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-Week 2
Review-
Good things come to those who wait.
Patience is a virtue.
The best things in life are well worth waiting for.
All time-honored words of wisdom. And all words that have
special significance for those associated with the
Bruceville-Eddy football program.
The Eagles, slated to compete this fall in newly revamped
District 12-2A, shed more than two years of misery Friday
night and erased at least some sore points dating to 2001
when they edged Riesel 21-20 at Fair Park Field, snapping
a 24-game losing streak.
Bobby Patterson and Steven Abilez paced the victors, who
had earlier provided glimmers of hope in '04 for Eagle
fans by having opened the season with a very respectable
scrimmage effort at home against No. 9-ranked Mart.
Patterson rushed eight times for 64 yards, including a
56-yard TD run. Abilez danced nine yards for one score and
provided the insurance touchdown with a 76-yard kickoff
return.
It was fitting Patterson and Abilez would play key roles
in the triumph given they were the only skill position
players returning to the fold, having survived much of the
Eagles' frustrating losing skein.
Riesel, out of 25-A, was led by durable Patrick Mayes, who
netted 133 yards and two TDs on 19 carries.
The Indians (0-3) had jumped out in front 14-0 on a
79-yard Michael Barrientos kickoff return and Mayes'
61-yard scoring scamper.
But, undaunted, Bruceville-Eddy responded with three
second half touchdowns.
It was also a good night for B-E's District rival and
State title contender Crawford.
The Pirates flexed their muscles with a gutsy 25-20
non-District victory over 10th ranked Italy, the 15th
straight regular season win for coach Robert Murphy's
charges, who ran the table in '03 prior to clinching a
playoff berth.
Crawford made a strong statement Friday for similar
success by knocking off the Gladiators, no strangers
themselves to State title chases.
The marquee matchup at Pirate field featured seven lead
changes and a pair of offenses that combined for nearly
600 total yards.
As has been their custom the past couple seasons, the
Pirates relied on depth and balance to seal the verdict.
Return specialist B.J. Christian got the Pirate Faithful
revved up early with a 95-yard touchdown on the game's
opening kickoff.
But Italy was quick in responding to the challenge,
forcing a rare Pirate miscue five minutes later and
converting it into a 21-yard touchdown dash by Gladiator
backup QB Jeremy Brown, filling in for injured starter B.J.
Chambers.
Brown proved especially effective turning nothing into
something. He scrambled and dodged his way to a 178-yard
night on the ground, including two touchdowns, on 23
attempts.
Crawford's quarterback, Lee Murphy, was pretty darn good,
too. A deft ballhandler, Murphy fired a 37-yard scoring
strike off a brilliant pump fake to Jad Tawater, giving
the Pirates a short-lived 19-14 margin.
Italy seized a 20-19 edge in the third period when Brown
waltzed and spun his way 52 yards for the go-ahead TD.
The night's final heroics, though, were left for the hosts
and Crawford running back Derek Dumas, who rushed 19 times
for 129 yards and two touchdowns. One of those attempts
was an 18-yard TD jaunt that iced the decision in
Crawford's favor.
The Pirates clinched matters midway through the final
stanza when nose guard Andrew Judy recovered an errant
Italy option pitch.
Speaking of Midway, the Panthers improved to 3-0 with a
34-13 non-District victory over Crowley despite losing
quarterback Wesley Sauls to a high ankle sprain.
The Panthers benefitted from an opportunistic defense that
converted three Crowley turnovers into short-field scoring
drives.
Before going down, Sauls triggered the Midway point parade
with a one-yard touchdown dive capping a Panther TD march
highlighted by Bob Talley's 43-yard pickup out of punt
formation.
Meanwhile, across town at WISD Stadium, the Waco Lions
bounced back nicely from the previous week's loss to No.
2-ranked Tyler Lee. WHS bested Class 4A power Corpus
Christi Calallen 31-14, as the Lions behind recent
Centexfootball.com profile subject Carl Sims built a
commanding 24-8 lead at intermission.
