Big Spring wins final game of regular season over San Angelo Lake View 35-21
It only took the San Angelo Lake View Chiefs 54 seconds to find the end zone on Friday night. They quickly took a 7-0 lead and it looked like it might be a long night for the Steer defense.
That turned out not to be the case at all.
Following that early score by the Chiefs, the Steers moved right down the field for a touchdown of their own and proceeded to score 27 unanswered points. Big Spring (4-3, 1-2) was then able to hold off any comeback attempts made by Lake View (4-6, 0-3) en route to a much-needed 35-21 district victory.
“I'm just proud of our kids,” Head Coach Cannon Mcwilliams said. “They never wavered, had good confidence, and once we answered we never really looked back from there.”
Big Spring's defense excelled at playing a bend-but-don't-break style of play and they were able to hold Lake View when it mattered most. On offense, the Steers were finally able to get the running game going with Orlando Sanchez and Gabriel Baeza able to break-off some long runs.
When the Steers got to the red zone, they were able to capitalize on those opportunities and they made some big plays throughout the contest. The gunslinger Baeza tossed three touchdown passes in the first half to wide receiver Jose Cantu - including one 46-yard Hail Mary score as time expired in the second quarter - and ran in two more scores in the second half. Baeza threw three first half interceptions but he never let it get to him and continued to produce.
“He's grown so much. He can throw an interception and I am not happy, but he'll just say, ‘Okay.' It's also good to have a really good defense and he trusts those guys. He just keeps chunking it, and Jose Cantu had a great game.”
It was a great team win for the Steers who will now have a week off as they will begin preparation for their yet-to-be-announced firstround playoff opponent.
SCORING PLAYS (35-21 FINAL):
1Q - 10:57 - Lake View TD - Joshua Torres 19-yard rush
1Q - 8:07 - Big Spring TD - Baeza pass to Jose Cantu for 3-yard TD 2Q - 7:48 - Big Spring TD - Baeza pass to Jose Cantu for 7-yard TD
2Q - 0:00 - Big Spring TD - Baeza pass to Jose Cantu for 46-yard TD
3Q - 9:09 - Big Spring TD - Baeza 6-yard rush
3Q - 5:10 - Lake View TD - Albert Rodriguez 10-yard rush
3Q - 0:17 - Big Spring TD - Baeza 7-yard rush
4Q - 2:14 - Lake View TD - Austin Bandy 1-yard rush
Shawn Moran is the sports writer at the Big Spring Herald. To contact him, e-mail sports@bigspringherald.com or call 432-263-7331.