We are all aware of how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed high school sports this year. Masks, distancing and quarantines are an unpleasant reality that simply has to be endured.
But not all teams endure it the same way. The Crowell Wildcats emerged this week from their own two-week quarantine, but instead of looking rusty, they looked rested and ready to go as they 45’d the Bulldogs 90–40 here Friday night.
The Crowell offense racked up a staggering 635 yards of offense, most of which was the play of senior spread back Seth Bearden. Bearden had 10 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown, but his biggest contribution came through the passing game, where he went 27 of 39 for 446 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Bulldogs simply had no answer. The game was tied 16–all at the end of the first, but Spur simply got outpaced from there. Le’Zhane Walker led the Bulldog offense with 15 carries for 201 yards and four touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to keep up.
When a game turns into a shootout, offenses need perfection and Spur simply didn’t get it. Three interceptions, four turnovers on downs, and a lost onside kick caused the Bulldogs to be slowly left behind by the Wildcat offense.
When asked about his message to the team, Coach Tate Clark said, “I’m proud of their fight, it was tough. We’re getting JV kids that don’t get a lot of reps. Lots of injuries. We kind of got soft there for a little while in the first half when we did have everybody in there, and we weren’t finishing drives. We battled through the third quarter hard we just couldn’t get a stop.”
Clark continued, “It’s stuff we’ve been working on the past three weeks and we’re still not getting results off of it, so it’s going to have to be hammered on some more, but I’m proud of their fight, they worked hard.”
Referring to injuries, the Bulldogs started the game without Kolbey Adams. They would lose Gunnir Bateman, Payton Reese, and Dominic Garcia in the course of the game. Certainly this opened the door for other kids to get opportunities. But catching the coach’s eye were those who fought hard in spite of pain and exhaustion.
Clark noted, “Austin [Fulmer] dislocated his finger in the first, couldn’t even hardly move his hand. If you notice we swept right most of the time, it’s because he couldn’t pitch to the left side. He played defense, offense, he did everything he could. Also Nick [Ortiz], he hurt his thumb and he was blocking the whole game. Both of those kids, they showed some toughness. We talk about FAST, the “S” stands for sacrifice, and I believe that’s what they were doing tonight.”
Ortiz also led the team in tackles, with eight.
Spur travels to Vernon Northside this coming Friday, likely needing to win out to keep their playoff hopes alive.
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