Friday night at Cardinal Stadium in Hermleigh, a fading golden sunset brought on an array of reflections. Light bounced off huge wind turbines, rotating in the breeze. The athletic complex, brought to fruition by said turbines, was an island of artificial turf in an ocean of cotton fields with blinding white light bouncing off the bolls of a bumper cotton crop.
In the stands and on the fields, though, all reflections were internal, as the teams, families and fans contemplated the bi-district D1-1A football playoff game. Could the Spur Bulldogs, who in recent years have been able to contain the Meadow Broncos, keep their good fortunes going—or would some quirky fate of Friday night end their run?
The uncertainty would last only a minute. Literally. The Bulldogs received the opening kickoff, and in the third play of the game, Le’Zhane Walker took a handoff and ran the ball all the way into end zone. The point-after pass was complete, and Spur led 7-0.
For a 10-second interval in the first quarter, Meadow had the lead. The Broncos pulled off an end-around pass for a touchdown and capped it off with a kick to lead 8 to 7 with 4:50 left in the first quarter.
In 10 seconds, with 4:40 left in the first quarter, Walker took off on a 45-yard run for a TD, and this time the Bulldogs got their own 2-point kick, courtesy of Kayden Martinez. Spur led 15–8 and would never relinquish the lead again.
Meadow was able to drive the ball for a couple of series before they turned the ball over on downs, and Walker was able to get another rushing TD and Martinez scored another 2-point kick to bring the score to 23 to 8.
The Spur defense was formidable Friday night. According to Coach Tate Clark, “Defensively, we seemed to be in the right spot on every play.” However, the play that seemed to seal the Broncos’ fate was a safety late in the first quarter that made the score Spur 25, Meadow 8, and gave the ball right back to the Bulldogs.
Defensively, Cory Hamilton set the pace for the Bulldogs with 9.5 tackles and 5 assists. Austin Fulmer had 4.5 tackles and 5 assists.
After the Meadow safety, Spur scored 32 unanswered points from a combination of three rushing TDs by Hamilton, 1 from Ryan Davis, and extra points.
Offensively, Hamilton rushed for 167 yards. Walker was just shy of the century mark, running for 98 yards. Both scored three touchdowns.
With darkness settling in, temperatures slipping into the low forties, and the score at Spur 57, Meadow 8, Bulldogs fans were excitedly counting down the time until Spur 45’ed Meadow. A loud groan erupted from the Bulldog bleachers, when Meadow made the score 57 to 14 with 51 seconds left.
Shivering Spur fans were saved from a cold second half when Gunnir Bateman completed a pass to Davis with 30 seconds left in the first half to bring mercy to players and fans alike. The final score chalked up a Spur victory, 63–14.
The Bulldog bi-district title win was summed up by Coach Clark, “We have had a great running attack this season. We stuck to what we believe we are good at, and controlled the running game.”
The key to the quarter-final against Valley on Friday night, according to Clark, will be “Controlling the game. They are really athletic and can throw the ball well. We need to be disciplined in what we teach to limit big plays.”
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.
