Lions’ QBs find family connections in rout
Spring took the field for a special occasion Thursday — the long-awaited first game at Spring ISD’s new Planet Ford Stadium.
The Lions made sure it was a family affair, too.
Spring quarterbacks Aldyn Bradley and Bishop Davenport both threw touchdown passes to their brothers, wide receivers Cadyn Bradley and Bailee Davenport, and the Lions celebrated their new facility with a 49-21 rout of Eisenhower to secure a postseason berth in District 16-6A.
“That was a truly remarkable thing,” Spring coach Trent Miller said.
“It’s not routine for us. Aldyn is our starting quarterback, and he got banged up last week against Dekaney, so we did a good job all week of getting both quarterback reps, and … we didn’t have any designed play calls to get touchdown passes from one brother to the other, it just worked out that way.”
The victory pushed the Lions to 7-2 overall, 5-1 in district, one game behind undefeated Westfield going into their Week 11 finale with MacArthur. The Eagles fell to 3-6, 3-3, putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy.
“This was an awesome experience for our kids,” Miller said. “We talked all week about being the first team to make history here at the new stadium, and our kids have been so excited, in their preparation, all week, so it really meant a lot for our high school and our community to come out here and take care of business the way we did (Thursday night).
“It was a special moment for everybody involved.”
Spring’s new stadium, dubbed Planet Ford in a 10year, $750,000 naming rights deal with the Planet Ford dealership family, originally was slated to open in August, but the opening was pushed back multiple times for various reasons, including flooding caused by Tropical Storm Imelda and even recent rain.
But those delays didn’t dampen Spring’s spirits on this historic evening.
Neither did the season’s coldest day so far, with temperatures in the low 40s, forcing fans to bundle up in blankets.
Spring seized a quick 14-0 advantage midway through the first quarter on a pick-six by defensive back Bruce Davis. He returned his interception of quarterback Christian Sims 52 yards with 4:57 showing.
Aldyn Bradley, a junior, supplied the Lions’ first score on a 9-yard scramble.
“We were a little concerned with the weather and how our kids were going to respond, so we harped on that all week, and the kids came out and did a phenomenal job — started fast and never took their foot off the gas pedal,” Miller said.
Eisenhower’s struggles on special teams helped the Lions push their lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter.
First, a high snap sailed over punter Kenneth Idlebird’s head, and he was tackled at the Eisenhower 3-yard line, but Aldyn Bradley ended up throwing an interception in the end zone to defensive back Myron Carter, who, instead of downing the ball in the end zone, brought it out — to the 2-yard line.
That play led to a threeand-out by the Eagles, forcing Idlebird to attempt another punt from his end zone. This time, the snap came in low, Idlebird secured it, exited the end zone and was tackled at the 4-yard line, setting up Aldyn Bradley’s 15-yard TD pass (after a holding penalty) to his brother Cadyn, a sophomore.
Eisenhower and Spring then exchanged turnovers before a flurry of scores in the final seven minutes of the first half, with both teams notching two touchdowns and the Lions taking a 35-14 halftime lead.
The Eagles struck on Sims’ 28-yard pass to wide receiver Jamarcus Martin, and a 73-yard catch-andrun by Sevan Guidry, who temporarily cut Spring’s lead to 28-14. The Lions tallied on a pair of scoring passes by Bishop Davenport — a 16-yarder to Clyde Lacy Jr. and a 27-yarder to Bailee Davenport, his senior sibling.
Spring sealed the victory — and a playoff spot — with the Davenports’ second scoring connection on a 20yard pass in the third.
“It’s a great feeling, knowing that we can take a deep breath going into next week and really work on us,” Miller said. “MacArthur’s a great football team, but it takes a little bit of the pressure off of the kids, off of the coaching staff, and gives us an opportunity to get some kids healthy.”
The Lions were the first players to sprint onto the new “low-glare” turf, but Dekaney and Westfield also will have chances to test out the new stadium before the regular season concludes. Dekaney hosts Aldine at 7 p.m. Friday, and Westfield faces Aldine Davis on Nov. 8 at Planet Ford.
A grand opening, which also will serve as a playoff pep rally, is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 12. The event will include a ribbon-cutting, fireworks, former NFL players and performances by all three bands, cheer and dance teams.
The 50-year-old George Stadium, which Planet Ford replaces, now will serve as the Lions’ athletic complex.