Sims got the Lions on the board with a one-yard TD plunge
in the opening period. His 21-yard scoring toss to Justin
Johnson, coupled with placekicker Julian Veracruz's
conversion, put the Lions on top 14-0.
Sims answered a 29-yard Ryan Duke touchdown pass to Ryan
Arnold with a clever 25-yard sprint to paydirt, lifting
WHS on top 21-8.
Veracruz gave the Lions a 16-point halftime bulge with a 31-yard field
goal.
With the Lions leading 24-14 in the fourth period, Sims delivered an
insurance score by firing 24 yards for a TD to WHS wideout
LaGerald Betters.
Waco University didn't fare as well as the Lions, however.
The Trojans, despite a valiant second half comeback, came
up on the short end of a 35-26 non-District clash with
Copperas Cove.
Trailing 35-6 at the end of three periods, University
scored three touchdowns in the final frame to narrow its
margin of defeat to single digits. Yet it wasn't enough to
offset a Cove attack that amassed 326 rushing yards, a
third of which were produced by QB Brent Garner.
Jonathan Woods also broke the century mark (101) on the
ground for the Bulldawgs.
Trojan quarterback Deodrick Brownlow made his presence
felt with a four-yard TD run and a scoring hookup with
go-to receiver Parrish Cox.
The LaVega Pirates also struggled Friday, dropping a 29-28
non-District encounter to Reicher Catholic. The Cougs
withstood a fine 264-yard passing performance by Pirate
quarterback Vincent Williams, who continues to impress
while making a comeback from last year's season-ending
knee injury.
The victors were led by quarterback Derek Blain on a
dramatic 98-yard scoring drive in the waning moments
culminated by Blain's 15-yard TD pass to Will Carpenter.
Cougar kicker Tye Williams provided the margin of victory
by splitting the uprights on the ensuing PAT.
Blain accounted for 171 yards through the air, nearly half
of which went to receiver Adam Whitaker.
In another close contest, China Spring nipped 2A power
Rosebud-Lott despite a fine outing from R-L QB Brett
Bailey, who completed 11 passes for 207 yards and also
rushed for nearly 150 more and a pair of scores.
China Spring preserved its unblemished mark (3-0) in great
measure due to the play of Jarod Hanna, who threw for 283
yards and three touchdowns.
The Mart Panthers, expected to vie with Rosebud-Lott for
the 22-2A crown, won for the third time in as many starts,
downing Groesbeck 45-20 to win the 86th meeting between
the two longtime non-District foes.
Multi-talented Desmond "Roddy" Green delivered six
touchdown passes en route to completing 15 of 21 passes
for 290 yards against the game but ailing Goats.
Green, a junior, also racked up 138 yards rushing on a
dozen carries.
Groesbeck, playing without seven injured players, gained
momentum at the break when backup QB Nick Walker reeled
off 26 yards on a scamper from midfield and then connected
on a 25-yard TD pass to J.J. Miles as time expired in the
half.
That narrowed the count to 27-7 as Green had already
connected on scoring tosses to Jason Madkins (22 and 56
yards) and Damian Davis (five and six yards). Madkins and
Davis, both basketball frontliners, enjoyed significant
height advantages over Goat defenders, making fade routes
especially profitable for the Panthers.
Groesbeck trimmed the score to 27-14 early in the third
period when Walker hit Jimmy Jefferson on a 34-yard TD
aerial.
MHS regained the advantage when Green threw 18 yards to
Kevione Kirven and 11 yards to Madkins for a pair of third
period touchdowns.
Panther placekicker Matthew Taylor rounded out the Mart
scoring with a 20-yard fourth quarter field goal.
Walker hit Ryan Fewell on a six-yard TD route in the late
going to provide the final score.
In other key Sept. 10 Centexfootball. com coverage area
scores:
*Axtell blanked Dawson 41-0; Thorndale defeated Bremond
38-27; Gatesville downed McGregor 36-21; Rogers, the
State's No. 1-ranked 2A club, beat Troy 26-14; Marlin shut
out Bellville 42-0; Connally whitewashed Mexia 35-0; and
Robinson remained undefeated by outpointing Rockdale
46-26.
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