

10:25 PM: Pirates strike first in overtime. Tevin Thompson 3-yard TD run on 4th-and-1 (Gonzalez kick). Rocket ball now. La Vega 31, Robinson 24.

10:22 PM: China Spring 56, Whitney 7 at 2:58 left: The backups are in for China Spring, and Collin Wood found Alec Cagle for a 7-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. — from Brian Bateman

10:21 PM: Lorena 49, Mexia 42. Final.

10:20 PM: Lorena 49, Mexia 42 after Evan Ward scores his sixth TD of the night to put Lorena up with 11 seconds left. (from Chad Conine

10:19 PM: Lorena is at the Mexia 16 with 0:51 left in the game. It’s 42-all.

10:15 PM: University 55, Midlothian 20. 2:44 left.

10:14 PM: Robinson’s Abe Ceballos ties it up at the buzzer with a 30-yard field goal. Robinson 24, La Vega 24:

We’re headed to overtime as the Rockets drive 48 yards to the La Vega 19 before Ceballos drills the field goal to tie the game as time expires. — from Jason Orts

Remember, the Rockets led 21-7 in this one.

10:12 PM: Mexia comes back to tie it at 42 with Lorena! Trae Davis throws an 18-yard TD pass to D.J. Robinson and gentry runs for two. 3:59 left. (from Chad Conine)

10:08 PM: China Spring 49, Whitney 7 (7:04 4th) — Zach Geiger beat the cornerback for a 24-yard touchdown reception. That’s 405 yards for Bell tonight with five touchdowns. — from Brian Bateman

10:02 PM: Jason Orts: La Vega takes a 24-21 lead with just 1:05 left in the game Eddy Gonzalez’s 23-yard field goal.

Robinson has no timeouts left.

9:56 PM: Brice Cherry: Waco High is still breathing, cutting Corsicana’s lead to 32-22 with 3:30 to play on an interesting play, to say the least. The Lions bring in backup QB Brian Lyons, and his deflected pass is hauled in by regular QB Kollin Kahler, who then darts 38 yards to the end zone. Cameron Terry’s two-point run brings the Lions to within 10.

9:55 PM: China Spring 42, Whitney 7. Brian Bateman reports: Brian Bell threw a strike to Kyal Meyers, hitting him in stride as he crossed the goal line 42 yards away. 11:16 left.

Meyers now has two interceptions and 140 yards receiving with a touchdown.

9:51 PM: Cougars 35, Whitney 7 after 3 quarters: It’s been all China Spring in the second half. The Cougars scored twice early in the half. Whitney did have a long drive, but it ended when Kyal Meyers intercepted his second pass of the game. — via Brian Bateman

9:43 PM: University puts its first points on the board in the second half. Now leading 55-7 at 2:50 in the 3rd.

9:42 PM: Don’t count out the Blackcats just yet. Trae Davis scores for Mexia on a 4-yard run (kick failed). Lorena up by a score, 42-34 with 2:04 left in the third. (via Chad Conine)

9:40 PM: La Vega ties the game up, 21-21, on Devin McGowan’s 72 yard TD pass from Tony Montoya (Gonzalez kick) at 9:17 in the 4th. Jason Orts says:

On third-and-7, Montoya lofts a perfect strike deep down the right sideline to McGowan, who beat his defender on man-to-man coverage and streaked into the end zone to tie the game.

9:37 PM: Cody Evans will not be stopped on this night. He scores his third TD of the night for Corsicana on a 16-yard run, bringing the Tiger lead to 32-14 with 10:51 to play in the game. Evans initially looked to be stopped after about five yards, but nobody on Waco High wrapped him up, and the forward progress-minded runner kept churning until he reached paydirt. — from Brice Cherry

9:35 PM: Brian Bateman tells us it’s now China Spring 35, Whitney 7: Zach Hogeda outjumped a Wildcat defensive back for a 10-yard touchdown. China Spring has 153 yards of offense in this half already compared to 212 in the first half.

9:33 PM: Chad Conine reports it’s now Lorena 42, Mexia 28: Evan Ward scores his fifth TD, this one from 14 yards, to give the Leopards a 42-28 lead with 5:05 left in the third.

9:28 PM: Waco High still has life. The Lions get the big play they needed, as Kollin Kahler lofts a 50-yard TD pass over the middle to a streaking Quin Searcy, bringing Waco High to within 25-14 with 1:20 left in the third. — from Brice Cherry

9:27 PM: Robinson 21, La Vega 14 after La Vega’s Anthony Martinez returns a punt 47 yards for a TD (Gonzalez kick), 2:53 3rd. Jason Orts report:

Devin McGowan fields the punt, hands off to Martinez on the reverse, and he gets about three or four absolutely bone-crushing blocks that spring him down the left sideline and into the end zone. Robinson had all the momentum after stopping the Pirates on a fourth-and-goal, but the Pirates took it right back.

9:26 PM: Brian Bateman reports a quick Cougars strike to begin the 2nd half: It didn’t take long for the Cougars, marching 69 yards in 1:30. 28-7 at 10:30.

9:24 PM: Lorena’s Evan ward scores his fourth td to put the leopards back up, 35-28, with 939 left in the third. — via Chad Conine

9:13 PM: Mexia scores quickly to start the second half as Davis runs 63 yards for a TD. 28-28; 11:40 third quarter. — via Chad Conine

9:05 PM: Another bad start for Waco High. The Lions fumble the second-half kickoff, Corsicana recovers, and the Tigers capitalize with a quick four-play scoring drive. Quarterback Cameron Cutrer caps it off with a two-yard sneak for the TD. It’s 25-7, Corsicana, with 10:42 to play in the third quarter. — Brice Cherry

8:51 PM: Brian Bateman’s halftime report from China Spring 21, Whitney 7 at the break:

Whitney drove to the China Spring 12-yard line, but kicker Jack Jackson missed a field goal to the right to end the half.

The story of the game is still penalties. Whitney has eight for 50 and China Spring has seven for 71.

The Wildcats have 168 yards passing to China Springs 158. The main difference in the offenses has been the running game, where the Wildcats have minus-3 yards rushing and a touchdown compared with the Cougars 54 and two touchdowns.

8:45 PM: No mercy for University. Trojans go up 48-7 on Damian Halliburton’s 24-yard fumble return.

8:43 PM: Jason Orts’ halftime report from Robinson-La Vega:

Matt Walker ran for a touchdown, caught a pass for another score and picked off a La Vega pass to lead Robinson to a 21-7 halftime lead.

Quarterback Tanner McGee found Walker open for a 32-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to put the Rockets ahead, 14-7, before Walker shook off a Pirate defender in the backfield for a 7-yard score with 4:19 remaining before halftime.

The teams traded scores on their first possessions, with Domonic Degrate putting Robinson on the board with a 4-yard blast into the end zone before La Vega’s Devin McGowan tied the score with a spectacular 30-yard spurt on which he leapt over a defender, cut back inside and darted to paydirt.

Robinson has 192 yards of total offense and has intercepted a pair of La Vega passes, while the Pirates gained 130 yards in the first half.

8:42 PM: Lorena 28, Mexia 21 at halftime.

8:41 PM: University 41, Midlothian 7 near halftime. Good job, Trojans, but … yawn.

8:37 PM: Brice Cherry’s halftime report from Waco High-Corsicana:

Corsicana is set up well to tally its first win over Waco High since consolidation in 1986. (Waco High is 3-0 over the Tigers). The Tigers have gouged Waco High’s defense for 155 rushing yards in the first half en route to an 18-7 halftime edge. The Lions have also run the ball well — junior Dennis Gibson has 88 yards on 11 carries — but Corsicana has sacked Waco High QB Kollin Kahler five times, including on the last play of the half, pushing Waco High out of field goal range even for muscle-legged Ernesto Guevara.

8:35 PM: Chad Conine: Mexia holds serve again as Trae Davis throws a 5-yard TD pass to D.J. Williams. Lorena 28-21; 2:37 left in the half.

8:34 PM: China Spring 21, Whitney 7 (3:00 2nd). Brian Bateman tells us: China Spring forced a Wildcat punt, then drove 56 yards in 42 seconds. Michael Armstrong scored from 8 yards out for a 21-7 advantage.

