Bulldogs top rival, take over 8-5Alead
MAGNOLIA – Crosstown rivals Magnolia and MagnoliaWest have been on a collision course all season.
After weeks of decisive triumphs over other league foes, something had to give Friday night at Mustang Stadium.
It was the Bulldogs who prevailed in perhaps the most anticipatedMagnolia Bowl in the13-year history of the series. They earned a 21-14 victory and sole possession of first place in District 8-5A (Division I).
Magnolia (7-1, 6-0) andMagnolia West (5-2, 4-1) were ranked fifth and seventh, respectively, in the Houston area media poll entering the game.
“I think it just took patience and resolve, which I think our team has done a good job of all year long,” Magnolia coach Craig Martin said. “We’ve got a really good mix of some veterans and some newguys this year, andour leadership has done a really good job of keeping everybody calm. You knowin a game like this there’s going to be momentum shifts, and there certainly were. Our kids have done a good job all year long just not getting rattled.”
Magnolia has back-to-back victories against its rival for just the second time since the inaugural game in 2008. The Bulldogs have won seven consecutive games since losing their season opener against Katy Tompkins, which is undefeated and the No. 7 Class 6A teamin the state. They are squarely in the driver’s seat for an outright district title, but matchups against Porter and New Caney – two playoff teams fromlast season – stand in the way.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak forMagnoliaWest. The Mustangs hadn’t lost since a non-district matchup with Tem
ple in early October. The teamwill end the regular season with matchups against Porter, New Caney and College Station, all of which will be important for playoff seeding.
“Right now, for us, it’s just about getting better,” Magnolia West coach Blake Joseph said. “The whole seeding is a big deal. You want to be first or second in the district and play a home game and not three or four. Not to mention the (other) district (7-5A) — you’ve got Longview and Highland Park, and you don’t want to see those guys first round.”
Magnolia opened the scoring with 4:20 remaining in the first quarter as quarterback Travis Moore connected with tight end
Ben Coligan in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs went ahead 14-0 just before the end of the quarter as running back Mitch Hall reached paydirt on an 18-yard jaunt.
After a scoreless second quarter, the Bulldogs walked into the locker room with a two-score lead. Moore was the catalyst in the first half with 176 rushing yards on just10 carries. Hall added 88 yards on 12 carries.
“Travis is so dangerous,” Martin said. “He can beat you with his arm and his legs. I think ultimately what he brings to the table is just that grit and that ‘it’ factor. We joke about it in the locker room all the time because he’s a baller. We rely on that guy a bunch. He had a
bunch of yards there in that first half for sure. Hewas a little tired at halftime, obviously. But him and Mitch and our O-line, it’s really hard to single out just one guy.”
MagnoliaWest had its opportunities in the first half, but three trips to the red zone resulted in zero points. The Mustangs missed a 27-yard field goal on their opening possession and turned the ball over on downs twice.
“We got in the red zone several times and came out with no points,” Joseph said. “We had opportunities all night, and we just didn’t capitalize on them, to be honest with you. Missed field goal first drive, and then two other driveswewere in the red zone and we didn’t get any points. Just missed opportunities for us offensively.”
Magnolia West broke up the shutoutmidway through the third quarter as Hunter Bilbo scored up the middle on a 13-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs fired right back on the first play of the fourth, however, as Moore found Coligan for an 87-yard score up the left sideline. That gave Magnolia a 21-7 advantage.
Moore passed for 129 yards, but did the most damage with his legs. He finished the game with 204 yards rushing. Hall also reached triple digits, collecting 124 yards on the ground. Coligan had four catches for 117 yards.
The Mustangs cut into the deficit once again with 6:10remaining as Bilbo pushed across the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown. Magnolia West got the ball back with the game winding down, but the Bulldogs forced a turnover on downs with 1:27 remaining and essentially drained the rest of the clock to finish out the win.
“Our defense stepped up and made some huge plays,” Martin said. “We really shut them down there in the first half. We knew they were going to come out swinging and had big play potential, so I’m proud of our defense for finishing.”
Bilbo finished the game with 103 yards on 22 carries. Magnolia West quarterback Brock Dalton completed 16 of 32 passes for 259 yards and an interception. Jeff Krop had seven catches for 156 yards, and Marcus Collins had six for 75 yards.
Bilbo inparticularwas a key factor to the Mustangs competing down the stretch in the second half.
“Hunter, he just gives 100 percent effort every time he runs the ball,” Joseph said. “He’s not the biggest or the fastest guy out there, but he runs hard, and I’m proud of him.”