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Wildcats Hold On vs. Tigers

November 1, 2014

 

Wildcats hold on vs. Tigers   TYE CHANDLER sports@theglenrosereporter.com | Posted: Saturday, November 1, 2014 4:07 am   Tiger football had its chances, but when the dust settled Oct. 31 in Whitney the Wildcats made enough plays to secure the 9-3A title.   While Glen Rose (7-2, 4-1) led 23-14 late in the third quarter, Whitney (8-1, 5-0) scored three-straight touchdowns to take control and win 34-31. Each team turned the ball over twice, while Glen Rose made more first downs (26-20) and committed fewer penalties (4-9), but the Whitney offense was far more efficient to pull out the victory.   Outside of a 41-yard halfback pass by Ethan Hartman, the Tigers averaged 4.2 yards per attempt and 3.1 yards per carry with two offensive plays greater than 18 yards. Meanwhile, Whitney averaged 10.3 yards per attempt and 5.5 yards per carry with 10 plays greater than 18 yards.   “I knew Whitney had gotten to where they are for a reason – they’re a good football team,” said coach Tommy Dunn. “We played well, as far as keeping them in front of us defensively. We were just a little bit off offensively in all areas, and I think that was the difference. We’re struggling in the run game a little bit, which is understandable when your three primary rushers are out.   “I thought the guys we had in there did everything that they could do. We just have to work to get better.”   Whitney’s pass rush was oftentimes fierce, especially in the fourth quarter when the Wildcats took command of the game. Whitney pressure helped force 14 of the last 18 Tiger passes to fall incomplete and linebacker J.T. Estes led the charge with six sacks.   “Usually we control the rush with the passing game, but that wasn’t the case (Friday),” Dunn said.   Quarterback Colten Lane completed 18 of 44 passes for 187 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed 19 times for 39 yards and two touchdowns.   Other notable rushers for the Tigers were Matt Branham (12-49, TD), Hartman (4-30) and Preston Shuffield (1-6). Top receivers for Glen Rose were Hartman (7-94), Jayton Dillard (3-58), Sam Strother (6-55, TD) and Kully Reynolds (1-12). Dropped passes were more of a problem than usual for Glen Rose in the contest.   The Tiger defense made a number of notable plays, led by Calen Ballesteros (3 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, fumble recovery), Miguel Barraza (forced fumble, fumble recovery, tackle for loss), Chance Nabours (forced fumble, tackle for loss, fourth-down pass breakup), Braxton Barrios (2 tackles for loss) and Hayden Swearengin (2 tackles for loss). Other impact plays came from Alex Cocita (fourth-down tackle), Trey Yocham (sack), Angel Amezcua (0.5 sacks), R.J. Darch (tackle for loss) and Dalton Gould (sack).   “I thought the defense played pretty well overall,” said defensive coordinator Todd Swearengin. “Whitney found a rhythm in the second half and we couldn’t break it, but we were pretty solid otherwise.”   By his lofty statistical standards, Whitney quarterback Brett Gilchrist had a below-average output in completing 13 of 23 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He was strong on the ground with 19 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown, despite being stopped seven times for negative yardage.   Other notable rushers were Kelton Mansfield (16-80, TD) and Estes (2-27). Top pass catchers were Cole Brunett (6-108, 2 TD) and Mansfield (4-87, TD).   Whitney’s defense was ready to roll from the start, as it intercepted Lane on the game’s first offensive play. The Tiger defense had an answer, however, as Ballesteros recovered a Gilchrist fumble at the Tiger 32.   “We had Calen spying the quarterback a little bit, and he was able to have a good game,” Swearengin said.   Whitney forced the Tigers to punt before staging a lengthy drive down to the Tiger 19, but Yocham came up with a sack and then Cocita hit a diving Gilchrist a yard shy of the marker on fourth down at the Tiger 10.   “Cocita has been making plays for us all year,” Swearengin said.   Glen Rose began an 11-play drive that extended into the second quarter, but it was stopped on fourth down at the Whitney 32.   “I thought the defenses were outplaying the offenses in the first quarter – simple as that,” Dunn said.   Although Whitney continued to be harassed by Tigers making defensive plays in the backfield, Gilchrist was able to get the ball to Brunett and he hit high gear for a 41-yard touchdown (0-7, Nick Weigant kick).   