8:31 PM: University’s cruising. 35-7 over Midlothian at 5:22 left in the half.

8:27 PM: Brian Bateman: Just like that, China Spring scored again. Kyal Meyers caught a 22-yard pass, setting up Michael Armstrong’s 13-yard TD run on a counter. The Cougars attempted an onside kick, but failed. Cougars up 14-7 now at 4:48

8:26 PM: Whitney squares things at 7 after quarterback Justin Bartley passes for 78 yards on the last drive, including a severely underthrown fade pass that Derrian Kennerson somehow caught. The Wildcats tried an onside kick, but failed to recover it. — from Brian Bateman, 5:57 left in the half

8:25 PM: Brice Cherry: Corsicana kicker Grant Gibson drills a chip-shot 21-yard field goal to extend the Tigers’ lead to 18-7 with 1:45 to play in the half. Waco High’s De’Andre Johnson and Evan Gordon did team up to make a nice stop on third-and-goal to keep the Tigers out of the end zone, however.

8:24 PM: Jason Orts: Robinson 21, La Vega 7 (4:19 2nd) after Matt Walker’s 7-yard TD run (Ceballos kick).

Walker takes the snap, rolls left and shakes off a tackle in the backfield before scooting into the end zone to cap a six-play, 41-yard drive that was set up when Walker intercepted a Tony Montoya pass.

8:20 PM: Chad Conine’s at a wild one, now Lorena 28, Mexia 13: Lorena scores again. This time it’s Kailin Ketcherside — he runs 46 yards to the Mexia 3, then scores on the next play. Lorena 28-13; 7:02 left in the half.

8:15 PM: Mexia holds serve as Trae Davis throws a 5-yard td pass to dj Robinson. Kick failed. Lorena 21-13; 8:28 left in half. — from Chad Conine

8:14 PM: Brian Bateman finally helped us get a score in the China Spring game: Whitney quarterback Justin Bartley tried to avoid a sack with a shuttle pass, but China Spring’s Kyal Meyers intercepted the ball. Two plays later, Brian Bell avoided a sack and found Reece Meador for a 43-yard touchdown. Cougars 7, Whitney 0. 8:14 left in the half.

8:12 PM: Jason Orts tells us that Robinson takes a 14-7 lead over Mexia on Matt Walker’s 32-yard TD reception from Tanner McGee (Ceballos kick) at 11:05 in the 2nd:

Three total possessions in this game, three touchdowns. This time McGee pump fakes and is blasted as he throws, but is able to get rid of the ball to Walker, who was wide open behind the La Vega secondary for the easy score.

8:11 PM: That’s the way to bounce back after a touchdown. Corsicana’s Cody Evans navigates his way through Waco High’s kickoff unit on a spectacular 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Waco High was actually offsides on the kick, but naturally Corsicana declined. Tigers lead 15-7 with 9:19 left in the half after successfully going for two following the TD.

8:10 PM: Alton Montgomery hauls in a 47-yard TD pass from Randy Price to put University up 21-7. 11:51 2nd.

8:09 PM: orena’s Chandler Snodgrass returns an onside kick attempt to the Mexia 12. Evan Ward scores his third TD on a 7-yard run. Lorena 21-7; 9:48 left in first. — via Chad Conine

8:07 PM: University 14, Midlothian 7 after Baylor commitment Eddie Johnson’s 67-yard TD pass from Dillon Fairbanks pull the Panthers within 7. 0:05 1st.

8:06 PM: Waco High responds, as the Lions’ running game is starting to get going. Dave Simmons’ 2-yard TD run, followed by Ernesto Guevara’s PAT kick, ties things up here in Corsicana at 7. On the TD, Kollin Kahler made a pretty ball-fake to Dennis Gibson up the middle before pitching to Simmons for the score. That makes it all tied up at 7.

8:04 PM: Mexia gets in the game as Doug Gentry runs 17 yards for a touchdown. Lorena 14-7, 11:02 left in first half. — Chad Conine

8:02 PM: University goes up 14-0 on Midlothian after a big play, Jarrod Hall’s 53-yard TD pass from Randy Price. 1:01 1st

7:58 PM: It’s scoreless between China Spring and Whitney after a frame. Our new guy, Brian Bateman, tells us:

It’s been a story of penalties so far. China Spring has three and Whitney has four, including three in a row to set up a third and 31.

The Wildcats returned a China Spring punt to the CS 30, but have been pushed back to the 36.

China Spring is having a few hiccups on offense. They only have one first down so far.

7:57 PM: Corsicana 7, Waco High 0 after a quarter.

7:56 PM: UPSET ALERT — Chad Conine reports it’s now Lorena 14, Mexia 0: Lorena gets a stop and another TD drive. Ward caps it again, this time with a 6-yard run. 1:15 left in 1st.

7:52 PM: La Vega ties things up at 7 with Devin McGowan’s highlight-worthy 30-yard TD run (Eddy Gonzales kick). Jason Orts describes the action:

What an unbelievable effort by McGowan on fourth-and-4, as he takes the snap, rolls left, leaps over a defender short of the first down, cuts back inside and darts to paydirt to answer the Rockets’ score and tie the game. Clock reads 3:09 in the 1st.

7:50 PM: University’s out to an early lead over Midlothian, 7-0. At 9:42 in the 1st.

7:45 PM: Chad Conine reports: Lorena scores on its game-opening drive going 70 yards for the score. Evan Ward caps it with a 5-yard run, the 12th play of the drive. Lorena 7-0; 6:27 left in first.

7:44 PM: Hope it’s not another long night for Waco High, but the Lions are down 7-0 already at 10:23 in the 1st. Brice Cherry reports:

Well, that didn’t take long. Corsicana needs only five plays to score, as Cody Evans zips 26 yards for the touchdown to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead over Waco High with 10:23 still to play in the first quarter. Not much defense for Waco High there, as Corsicana’s four runs went for 17, 21, 16 and 26 yards.

7:42 PM: Robinson’s Domonic Degrate puts the Rockets up 7-0 with a 4-yard TD run (Abe Ceballos kick). Jason Orts reports:

The Rockets take the opening kickoff and make an early statement with an impressive eight-play, 77-yard drive, highlighted by a 22-yard run by Degrate to start the drive and a 31-yard pass from Tanner McGee to Matt Walker that took the ball to the La Vega 14. 8:38 1st.

• Jason Orts’ High School Preview: Robinson recalls playoff debacle as 19-3A comes down stretch
• 2-way players find ways to get hands on ball on offense and defense
• Midway shuts down Ennis, 14-0 (last night)
• Our staff picks

Radio games tonight:

• University vs. Midlothian — 1010-AM / 1010kbw.com
• Robinson vs. La Vega — 1660-AM / 1660espn.com
• Mexia vs. Lorena / 104.9-FM
• China Spring vs. Whitney — 92.9-FM / star929fm.com

We’ll have full game reports from our writers at:

• Waco High-Corsicana
• University-Midlothian
• La Vega-Robinson
• Mexia-Lorena

And a complete roundup of all the scores here on Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter

THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: Midway vs. Ennis

By Chad Conine | Thursday, October 22, 2009, 07:28 PM

9:50 p.m.: Ennis quarterback Curtis Tekell runs for 16 yards on the final play, and that’s it! The Panthers take a 14-0 win over the Lions in a game dominated by the running backs. Midway’s Marc Martinez ran for 130 yards on 32 carries, while Ennis’ Zarron Dove finished with 154 yards, also on 32 carries.

9:48 p.m.: Midway can’t get a first down, but takes the clock almost all the way down. The Panthers punt, and it rolls dead at the Ennis 18 with only 5 seconds left.

9:36 p.m.: Ennis’ prolonged drive that took 6:06 off the clock stalls when John Cox drops a pass at the Midway 5-yard line on fourth-and-10. It would’ve likely been a touchdown, but instead the Panthers take over at their own 15 with 3:26 left.

9:24 p.m.: Jason Vavra returns the kickoff out to the Ennis 20-yard line. It’s the Lions’ ball, first-and-10 at the 9:32 mark of the fourth quarter.

9:22 p.m.: And Midway’s marathon march, which lasted 20 plays and went 73 yards and took 11:01 off the clock, finally strikes paydirt as quarterback Ryan Smith carries into the end zone from a yard out. Cameron Dorsett nails the extra point, and it’s 14-0 Panthers with 9:40 left in the game.

