Pottsboro outlasts weather, Redwater rally to win, 14-13
PARIS, Texas—Two hours and 17 minutes Redwater and Pottsboro players sat in their respective locker rooms waiting to play the final 9:30 of Thursday's Region II-2A Division I area plalyoff game.
Heavy rain and lightning had stopped the game, and when the teams returned to Wildcat Stadium, it appeared a small tornado had left yard markers and equipment scattered everywhere.
Play resumed with Redwater trailing, 14-7, and facing a thirdand-1 at its own 45. It would take a fourth down play to convert, but a 32-yard run by Neo Hudson had the Dragons soaked, but die-hard fans on the verge of a big celebration. Four plays later, Hudson scored with 5:05 left, and the decision was made to go for two extra points and the lead.
“I don't know that we would have gone for two, but our snapper got hurt on the touchdown,” Redwater coach Tommy Graf said after Hudson was tackled by Pottsboro's Chris DeLaCruz short of the goalline to preserve the Cardinals' 14-13 win.
“We didn't feel comfortable trying to kick after our snapper got hurt. We put the ball in our best player's hands and ran our best play. Hats of to Pottsboro, they made a play. During the delay, we were telling the kids to stay focused; we needed to execute better on offense, and they answered the bell. They played with a lot of passion.”
There was still 5:05 left on the clock, but the Dragons' offense would never get the ball back.
Pottsboro's two-headed quarterback—Hunter Mullinex and Zane Pritchett—took turns running and the Cardinals drove from their own 18 to a first-andgoal at the Redwater 5 with two minutes still left.
Instead of trying to score and giving the ball back to Redwater's offense, the Cardinals retreated four straight plays, losing 18 yards and running the final seconds off the clock.
Pottsboro (11-1) scored what proved to be the decisive points on the first play of the fourth quarter when Pritchett plowed over from three yards.
“Our defense played a great game, and Pottsboro did a good job on us,” Graf said. “We knew coming into the game we had an opportunity, but it really hurt us losing Spencer Long last week to injury. He was a big part of our offense. I thought our kids did a great job of stepping up.”
Redwater forced three turnovers in the first half, but only one turned into points for the Dragons.
The Cardinals were driving on their first possession of the game when Kolby Browning recovered a Pottsboro fumble at his own 20.
It was three-and-out for the Dragons, but they had the ball back two plays later on an interception by Neo Hudson at the Redbirds' 42.
On third-and-4 Hudson broke free for 21 yards and a first down at the Pottsboro 15. Two plays later quarterback Michael Cochran kept and raced up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown. Cochran's PAT made it 7-0 with 10:01 left in the half.
Pottsboro turned the ball over for the third straight possession when Browning picked off a short pass at the Dragons' 39.
However, the Cardinals
returned the favor seconds later when Pritchett stole a Cochran pass and returned it 29 yards to the Dragons' 32.
Pritchett would carry the ball three of the next four plays, including an 18-yard TD scamper up the middle. Kory Waller's kick tied the score with 1:51 left before intermission. Redwater 0 7 0 6 — 13 Pottsboro 0 7 0 7 — 14
Second Quarter R-Michael Cochran 12 run (Cochran kick), 10:01 P-Zane Pritchett 18 run (Kory Waller kick), 1:51
Fourth Quarter P-Pritchett 3 run (Waller kick), 11:56 R-Neo Hudson 1 run (run fails), 5:05
R’water P’boro First Downs 10 16 Yards Rushing 38-169 42-229 Yards Passing 4 29 Passes A-C-I 3-1-1 12-4-2 Fumbles-Lost 0 2-1 Penalties 4-55 4-25 Punts-Avg. 4-42.0 1-42.0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: REDW, Cochran 11-31, N. Hudson 12-95, Matthew Candelaria 8-29, Corey Jolley 6-12, Dionte Hudson 1-2. POTT, Hunter Mullinex 11-65, Patton Lyons 1349, Thad Flinn 1-1, Prichett 15-132, Team 3-minus 18.
PASSING: REDW, Cochran 1-3-1-4. POTT, Mullinex 3-9-1-24, Pritchett 1-3-1-5.
RECEIVING: REDW, N. Hudson 1-4. POTT, Zack Lovelady 2-13, Nate Watson 1-5, Waller 1-11.