Follett rides defense and big plays to win
Defense and big plays were the difference for Follett as the Panthers took down Sands 52-24 in a Class 1A Division II regional semifinal clash Thursday night in Benjamin.
The Panthers (8-3) now move on to the Region I-1A Division I championship to take on Klondike (8-4) on Friday night at 6 p.m. Friday on Younger Field in Tulia.
Follett struck quickly in this one as David Meeks raced 47-yards to pay dirt on the first play from scrimmage to give the Panthers a quick 6-0 lead. Sands answered back with a short scoring toss to tie it at six as we headed to the second quarter.
Facing a fourth and two from the Follett three-yard line, Sands was unable to complete in a pass in the end zone to get the ball back.
On the very next play, Bryan Torres turned a simple hand off up the middle into a race for the end zone which resulted in a 77-yard scoring jaunt and a 12-6 Panthers lead. The teams then traded touchdowns before the Mustangs impressive freshman, Gordo Solis, tossed a scoring strike from 14-yards out to tie things up at 18.
On the ensuing kickoff, Follett big man Rodlee Williamson scooped up the kick and refused to be tackled as he took it to the house from 45-yards out and a 24-18 half time advantage.
Williamson then opened up the third quarter by stripping the ball away from the Mustangs Tate Henderson at the Panthers 30. After a facemask penalty on the next play left Follett with a first and thirty, Wyatt Terrell connected with Meeks on a wheel route that went 65 yards to the house and a 32-18 lead.
Midway through the third, the defense for Follett stood tall again stopping Sands at the Panthers 30. The offense then responded by driving the length of the field and capping the drive off with a Torres one-yard plunge and a three-score lead.
Early in the fourth it was Follett’s defense making its mark again by forcing another turnover on downs at their own 14 and Meeks turning the lights off in this game by racing 65-yards for the score and the eventual win for the Panthers.
It was quite the night for the Panthers backfield. Meeks finished with 284 rushing yards, 96 receiving and three total touchdowns while Torres racked up 138 yards on the ground and three scores. Terrell added 105 yards through the air and a passing touchdown.
Sands ended the season with an 8-4 record.
Happy falls to Borden County, again
A tough start and a failure to capitalize deep in enemy territory was too much for Happy to overcome as they fell to Borden County, 52-38, in a Class 1A Division I regional semifinal round matchup Friday night in Lockney.
The win is the fifth in six tries against Happy in the playoffs in the last 10 years and moves Borden County (8-4) into the Region I-1A Division I championship next week against Whiteface (12-0) at a time and site to be determined.
The Cowboys, playing in the regional semifinal round for the 10th time in 12 years, finished another strong season at 10-2.
The Cowboys found themselves behind the eight ball early as the Coyotes took the opening and drove the length of the field as Braden Steele hit Tye Stipe from three yards out and an early 6-0 lead.
Borden County then went with an onside kick that bounced off a Cowboy on the front line and was recovered by the Coyotes. Steele then tossed his second of five touchdowns on the night, a 14-yard strike to Jett Napper, who dove for the pylon and put Borden County in front 14-0 with less than four minutes gone in the game.
Despite that start, Happy scored three times in the half courtesy of a Jaxen Stoker one-yard plunge plus a ten-yard strike to Hayes Bressler and a Braylan King run from five yards out. It was an offensive series late in the half that will haunt the Cowboys.
Facing a second and short from the Coyotes eight, King raced around right end for an apparent score. However, Happy was flagged for holding and failed to score on that series. A touchdown would have tied the game but left Happy down 30-24 at half.
Happy received the second half kickoff and started at the Coyote 30 after an unnecessary roughness penalty. Sitting with a third and three at the 19, the Cowboys were once again unable to convert and turned the ball over on downs. Borden County responded with an eight-play drive finished off by a Steele six-yard scramble for a score that left Happy trailing by two scores again, 38-24.
Undaunted, Happy started the next drive in Coyotes territory and drove down to the nine-yard line where they had a first goal. After a short gain, Bressler rolled out to the right and lofted a pass to his six-foot-three end Kole Gibson, but the Coyotes Datch Flanigan got between Gibson and the ball and picked off the pass to thwart another score for the Cowboys.
Steele was a dual threat rushing for 157 yards on 20 carries and a score and 11-of-18 through the air for 185 yards. King finished the night for the Cowboys with 105 yards on the ground on 19 carries and a score while Bressler was 9-of-13 for 114 yards.
Whiteface overwhelms Booker
Behind a physical ground game, Whiteface powered through Booker 66-16 on Friday night in Tulia during a Class 1A Division I regional semifinal game.
With the win the Antelopes (12-0) advance to play Bordon County (8-4) in the Region I-1A championship at a time and place to be determined.
Booker registered their first 10-win season since 2014 and finished the year an impressive 10-2.
The Antelopes got on the board quickly behind a long scoring jaunt from Ethan Kauffman to go up 8-0. Unfazed, Booker answered right back on a double reverse pass to Marco Avila to tie this one up early in the first.
However, Whiteface came right back down the field and scored on a passing play and the game changed on the next Kiowas possession. Facing a third and four in their own territory, Booker’s Chase Nelson rolled right looking for an open man, but the pass was off target and found an Antelopes defender who raced to the end zone for a pick six and a 24-8 Whiteface lead.
Kauffman and that ground game, orchestrated by former McLean head coach Clint Linman who won a state title in 2018, was just too much for the smaller Kiowas to shut down.