9:17 p.m.: Remember that drive that Midway started with 8:02 to go in the third quarter? Well, the third quarter is now over, but the drive is still going. Midway has driven to the Ennis 12, where it’s first-and-10 as the fourth quarter starts.

9:02 p.m.: Now Midway forces a three-and-out, and gets the ball back at its own 27 with 8:02 remaining in the third quarter. About 30 seconds rolled off the clock after the punt rolled out of bounds. Hometown clock operators?

9:00 p.m.: Midway picks up a first down, but the drive stalls, and the Panthers punt. Ennis takes over with 10:16 on the third-quarter clock at its own 17.

8:55 p.m.: Ennis goes for the onside kick to start the second half, but Midway’s Lee Bristow gobbles the ball up. It’s first-and-10 for the Panthers at their own 49.

8:53 p.m.: We’re about to start the second half, and I’ve just received word that Ennis quarterback D.J. Betik has been taken to the hospital for X-rays, so his return is highly unlikely.

8:23 p.m.: Jason Vavra returns the kickoff, but Ahmad Dixon blows him up before he can get anywhere. It’s Ennis’ ball with :22 left at its own 20. The Lions run one play, and it’s halftime. Midway 7, Ennis 0.

8:21 p.m.: We’ve got a score! Midway’s Kevin Thomas ran down the field completely unnoticed and Ryan Smith hit him for a 47-yard touchdown with :28 left before halftime. Cameron Dorsett tacks on the extra point, and it’s 7-0 Midway.

8:18 p.m.: If either team could hang onto the ball, this game would be a lot different. But Zarron Dove just fumbled as he crossed midfield, and Ahmad Dixon recovers for Midway at its own 47 with :47 seconds to go before halftime.

8:14 p.m.: For a 0-0 game with 2:30 left in the first half, it feels kind of strange to say, Midway is punting for the first time for either team in the game. It’s Ennis’ ball at its own 17 with 2:14 left in the first half.

8:11 p.m.: Ennis backup quarterback Curtis Tekell can’t handle the snap on fourth-and-1, loses 10 yards and the ball goes back over to Midway at its own 40 with 3:18 to go before halftime.

8:10 p.m.: Midway’s Ahmad Dixon has come out of the locker room and is running back in the game. Ennis will face a fourth-and-1 at the Midway 30 with 3:42 remaining in the first half.

8:06 p.m.: Another major injury, this time for Ennis. Quarterback D.J. Betik took a hard shot on a run and is still down on the field. Again, we’ll let you know if he returns. As for the game, it’s second-and-4 for the Lions at the Midway 33 with 4:29 left in the first half.

8:02 p.m.: As Ennis drives near midfield, Midway’s Ahmad Dixon goes down with an injury. He’s up and looks like he’s going to be OK, but he’s jogging up the ramp and into the locker room. We’ll let you know if he comes back in the game. Ennis calls timeout with a first-and-10 at its own 48 with 6:10 left in the first half.

7:59 p.m.: Another scoring threat thwarted, as Midway’s Marc Martinez puts the ball on the turf at the Ennis 6-yard line. It’s picked up by Jason Vavra for Ennis, and he returns it to the Lions’ 35. It’ll be first-and-10 there with 7:42 left in the first half, and it’s still scoreless.

7:52 p.m.: And that’s the end of the first quarter, with the game still scoreless. Midway has the ball in Ennis’ territory at the 43-yard line, first-and-10.

7:48 p.m.: Ennis again drives into Midway territory, only to come up dry. This time it’s quarterback D.J. Betik fumbling, with Brendon Quinton pouncing on the ball for the Panthers. Midway takes over at its own 32 with 2:15 left in the first quarter, still scoreless.

7:44 p.m.: Midway quarterback Ryan Smith lofts a pass up for grabs, and Ennis’ Jason Vavra picks it off at the Lions’ 20-yard line. He returns the ball to the 35, but a block in the back brings it back to the 25. It’s first-and-10 for Ennis with 4:29 left in the first quarter.

7:40 p.m.: Ennis keeps it on the ground all the way to the Midway 18, but on fourth-and-3, running back Zarron Dove is thrown for a 2-yard loss and the Panthers take over with 7:03 to go in the first quarter. It’s first-and-10 for Midway at its own 20.

7:32 p.m.: Midway’s opening kickoff is a pop-up, muffed and then gathered in by Ennis’ Nathan Dixon. It’ll be first-and-10 for the Lions at their own 33.

7:28 p.m. — Almost ready for kickoff of a huge District 16-4A game between the Midway Panthers and Ennis Lions. Midway needs to win it to keep its district title hopes alive and Ennis needs to win it to keep its playoff hopes alive.

Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter

High school football podcast: Week 8

By WacoTrib.com staff | Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 09:03 AM

• We break down the races in 16-4A, 19-3A and 7-3A
• Which teams will have staying power in the playoffs?

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, Podcasts

The 5TH QUARTER: Oct. 16, 2009

By WacoTrib.com staff | Friday, October 16, 2009, 10:19 PM

10:19 PM: There’s the upset of the night — Waco High has fallen to Cleburne, 27-24. Man, that’s disappointing. We’ll have the full story in Saturday’s Tribune-Herald, so pick up a copy, willya? Newsprint has multiple uses.

10:13 PM: La Vega has gone final, 28-21 over Connally. Midway 33, Midlothian 7 is also final. Remember to check our scoreboard (above) or our Twitter feed, @tribfootball, for all of tonight’s scores.

9:59 PM: West 21, China Spring 17, final. Kelvin Anthony intercepted an attempted Cougar double-pass in the end zone as time expired. Huge win for the Trojans.

9:58 PM: Goldthwaite 38, Chilton 30, final. Eagles picked off Demeris Randolph to clinch it.

9:53 PM: Another interception ended the Panthers’ hopes for a win. Mart did recover a fumble near with 1:09 remaining, but the first sack of the game came on the last play of the game. Lovelady 35, Mart 21. Final.

9:52 PM: Connally makes it a one-score game on Stanley Barnes’ 6-yard run. La Vega 28-21, 5:39 left. — via Chad Conine

9:50 PM: Jason Orts tells us that West has taken a 21-17 over China Spring with just 0:40 left on the clock courtesy of Kelvin Anthony’s 3-yard TD pass to Heath Harris. Two great circus catches on the drive by Heath Harris and Lane Mahac.

9:46 PM: Demeris Randolph’s 1-yard keeper (conversion good) keeps Chilton in the game, trailing Goldthwaite 38-30 with 4:05 left.

9:45 PM: Brian Bateman tells us: Mart had the momentum with Leonard Williams’ interception, but then a tipped ball sent it back the other way, as Lovelady turned an interception into another score on Harris’ 4-yard plunge. Lovelady 35, Mart 21 with 3:19 left in the game.

9:44 PM: Midway is cruising, 33-7 over Midlothian early in the 4th. Waco High is leading Cleburne 24-7 after 3 quarters.

9:41 PM: Chad Conine reports: La Vega is pulling away. Tevin Thompson scores on a 2-yard run to boost the Pirates’ lead to 28-14 with 9:13 left in the fourth.

9:36 PM: Goldthwaite gets some breathing room with a James Harden 12-yard TD run. Eagles now lead Mart 38-22 with 6:10 to play.

9:34 PM: Waco High goes up 24-17 on Cleburne with 3:01 left in the 3rd.

9:33 PM: Cody Aycock’s 1-yard run makes it China Spring 17, West 14. Kelvin Anthony ran or passed on the previous 9 plays on a 74-yard drive. 3:31 left.

9:32 PM: Mart switched strategies, moving to a pass-first, hurry-up offense, and it’s working for them. They drove 81 yards in just over three minutes. QB Strunck took it in from three yards out for the score. Lovelady 28, Mart 21 with 8:45 left in the ballgame.

9:31 PM: Chad Conine reports: La Vega’s Arron Brandon puts the Pirates in front with a 31-yard TD run. La Vega 21, Connally 14. 0:06 left in 3rd.

