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The DeLeon Bearcat football team defeated
the Ranger Bulldogs last Friday night in double overtime at home by a
score of 23-22 to capture their first win.
 When Pedro Calzada booted the first
kickoff through the end zone, you knew his foot was going to come into
play in the game.
On their first possession, Ranger fumbled
and DeLeon took the ball over on the Bulldog 17 yard line. Three plays
later, quarterback Clayton Stokes hit Tanner Welch with a 16 yard
touchdown pass. Calzada booted through the point-after, and DeLeon
jumped to a 7-0 lead.
Calzada’s second kickoff went to the 14
yard line and was downed there. On Rangers second play of the series,
Bulldog Corey Smith temporarily got loose for 13 yards, but on the
tackle, the ball was knocked free. The Bearcats recovered on the
Ranger 24 yard line.
DeLeon’s drive stalled, and Calzada was
called to boot a 37 yard field goal to push DeLeon’s lead to 10-0. The
score remained 10-0 through the first half.
The Bearcats came out in the second half
and scored quickly. On the first scrimmage play of the half, Stokes
hit Cody Welch for a 72 yards pass and a score. This time, Calzada’s
extra point attempt was blocked, and DeLeon led 16-0.
Later in the third quarter, a Bearcat
fumble gave the Bulldogs the ball on the nine yard line. After a
strong defensive stand, led by Calvin Caraway and Taner Winkles,
Bulldog Ryan Draper hit Cecil Fuentes on a pass for the touchdown,
foreshadowing the end of the game.
Ranger faked a kick and ran the ball in
for the extra points, cutting the lead in half, 16-8.
The teams exchanged possessions into the
fourth quarter. After a DeLeon punt went afoul, Ranger took over in
DeLeon’s 47 yard line.
Three plays later, Draper threw again to
Fuentes. The ball was there, and so was Mason Stewart who went for the
interception. Fuentes wrestled the ball away from Stewart and broke
away for a 45 yard touchdown.
Corey Smith carried in the point-after to
tie the score 16-16 and regulation play ended. The teams were call to
play overtimes to resolve the tie.
Overtime is played by giving each team a
possession on the opponent’s 25 yard line. After one this round, if
the game is tied, they do it again.
DeLeon won the toss and gave Ranger the
first go.
On their second play, Draper tried to hit
Fuentes on a pass. Austin Koonce stepped in and intercepted.
All DeLeon had to do was score in their half of overtime and the game
would end in victory. Ranger’s defense stiffened, however, and on
fourth down and fourth down and four, Calzada attempted a 36 yard
field goal. It was long enough, but the officials said it missed by
about six inches to the right.
Ranger won the toss on the second
overtime and elected to have DeLeon go first.
On the first play, Ranger was hit with a
roughing the passer penalty, which moved the ball to the 13 yard line.
Stokes then hit Kevin Smith for a pass for 12 yards, setting up a
first down and goal from the one yard line.
Stokes then ran a quarterback sneak for
the remaining yard and the score. Calzada easily booted the extra
point through, and DeLeon led in the second overtime by a score of
23-16.
On the Bulldog’s second play of their
possession in the second overtime, Smith got loose for eleven yards.
Then Draper hit Fuentes for a touchdown pass.
The score was 23-22 in DeLeon’s favor
with Ranger’s extra point attempt to come.. Trailing by one point,
they went for two.
Fuentes ran a down and out on Stewart’s
side. Draper threw the ball. Fuentes was there. The ball was there.
The ball was in Fuentes hands in the end zone. But Stewart was there.
Instead of going for the interception, he swatted the ball out of
Fuentes hands, securing the win for the Bearcats.
DeLeon goes 1-1 in district and travel to
Perrin Whitt Friday to seek a winning district record. |