The Tigers came back with a 12-play drive that included a Lane keeper to convert a fourth down en route to a 29-yard Cocita field goal (3-7). Whitney’s defense came up big, as Glen Rose had first-and-goal at the Wildcat 6.   Whitney followed with one of its worst offensive possessions that included no first downs and then a pass breakup by Nabours on fourth down at the Wildcat 41.   The Tigers put together a 10-play drive, converting fourth downs with a 14-yard Hartman reception and then a five-yard Lane touchdown pass to Strother with just three seconds left in the half (10-7, Azahel Herrera kick).   Whitney responded to open the second half, covering 80 yards in four plays with the score being a 32-yard Gilchrist pass to Brunett where he once again outran the defense after the catch (10-14, Weigant kick). Nabours did force and recover a fumble on the previous play, but somehow the officials were oblivious to his efforts.   “Chance put some good hits on them,” Swearengin said.   Glen Rose came right back with a quality drive, using nine plays and scoring on a one-yard Branham run (17-14, Herrera kick). Hartman came up big with a 17-yard catch on third-and-15 along the way.   “We’d like to avoid those fourth-down and long-yardage situations, but we converted some and Ethan made some good catches,” Dunn said. “Matt is doing a good job, and he’s going to keep getting better.”   Playing some of their best all-around ball of the game at this point, the Tigers were fired up when Barraza forced and recovered a Gilchrist fumble.   “Miguel made a big play for us right there,” Swearengin said.   On first down, Hartman carried the ball wide before firing a deep pass to Dillard for a 41-yard gain. Lane called his own number up the middle on the next play for a five-yard score (23-14, Herrera kick failed).   “We knew we were going to use that (halfback pass) play at some point,” Dunn said.   While the Tiger defense forced a three-and-out, Whitney desperately needed to regain momentum and managed to by intercepting Lane at the Wildcat 34. The hosts scored in six plays, as Gilchrist called his own number up the middle from 20 yards out late in the third (23-21, Weigant kick).   As the next Tiger drive extended into the fourth quarter, Whitney’s pass rush began to take over. Even though the Tigers moved the chains after punter Hartman was hit late, Whitney promptly forced another punt.   Despite two Tiger sacks in a four-play span, including one by Gould, Gilchrist got the ball to Mansfield short and he sped down the sideline for a 49-yard score (23-27, Gilchrist conversion pass failed).   “Dalton has good speed, which enables him to put pressure on quarterbacks,” Swearengin said.   Though Lane ran for a first down on the ensuing possession, Wildcats were flying into the backfield to force four-straight incompletions at midfield. Whitney overcame a Ballesteros tackle for loss on first down with a 27-yard Gilchrist keeper and then Mansfield scored on a 10-yard run three plays later (23-34, Weigant kick).   With 4:50 remaining, the Tigers had to produce multiple scoring drives. Though it took 14 plays, they scored with a five-yard Lane keeper on the heels of a 13-yard Hartman run (31-34, Lane conversion pass to Hartman). Glen Rose got new life on the drive when a fourth-and-25 was converted via pass interference by Whitney.   “Whitney was doing a good job of mixing up where they were bringing pressure,” Dunn said. “It did create some opportunities for Colten to run, and we probably should’ve taken more advantage of it.”   With 2:15 remaining, the Tigers went for an onside kick, but they touched the ball mere inches short of 10 yards. Desperate to make a play, Barrios notched a tackle for loss on first down.   “Braxton is one of the best defensive linemen in this district, so he’s going to make a lot of plays,” Swearengin said. “We just have to regroup and keep offenses off-balance.”   Though the Tiger defense did bring up a fourth down, Gilchrist powered for five yards up the middle to seal the deal.   Glen Rose will conclude the regular season Nov. 7 at home against McGregor at 7:30 p.m. McGregor is coming off a 35-13 win over Hillsboro.   “We just didn’t make as many plays as they did in the end,” Dunn said. “I thought we played as hard as we could, but it wasn’t our night. The first thing we have to do is go play well against McGregor.   “That game will be for second place in the district. Along the way, we’ll prepare the best we can for the playoffs.”