9:30 PM: Don’t count Chilton out yet! Dallas McLaurin’s 79-yard fumble return for the Pirates and a successful conversion makes it Goldthwaite 31, Chilton 22 with 11:16 to play.

9:25 PM: China Spring takes a 17-7 lead after Brian Bell’s 11-yard TD run (Cranfill kick). Bell had a big play with a 42-yard run on 2nd-and-17 to get the ball into Trojans territory. 7:42 4th.

9:22 PM: Cleburne ties things up with Waco High. 17-all at 9:38 in the 3rd.

9:21 PM: Lovelady 28, Mart 14. Brian Bateman reports: QB Jordy Denson tricked everyone in the pressbox, faking the handoff to running back Harris and rolling right for a 68-yard touchdown keeper with 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Also of note, Mart’s D’Shun Kinsey is standing on the sidelines without pads and ice taped to his right shoulder. It doesn’t look like he’ll be back this game. End of 3rd there.

9:16 PM: China Spring goes up 10-7 on West to start the 4th. Michael Armstrong scores on a 3-yard TD run (Cranfill kick). It was a 10-play, 76-yard drive. Key play was a 21-yard pass from Brian Bell to Michael Martin (tackle-eligible) down to the 3. 11:54 left in the game.

9:15 PM: Goldthwaite 31, Chilton 14 after Garrett Schwartz’s 39-yard pass from Tyler Horton for the Eagles. 4:29 3rd.

9:13 PM: Chad Conine: La Vega takes advantage of a short field to start the second half. Pirates started on Connally’s 40 and moved in to tie the game on C.J. Willis’ 1-yard run. It’s all tied at 14 at 9:14 left in the 3rd.

9:12 PM: West 7, China Spring 3 (end of 3rd) — But the Cougars are threatening, 1st-and-goal at the 3.

9:11 PM: Lovleady 21, Mart 14. Brian Bateman reports: Trey Sherman bounced off the left tackle for the go-ahead touchdown. Mart struggled moving the ball into Lions’ territory and had to punt. Lovelady had an 80-yard drive to score. 5:37 3rd.

8:44 PM: Waco High leads Cleburne 17-10 at halftime.

8:43 PM: Mexia 27, Robinson 14 at the half. Remember to check our scoreboard (above) for tons of other in-progress scores from around the area.

8:40 PM: Waxahachie is leading University, 18-0 at halftime, according to the Dallas Morning-News scoreboard at http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/.

And in what must be a heckuva game, Copperas Cove leads Belton, 3-0, at the break. David Ash is not playing for the Tigers, either.

8:35 PM: Connally 14, La Vega 7 at halftime. Many thanks to Chad Conine for keeping us updated from his iPhone. I wish I had a iPhone.

8:34 PM: Goldthwaite’s Luis Arredaondo kicks a 20-yard FG as time expires to make it Eagles 24, Chilton 14 at the half.

8:32 PM: Jason Orts’ halftime report from West-China Spring: Cody Aycock ran for 65 yards and the game’s only touchdown to lead West to a 7-3 lead over China Spring at halftime.

Aycock paced an efficient Trojan offense that racked up 107 yards on the ground on 26 attempts, while quarterback Kelvin Anthony completed all six of his passes for 68 yards. West’s first drive lasted 16 plays and took 6:27 off the clock, but Tracer McClinton was stopped for a loss on fourth-and-1 from the China Spring 9.

China Spring had 88 yards of total offense and got its only points on a 47-yard field goal by Collin Cranfill.

8:31 PM: Mart 14, Lovelady 14 at the half. Brian Bateman tells us: Lovelady can move the ball on the ground and Mart can move it in the air. The Lions have 145 total yards (147 rush, -2 pass) and the Panthers have 142 (31 rush, 111 pass).

8:30 PM: Robinson’s not done yet, as the Rockets get a 36-yard TD pass from Tanner McGee to Matt Walker. Mexia 27, Robinson 14, mid-2nd.

8:25 PM: Chilton’s Devante Milam hauls in a 58-yard TD pass from Demeris Randolph to pull within 21-14 behind Goldthwaite. 1:26 2nd.

8:24 PM: Doug Gentry’s 5-yard TD run puts Mexia up 27-7 over Robinson. 5:11 2nd.

8:22 PM: Waco High gets it back to a 7-point lead with a 35-yard Ernesto Guevara FG. 6:12 2nd

8:19 PM: Chad Conine: Connally takes the lead again on a 24-yard TD run by Reggie Richardson. Cadets 14-7 over La Vega. 4:22 left in the half.

8:18 PM: Brian Bateman tells us that it’s now Mart 14, Lovelady 14 after Mart QB Strunck fakes a pass to the flat and the Lovelady safeties bite, allowing D’Shun Kinsey to get behind the Lions defense for a 62-yard touchdown. 2:44 2nd.

8:17 PM: Midlothian narrows things to 13-7 with Alec Humphreys’ 68-yard pass from Dylan Fairbanks. Midway still leads there. 5:52 2nd.

8:15 PM: Goldthwaite goes up 21-7 on Chilton with a James Harden 1-yard run. 2:43 2nd.

8:14 PM: Brian Bateman reports it’s now Lovelady 14, Mart 7: Upback Christian Harris controlled the majority of that drive, and was rewarded with a 4-yard touchdown. He has 68 yards already. 4:34 2nd.

8:13 PM: China Spring gets on the board with a 47-yard FG by Collin Cranfill. West 7, Cougars 3. 5:58 2nd.

8:12 PM: Cleburne narrows it to 14-10 with aJoel Salinas 37-yard FG. Waco High leads by 4. 9:32 2nd.

8:09 PM: Midway 13, Midlothian 0 (8:57 2nd) — Adrian Harralson leaping TD catch from Marc Martinez on a halfback pass. 98-yard drive.

8:08 PM: Mexia leads 20-6 after a quarter.

8:07 PM: West 7, China Spring 0 after Cody Aycock’s 3-yard TD run. 8:24 2nd.

8:00 PM: Waco High’s Cameron Terry strips the Cleburne RB and the Lions score on a 12-yard pass from Simmons from Kollin Kahler to go up 14-7. 3:43 1st.

7:59 PM: Mart 7, Lovelady 7. Brian Bateman reports: QB Jordy Denson kept the ball and hit the outside corner of the end zone for a touchdown. The Lions started the drive in Mart territory.

7:56 PM: Jason Orts tells us that China Spring and West are scoreless after a quarter of play. West had the ball for a 16-play drive that consumed 6:27, but was stopped on 4th-and-1 at the 9.

Trojans just got ball back and will start the 2nd quarter 1st-and-10 at the CS 45.

7:55 PM: La Vega answers with a 62-yard drive which C.J. Willis caps with a 5-yard run. It’s 7-7 between the Pirates and Connally. 1:43 1st.

7:54 PM: Robinson answers on 4th down with a Matt Walker goal-line plunge to go up 7-6. 2:53 1st.

7:51 PM: Midway 7, Midlothian 0 after a 21-yard Ryan Smith to Anthony Betters TD pass. Midway’s drive was 9 plays, 78 yards. 4:31 1st.

7:48 PM: Goldthwaite goes up 14-7 on a Jonathan Williams 38-yard run. 3:09 1st.

7:47 PM: Waco High 7, Cleburne 7 (7:01 1st) — Dave Simmons ties it for the Lions with a 13-yard run for a score.

7:45 PM: Mexia 6, Robinson 0 (7:15 1st) — Trae Davis fakes everyone out for a 46-yard TD run. Kick failed.

7:44 PM: Our Brian Bateman reports it’s now Mart 7, Lovelady 0: Mart took good field position and drove to the 25-yard line, where receiver Lane Nobles broke an arm tackle on a wide receiver screen and raced in for a touchdown.

7:42 PM: Chilton 7, Goldthwaite 6 after Mantraze Landrum’s 19-yard TD run. 6:01 1st.

7:41 PM: Midway’s Austin McDaniel comes up with an INT (so what else is new?) in the game vs. Midlothian. 10:04 1st.

7:40 PM: Cleburne goes up quick on Waco High, 7-0, with a Cody Hicks 21-yard run. 9:25 1st.

7:38 PM: No sweat for Mexia, BTW, as the Rockets manage 3 yards on 3 downs. So the turnover doesn’t hurt ‘em.

7:37 PM: Goldthwaite 6, Chilton 0 as the Eagles go 83 yards in 3 plays, capped by QB Tyler Horton’s 52-yard run. PAT blocked. 8:04 1st.

7:36 PM: Chad Conine reports the first score of the night: Connally is in the board first as Stanley barnes goes 60 on an inside reverse for a td. Connally leads 7-0; 1107 left in the first quarter.

7:35 PM: Well, Mexia has fumbled the opening kickoff and Robinson recovers at the Blackcats’ 30. Too early for an upset alert? Probably.

Our coverage this week

• Jason Orts’ High School Preview: Waxahachie’s speed troubling for University’s offense
• High school football coaches try to pick right moment to bring out trick plays
• Troy Trojans don’t want to share district football championship this season

Radio games tonight:

• Waco High vs. Cleburne — 1010-AM / 1010kbw.com
• Midway vs. Midlothian — 94.5-FM
• Robinson vs. Mexia — 1660-AM / 1660espn.com
• Mexia vs. Robinson / 104.9-FM
• China Spring vs. West — 92.9-FM / star929fm.com

We’ll have full game reports from our writers at:

• Waco High-Cleburne
• China Spring-West
• La Vega-Connally
• Mart-Lovelady
• Chilton-Goldthwaite (moved to McGregor)

And a complete roundup of all the scores here on Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter

Goldthwaite-Chilton game moved

By Jim Barnes | Friday, October 16, 2009, 03:22 PM

Tonight’s Goldthwaite-Chilton football game has been moved to McGregor because of poor field conditions at Chilton.

The game is still scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

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High school football podcast: Week 7

By WacoTrib.com staff | Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 12:00 AM

• We pick our favorite high school football stadiums
• What we learned about Mexia, Connally and Midway
• Which players make the most impact on their teams?

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, Podcasts

The 5TH QUARTER: Oct. 9, 2009

By WacoTrib.com staff | Friday, October 9, 2009, 10:40 PM

Here’s all the scores we have so far:

12-5A

• Belton 28, A&M Consolidated 0
• Temple 31, Killeen Ellison 14

16-4A

• Midway 20, University 0
• Waxahachie 56, Waco High 27
• Corsicana 33, Midlothian 28
• Ennis 28, Cleburne 13

7-3A

• Glen Rose 29, West 12
• China Spring 38, Hillsboro 7
• Gatesville 16, Whitney 6

19-3A

• Mexia 46, La Vega 28
• Connally 36, Lorena 28
• Robinson 24, Groesbeck 14

20-3A

• Palestine 38, Fairfield 35

16-2A

• McGregor 10, Crawford 7
• Hico 14, Bruceville-Eddy 12
• Troy 59, Hamilton 7
• Clifton 55, Moody 14

20-2A

• Teague 20, Marlin 12
• Franklin 47, Rosebud-Lott 12

21-1A

• Wortham 18, Itasca 6
• Italy 13, Axtell 0
• Hubbard 42, Frost 36

22-1A

• Mart 49, Iola 13
• Riesel 41, Normangee 0
• Lovelady 45, Bremond 6

25-1A

• Chilton 48, Bosqueville 34
• Valley Mills at Meridian

TAPPS 3-IV

• Texas Christian Academy at Shiner St. Paul

TAPPS NON-DISTRICT

• Reicher 27, Trinity Christian Cedar Hill 0

SIX-MAN DISTRICT 13 (I)

• Abbott 58, Bynum 6
• Blum 48, Kopperl 0
• Aquilla 53, Covington 6

SIX-MAN DISTRICT 14 (I)

• Penelope at Coolidge

SIX-MAN DISTRICT 14 (II)

• Sideny 47, Jonesboro 0

SIX-MAN DISTRICT 15 (II)

• Leveretts Chapel 62, Iredell 40
• Walnut Springs 52, Oglesby 6

TAPPS SIX-MAN DISTRICT 2 (II)

• Duncanville ChristWay 49, Parkview 0

NON-DISTRICT SIX-MAN

• Lometa 64, Evant 16
• Live Oak Classical 57, Grand Prairie Eagle Advantage 32

10:23 PM: Waxahachie 56, Waco High 27. Lions led 24-21 in the 2nd, but then gave up 28 unanswered points and never got back in it. Tough loss.

10:20 PM: Mexia 46, La Vega 28. Final.

10:15 PM: Lorena’s Sky Dolezel passes to Tito DeJesus for a 10-yard TD with 55 secodns left. Connally still leads, 36-28 now.

10:11 PM: Jason Orts reports: Mexia is taking a play out of West’s playbook and just recovered its third onside kick of the night. That’s a devastating blow to La Vega, as there’s only 2:25 left.

10:10 PM: Mexia’s Trae Davis (again), 29-yard TD run (Angel Contreras kick). Mexia 46, La Vega 28, 2:30 4th. Jason Orts tells us:

Davis has likely put this one away, as he was met by two La Vega defenders and knocked backward at the Pirate 25 but kept his feet and found his way into the end zone. Davis and Gentry now have 184 yards rushing apiece.

10:08 PM: FINAL: McGregor 10, Crawford 7

10:00 PM: And that’s a final. Midway 20, University 0

9:56 PM: Ahmad Dixon puts the cherry on a tasty defensive sundae for Midway, picking off University’s Randy Price and taking off on a 45-yard return to paydirt. It’s 20-0, Panthers, with 2:23 left to play. — as reported by Brice Cherry

9:50 PM: La Vega pulls within 39-28 with Arron Brandon’s 10-yard run TD (Brandon conversion run) at 11:13 in the 4th:

The Pirates have too much pride to go away, and block Mexia’s punt on the first play of the fourth quarter. It takes them two plays to go 17 yards and get right back in the game. The teams have combined for about five onside kick attempts tonight, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see another one now. — Jason Orts

9:46 PM: Jason Orts tells us: Mexia’s dynamic duo of Trae Davis and Doug Gentry have 286 rushing yards combined, and it’s the Blackcats’ ball, fourth-and-10 at their own 43. Mexia 39, La Vega 20, end of third quarter.

9:43 PM: Back and forth we go here in Mexia. Gentry took an option pitch, fought off two would-be tacklers in the backfield and carried another for the final 5 yards before stretching the ball into the end zone while falling backward. It was a spectacular effort for Gentry’s third TD run of the third quarter. That’s after a Doug Gentry 10-yard TD run (run failed). Blackcats lead 39-20 with 2:10 left in the quarter.

9:40 PM: Mexia 33, La Vega 20 after Arron Brandon’s 1-yard TD run (run failed):

The Pirates strike back, going 51 yards in eight plays as their offensive line re-establishes its dominance. Brandon carried on each of the last six plays, gaining 32 yards. That’s from Jason Orts. 3:03 3rd.

9:39 PM: McGregor 10, Crawford 7 in the 4th after a Pirates score at 0:57 in the 3rd: On third down, backup quarterback Keith Reineke — in for the injured Dyland Ripley — took the snap but fumbled the exchange, allowing defensive end Brock Jacobs to recover the loose ball and return it 30 yards to the McGregor 3-yard line. After two, 1-yard gains, Pirate Dustin Dorris flipped over the pile for the 1-yard score (Bobby Dunlap kick).

That’s two turnovers in the 2nd half for McGregor.

9:35 PM: Connally’s Reggie Richardson is putting this one out of reach, this time on a 54-yard screen pass for a score. Cadets lead 36-21 over Lorena after the conversion, 1:37 left in the 3rd.

9:30 PM: Wow — 54-yard TD for Doug Gentry (pass failed). Mexia 33, La Vega 14. Jason Orts tells us:

Gentry does it again, this time slipping through a small hole in the middle of the line and easily going the distance untouched as there was no support from the La Vega linebackers and secondary. Gentry has 125 rushing yards after being limited to 13 in the first half. 6:04 3rd.

9:28 PM: Chad Conine reports: Lorena makes it a 1 TD game as Sky Dolezel passes to Bradley Krall for a 10-yard TD. Connally 28, Lorena 21, 2:30 left in the 3rd.

9:22 PM: Midway extends its lead to 13-0 over University, as Austin McDaniel takes advantage of the wind at his back by popping a 39-yard field goal. There’s 1:25 left to play in the third quarter. — from Brice Cherry

9:20 PM: Mexia’s Doug Gentry puts the Cats up 27-14 with a 55-yard TD run (kick failed) at 10:37 in the 3rd. Jason Orts reports:

Gentry finally shakes loose after gaining only 13 yards on his first six carries. He broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage, then burst through the middle of the La Vega secondary and beat one last defender to the end zone.

9:18 PM: Chad Conine reports: Connally turns another Lorena fumble into a TD. Stanley Barnes runs 5 yards fo the Cadets’ score. Connally 28-14, 6 minutes left in the third.

9:14 PM: McGregor QB Dylan Ripley injured his right knee and was taken off the field in stretcher after his pass was intercepted. Play resumed with Crawford driving at the McGregor 25-yard line. That’s at 9:05 in the 3rd. Thanks to our Brian Bateman for the report.

9:12 PM: It took nearly 30 minutes of playing time, but we’ve finally got our first touchdown here at Waco ISD. Midway’s Terreon Mostiller zips into the end zone from a yard out, lifting the Panthers to a 10-0 lead with 6:44 to play in the third. That score was set up — of course — by the Midway defense, which stuffed University on its first second-half possession, allowing the Panthers to take over in prime field position. — many thanks to Brice Cherry

9:10 PM: Chad Conine tells us that Connally goes up 21-14 on Lorena after Stanley Barnes’ 50-yard scamper got the Cadets down to the 1-yard line. Reggie Richardson punches it in. 9:37 left in the 3rd.

8:45 PM: Trae Davis ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns and threw for another on the final play of the first half to lead Mexia to a 21-14 halftime lead.

The Blackcats opened the game with a surprise onside kick and bursted out to a 15-0 lead on Davis’ scoring runs of 4 and 1 yards before the Pirates got into the game.

La Vega’s offensive line dominated late in the first half and the entire second and scored on runs of 40 and 23 yards by C.J. Willis and Tevin Thompson, respectively. The Pirates ran for 160 yards on 26 carries.

But a Devin McGowan fumble near midfield with less than a minute remaining gave the Blackcats one more chance, and Davis connected with Doug Gentry on a 7-yard screen pass as time expired in the first half.

8:35 PM: The University-Midway halftime report from Brice Cherry:

If defense wins championships, then Midway’s and University’s units are playing like champions tonight. Both defenses have played a feisty, well-executed game, with the Panthers stopping University for losses six times and the Trojans doing the same to Midway on four occasions. University of course came up with the big fourth-down play by linebacker Josh Turner, but Midway’s unit has forced two turnovers, including Austin McDaniel’s pick of Randy Price that set up the only score of the game. Oh, and that U.S. Army All-American safety Ahmad Dixon of Midway? Yeah, he’s pretty good, too.8:32 PM: Robinson goes up 17-7 on Groesbeck on the last play of the half — the suddenly-popular hook-and-lateral.

8:33 PM: Our Brian Bateman reports: McGregor has kept the Crawford ground game to small gains. Bryce Murphy leads the Pirates with 68 yards. McGregor has 102 yards rushing and 95 passing, including a 71-yard touchdown. It’s 10-0 Bulldogs at the break.

8:28 PM: Jason Orts reports that La Vega’s Tevin Thompson scores on a 23 run (run failed) to make it Mexia 15, La Vega 14 at 2:37 until half:

La Vega’s big and physical offensive line is taking its toll on the smaller Mexia defensive front and chewing up huge chunks of time. Mexia has had the ball for three plays this quarter.

8:27 PM: Midway becomes the first team to illuminate the Waco ISD Stadium scoreboard, thanks to a 30-yard field goal from Austin McDaniel. That score was set up by McDaniel’s own interception on defense a couple of minutes earlier. It’s 3-0 Panthers with 33 seconds to play in the half. — from Brenham’s own Brice Cherry

8:26 PM: Chad Conine tells us that Lorena has tied things with Connally on a Kailin Ketcherside 6-yard TD run. The two-point pass from Bradley Krall to Sky Dolezel knots things at 14. 2:48 left in the half.

8:23 PM: It’s a track meet in the Waco High game. With about 11 and a half minutes left in the half, it’s already 28-24 Waxahachie over the Lions. Remember, you can listen to that game online. Visit http://www.kbec.com/scrapbook.htm and click on the scrolling “listen live” link at the top of the page.

8:15 PM: McGregor 10, Crawford 0. Brian Bateman tells us: McGregor’s Chris Alaman ran an end-around for 35 yards, setting the Bulldogs up at the 6-yard line. The Bulldogs ran out on third down in a swinging gate formation, but the snap was high and McGregor had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Dirk Gerhardt. 5:20 2nd.

8:10 PM: How about a little more D, U-Dawg style? University comes up with a huge stop on a 4th-and-1 from the Trojan 3. Midway quarterback Ryan Smith seemed to have the University defense with a play-action fake and bootleg, but Trojan linebacker Josh Turner made a spectacular leaping deflection of Smith’s pass to keep the game scoreless. — from Brice Cherry

8:02 PM: Brian Bateman reports: Sean Chappell leaked into the secondary while quarterback Dylan Ripley rolled out of the pocket, and Ripley found him for a 71-yard touchdown and the first points of the game. Gerhardt kick makes it McGregor 7, Crawford 0. 11:21 1st.

8:01 PM:C.J. Willis finds open space on a 40-yard TD run and runs in the conversion too to pull La Vega within 15-8 behind Mexia. 1:52 1st. Jason Orts’ describes the action:

On fourth-and-5, Willis found a crease on the right side of the line and outran the Mexia defense to the end zone. The Pirates came back with the exact same play for the two-point conversion.

8:01 PM: Chad Conine reporting: Connally recovers a Lorena fumble and Reggie Richardson makes it count with a 15-yard TD run. Cadets 14, Lorena 6, 1:18 1st.

8:00 PM: Trae Davis makes it 15-0 Mexia with a 4-yard TD run (Angel Contreras kick). Jason Orts reports:

Davis looked like he was going to be stopped short of the goal line but stretched the ball across as he was going down. The Blackcat signal-caller already has 72 yards rushing on seven carries. 3:49 1st.

7:59 PM: Brice Cherry reports from a tense scoreless 16-4A game: We’re through one quarter here at the Midway-University throwdown at Waco ISD, and we’re still looking for our first points. It seems almost cliche to say it, but the defenses have truly dominated. Guys like Damian Haliburton and Katron Marshall for University and Austin Chick and Ahmad Dixon for Midway are making big plays all over the field for the defenses.

7:58 PM: McGregor 0, Crawford 0. Our Brian Bateman says:

Not much to report in the first quarter. Both teams had limited success, but struggled to keep drives going.

McGregor has the ball at its own 33 yard line.

7:56 PM: Just want to pass on that you can listen to the Waco High game on the Web. Visit http://www.kbec.com/scrapbook.htm and click on the scrolling “listen live” link at the top of the page.

7:55 PM: Connally’s Reggie Richardson scores on a 1-yard TD run. PAT gives the Cadets a 7-6 lead. 3:35 left in the 1st.

7:49 PM: Reece Meador’s TD plunge makes it China Spring 10, Hillsboro 0. 5:38 1st.

7:45 PM: Lorena’s Evan Ward puts the Leopards up 6-0 with a 7-yard TD run. Kick failed, so it’s 6-0 over the Connally Cadets with 6:24 left in the 1st.

7:43 PM: Mexia comes out with a surprise onside kick and Aaron Childs recovers at the La Vega 46. It took the Blackcats eight plays to score from there. The key plays were a 1-yard run by Doug Gentry to pick up a fourth-and-1, and a 13-yard Davis run to the 1-yard line on third-and-3.M

Trae Davis’ 1-yard TD run and Aaron Childs’ conversion run makes it Mexia 8, La Vega 0. 9:08 1st.

7:38 PM: China Spring gets on the board first after Hillsboro fumbles on the first play of the game. A 29-yard FG makes it 3-0 Cougars with about 9 minutes left in the quarter.

Our coverage this week

• Jason Orts’ High School Preview: University could take control of 16-4A title race with win
• ‘No secrets’ makes District 19-3A race entertaining, vexing
• Once again, Reicher hopes tough early schedule paves way for state title

Radio games tonight:

• University vs. Midway — 1010-AM / 1010kbw.com or 94.5-FM
• Waco High at Waxahachie — kbec.com / 1390-AM in the Metroplex
• Robinson vs. Groesbeck — 1660-AM / 1660espn.com
• Mexia vs. La Vega / 104.9-FM
• China Spring vs. Hillsboro — 92.9-FM / star929fm.com

We’ll have full game reports from our writers at:

• University-Midway
• La Vega-Mexia
• Robinson-Groesbeck
• Connally-Lorena
• McGregor-Crawford

And a complete roundup of all the scores here on Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter

High school football podcast: Week 6

By WacoTrib.com staff | Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 09:31 AM

• In honor of University’s hook-and-ladder, we name the best plays we’ve ever seen
• Is University the best team in District 16-4A?
• We break down races in the 3A ranks

Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, Podcasts

The 5TH QUARTER: Oct. 2, 2009

By WacoTrib.com staff | Friday, October 2, 2009, 11:45 PM

11:45 PM: And rounding up 6-man action:

13-Div. I

• Abbott 52, Aquilla 40
• Milford 60, Bynum 14
• Kopper 40, Covington 8

Non-district

• Strawn 66, Evant 0
• Iredell 50, Cranfills Gap 0
• Richland Springs 70, Buckholts 6
• Calvert 1, Waxahachie Eagle Advantage 0 (forfeit)

Saturday

• Comanche Paradigm Charter at Oglesby
• Granbury Happy Hill at Walnut Springs

11:05 PM: Here’s all the 11-man action on local slates tonight:

12-5A

• Belton 38, Shoemaker 0
• Copperas Cove 24, Temple 10

16-4A

• University 24, Waco High 14
• Corsicana 40, Midway 31

24-3A

• Cameron 47, Taylor 21

16-2A

• Troy 34, Crawford 28
• Hamilton 25, Clifton 21
• McGregor 38, Bruceville-Eddy 12
• Hico 42, Moody 0

21-1A

• Axtell 30, Frost 27
• Itasca 34, Hubbard 20
• Dawson 27, Wortham 6

Class 3A

• Godley 53, West 20
• Alvarado 37, Connally 27
• Giddings 62, Robisnon 14
• Lorena 50, Teague 7

Class 1A

• Goldthwaite 21, Mart 17
• Bremond 26, Granger 18
• Valley Mills 34, Perrin-Whitt 19

Saturday

• Watauga Harvest at Texas Christian Academy

10:28 PM: Alvarado 37, Connally 27. Final. Lots of scores on our scoreboard above — click through it for all the info.

10:15 PM: Matt Hicks’ 3-yard TD run (Hostak kick) makes it 29-14 Reicher over Bosqueville:

A 30-yard punt return and a few running plays added another score for the Cougars. &mdash: Brian Bateman

10:12 PM: FINAL: University 24, Waco High 14. Wow! Trojans hadn’t beaten the Lions since consolidation in ‘86.

10:11 PM: West scores, but it’s a little out of reach. Cody Aycock 12-yard TD run makes it 53-20 behind Godley, 1:58 left. (Conversion failed).

10:07: Godley’s Colby Brown’s 33-yard run makes it 53-14 over West after the kick fails. 4:13 left.

10:05 PM: Sorry for leaving anyone hanging on Reicher-Bosqueville. It’s still 22-14 Cougars with about 2 minutes to play.

10:02 PM: Waco High drives for its first offensive touchdown. The Lions took a little more than two minutes to drive 55 yards as Kollin Kahler finished the drive with a 4-yard TD run. University 24, Waco High 14 with 4:59 let in the fourth quarter. — Chad Conine

10:01 PM: Stanley Barnes 65 run for Connally to pull Cadets within 30-27 behind Alvarado. 10:18 4th.

10:00 PM: West’s Kyler Sykora grabs a 24-yard TD pass from Colbey Carpenter makes it 47-14 Godley. 47-14 5:56 to go.

9:55 PM: Darious Burns caps a brilliant drive for University with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Trojans a 24-7 lead with 7:16 to play. University ate up six precious minutes and boosted ahead by three scores. It looks very much like University will claim its first win over Waco High since consolidation. But then, it looked last week like Mexia would defeat West at this juncture. — from Chad Conine

9:54 PM: That’s final. Troy 34, Crawford 28. Great game! Read all about it in tomorrow’s Tribune-Herald in your driveway or on your local newsstand — the way news was meant to be consumed.

9:53 PM: Troy missed a 23-yard field goal, but Crawford fumbled it back to the Trojans. Two plays later, Cyrus McKenzie’s 4 run with 30 seconds left makes it 34-26.. Kick no good.

9:51 PM: Godley 47, West 6 now. Colby Brown’s 8-yard run puts the Wildcats up another score. 8:44 left.

9:46 PM: From Brian Bateman: Bosqueville’s Joel Wymore intercepted Hicks’ pass and returned it 21 yards, putting the Bulldogs in great field position (1st down on Reicher 29) going into the fourth. Score’s 22-14 Bosqueville there.

9:45 PM: Another Riley Good-to-Ty Brown TD pass, this one for 14 yards, makes it 40-6 Godley over West. 11:22 4th.

9:38 PM: This baby’s going down to the wire. Crawford’s Chane Lynch tosses his third TD pass of the night, as he looks to have nothing, then flings the ball back to his right to an open Douglas VanZandt, who cuts back and eludes two Troy defenders on the 10-yard TD. That play came on a 4th-and-5, and was Crawford’s second fourth-down conversion of the drive. It’s 28-all with 6:31 to go. — frm Brice Cherry

9:38 PM: Reicher 22, Bosqueville 14 — Brian Bateman reports: Reicher is keeping man coverage on the receivers, but the big difference from the first half is they’re not getting as much pressure on Feight. Feight is making them pay with deep passes — most of which are drawing pass interference penalties.

Hunter Perry hauled in an 18-yard pass from Cody Feight to bring the Bulldogs within a touchdown and two-point conversion of the Cougars.

9:37 PM: Godley 33, West 6, end of 3rd. Godley’s at West’s 14-yard line on a 3rd-and-10. Thanks to Jason Orts for the update.

9:32 PM: Godley gets a score in at the end of a quiet third quarter with Riley Good’s 57-yard pass to Ty Brown (PAT good). Wildcats up 33-6 on West.

9:31 PM: University scores the first points of the second half as Ricardo Casarez kicks a 36-yard field goal. The FG was set up by University’s third interception of the game, this one by Katron Marshall that he returned to the Waco High 24. University 17, Waco High 7 with 3:49 left in the third quarter. — from Chad Conine

9:16 PM: Brice Cherry reports: Troy’s special teams gets in on the scoring fun, as the Trojans block Crawford’s punt attempt in the end zone, and Troy’s Justin Gregory# falls on the ball for the TD. Troy now leads 28-21 with 2:02 to go in the third.

9:15 PM: Crawford’s defense comes up with a big play, stopping Troy on a 4th-and-goal from the 1. It’s still 21-21 with just over three minutes to play in the third. — from Mr. Brice Cherry

9:13 PM: Brice Cherry updates us at Troy-Crawford, where the Pirates have tied things at 21: And the Pirates have come out fired up in Crawford. First they hold Troy to just its second three-and-out of the night, then the Crawford offense zips downfield to score in five plays, with Chane Lynch finding Daniel Post on an 11-yard slant for the score. Lynch’s passing performance has been brilliant for Crawford thus far — I haven’t seen a QB throw the slant better all year.

8:55 PM: Reicher 22, Bosqueville 7 at the half after Shane Boen’s 5-yard TD pass from Cody Feight (Hunter Perry kick). Our Brian Bateman reports:

Bosqueville finally got a drive to end in points. Cody Feight led the 46-yard drive, completing three passes for 25 yards. Back-to-back penalties gave the Bulldogs 26 yards.

Also, Reicher nearly had a touchdown on the last play of the half when Josh Wrzesinski hauled in a 69-yard touchdown, but was flagged for offensive pass interference.

8:52 PM: Halftime report from Jason Orts at West-Godley: Riley Good threw for two touchdowns, ran for another and also intercepted two passes on defense to lead Godley to a 26-6 halftime lead over West.

Good’s TD passes were his only two completions of the first half, one of which was a 79-yard strike to Landry Martinez, who also scored on a one-yard run.

West’s Kelvin Anthony threw for 124 yards and a touchdown, but was picked off three times — the first interceptions he’s thrown this season.

8:41 PM: The first half, full of tough defense and highlighted by one fantastic play, is over here at Waco ISD Stadium. University takes a 14-7 lead over Waco High to the break. — Chad Conine

8:40 PM: Brice Cherry’s halftime report: We’ve got a real good one going in this clash of District 16-2A title contenders between Crawford and Troy. Crawford has moved the ball effectively all night long, but fumbled twice in the red zone and turned the ball over a third time on a tipped interception. However, Crawford QB Chane Lynch has been mostly razor-sharp, connecting on 11 of 13 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Troy, meanwhile, has been no less impressive with its running game, picking up first downs on inside handoffs, power sweeps, end-arounds and all manner of trap plays. Cyrus McKenzie has been the bell cow, with 14 carries for 65 yards and three TDs. Oh, and Troy did show it could move the ball on its one passing attempt, as Demetrius Smith made a nice leaping grab for a 27-yard gain on Dylan Sebek’s play-action throw.

8:34 PM: Josh Wrzesinski puts Reicher up 22-0 on and 82-yard pass from Matt. Hicks (Hostak kick), 2:58 2nd. Brian Bateman’s report:

Hicks found Josh Wrzesinski open at midfield and completed the pass, but then Wrzesinski had to fight the Bulldog defense, which nearly ripped the ball away from his hands. The Bulldogs popped the ball loose, but Wrzesinski juggled the ball, brought it and, and then broke an arm tackle for a touchdown.

Reicher is really keying on Cody Feight, but the Bosqueville senior is finally starting to get yards through the air. He threw an interception at the goal line, but it was called back for defensive holding.

8:32 PM: Just before the halftime break, Crawford comes up with a much-needed, momentum-boosting touchdown, as Chane Lynch connects with tight end Bobby Dunlap for an eight-yard TD. After the ensuing kickoff, Troy kneels out the clock, content to take a 21-14 lead into the halftime break. More to come momentarily. — Brice Cherry

8:31 PM: Godley goes up 26-6 behind a 1-yard TD run by Landry Martinez with 2:24 left until the break. Another INT for West’s Kelvin Anthony enabled the 3-play, 20-yard drive.

8:21 PM: Waco High’s turn to make a big play as Izaial Floyd blocks University punter Jose Sanchez’s punt and Waco High’s Quincy Sims returns it 15 yards for a touchdown, leveling a Trojan along the way. University 14, Waco High 7 with 8:17 left in the first half. — from Chad Conine

8:20 PM: If former Waco High coach Johnny Tusa weren’t in Giddings helping call Robinson’s game against the state-ranked Buffaloes, he’d certainly enjoy this game in Crawford. That’s because Troy’s Grady Rowe has shown a Tusa-like approach tonight (running the ball and defense), and it’s working wonders. Cyrus McKenzie’s 12-yard TD run — his third of the game — makes it 21-7 Troy with 1:19 to play in the half at Pirate Stadium. — from Brice Cherry

8:18 PM: Things have quickly gotten out of hand in the Robinson game, as Giddings just punted for the first time tonight midway early in the 2nd quarter. The Buffaloes scored on their first three possessions and then returned a fumble; they lead 27-0.

8:10 PM: Godley goes up 19-6 on West with an 11-yard pass from Riley Good to Ty Young. The Wildcats went 43 yards on the drive after West recovered a short kickoff on the bounce, but were called for fair catch interference. (Really.) 9:52 left in the half.

8:08 PM: Chad Conine: I just saw perhaps the most amazingly well-executed plays I’ve ever seen in a high school game. After University’s Guinyard comes up with another turnover, an interception at the Waco High 49, the Trojans ran the hook-and-lateral to perfection. Randy Price threw to Jarrod Hall for the hook and Darious Burns grabbed a perfectly pitched lateral for a 49-yard touchdown play. University 14, Waco High 0 with 12 seconds left in the first quarter.

8:06 PM: Brian Bateman reports: Reicher QB Matt Hicks scrambles for 52 yards to set up Howie Grieve’s 1-yard plunge (Andrew Hostak kick). Cougars are up 15-0 on Bosqueville at 8:13 left in the half.

8:05 PM: Troy continues to run the ball with authority right at the Crawford defense. The Trojans have yet to throw a pass, but they have two touchdowns, as Cyrus McKenzie dives into the end zone from a yard out for his second TD of the game. It’s 14-7, Troy, with 9:48 remaining in the half. — Brice Cherry

8:04 PM: University takes advantage of the first big break in a defensive battle in the first quarter. University’s Dominic Guinyard recovered a muffed punt at the Waco High 5. On third-and-goal from the 6, University QB Randy Price threw a fade pass to Jarrod Hall for the TD. University 7, Waco High 0, 0:43 left in the first quarter. — Chad Conine

8:03 PM: Godley 12, West 6 after a quarter. The Wildcats have it 3rd-and-3 at the West 24.

7:57 PM: Looks like it could be a shootout, Jason Orts reports, as West’s Kelvin Anthony rolls left on 3rd-and-16 and finds Heath Harris behind the secondary for a 53-yard score. The PAT fails, so it’s Godley 12, West 6 at 2:26 left in the 1st quarter.

7:56 PM: Brice Cherry tells us: On their third trip inside Troy’s 10-yard line of the first quarter, the Crawford Pirates finally cash in. (They fumbled the ball away the previous two times). This time, Bryce Murphy darts into the end zone from three yards out, and the PAT ties the game at 7 with 31 seconds left in the quarter.

7:51 PM: Godley goes up 12-0 on West, Jason Orts tells us, after Riley Good dumped off a pass to RB Landry Martinez, who broke a tackle, hit the sideline, and never looked back for a 79-yard score at the 4:40 mark. The Trojans aren’t having much success on offense, punting on 4th-and-30 or so on their second offensive possession.

7:46 PM: Troy strikes first in its District 16-2A clash with Crawford, as Cyrus McKenzie spins into the end zone from three yards out. That score was set up by a huge defensive play from the Trojan defense, as they sacked Crawford quarterback Chane Lynch as the Pirates were driving for an apparent score. The ball squirted loose, and Troy’s Justin Gregory scooped it up and ran it back 76 yards before being tripped up. It’s 7-0 Trojans with 5:16 to go in the first. — Brice Cherry’s electric update

7:45 PM: Two possessions, two touchdown for Giddings over Robinson. Don’t count out the Rockets yet, though — they showed they could score some last week. 6:18 1st.

7:39 PM: Matt Hicks puts Reicher up 8-0 on a 6-yard run TD (Hicks run) at 6:26 1st. Our Brian Bateman reports:

Reicher took 13 plays — 12 rushes and a dropped screen pass — and marched 77 yards for the first score of the game. Hicks ran it in for the TD and the conversion.

7:38 PM: What do they say about turnovers? Our Jason Orts tells us that Godley intercepted a Kelvin Anthony pass on West’s first play from scrimmage and quickly scored on a 2-yard run by Riley Good (PAT failed on a bad snap). Only a two-play, 39-yard drive for the Wildcats. 6-0 Godley over West.

* CORRECTION: This was originally reported as Demetrius Smith. We regret the error.

It’s a high-stakes showdown for the Waco High Lions and University Trojans tonight at Waco ISD stadium. Chad Conine previews that matchup and breaks it all down in our centerpiece story today.

Also, our Jason Orts rounds up all the big matchups in his weekly High School Preview, essential reading with your coffee every Friday morning or here on WacoTrib.com.

You can also check out our staff picks (click here) to see what the consensus is (or isn’t) on tonight’s games.

Radio games tonight:

• Waco High vs. University — 1010-AM / 1010kbw.com
• Robinson at Giddings — 1660-AM / 1660espn.com

We’ll have full game reports from our writers at:

• Waco High-University
• Crawford-Troy
• West-Godley
• Reicher-Bosqueville
• Connally-Alvarado

And a complete roundup of all the scores here on Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Football, The 5th Quarter