November 09, 2022

Surprising & young Iredell Dragons dethrone preseason favorite Cranfills Gap to claim District 12-2A, DII six-man runner-up spot, Morgan Eagles capture District 10-2A, DII title for third straight playoff berth

As Bosque County’s surprise qualifier for the Class 1A, Division II six-man football playoffs, the young Iredell Dragons will ride back-to-back District 12-1A, DII upset victories into the postseason as the runner-up to district champion and ninth-ranked Bluff Dale.

Qualifying for their third straight trip to the playoffs, the Morgan Eagles captured the District 10-1A, DII crown to complete the Bosque County field of representatives in the postseason as Cranfills Gap, Walnut Springs and Kopperl will be staying home.

In the Class 1A, DII Bi-District playoff matchups, Iredell (5-5) will take on fourth-ranked and undefeated Oglesby (10-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Valley Mills, while Morgan (7-3) will face Fannindel (5-5) at 7 p.m. Friday at Irving Nimitz.

“We have a tough matchup against Oglesby,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “They’re a solid team, and we look forward to the challenge that it is going to bring.”

After advancing to the playoffs for the third straight season, Morgan feels good about its chances in the postseason.

“We are very fortunate to be in this position, and I know this team is very excited to experience the journey they are about to embark,” Morgan head coach Eduardo Aviles said. “I am really proud of this team’s efforts and determination to make a goal, and then achieve it. Now, we have set our minds to extending our season week by week.”

IREDELL 86, CRANFILLS GAP 50

Freshman Jordan Gutierrez ran for eight touchdowns while freshman Cole Heutzenroeder scored three times to lead the young and surprising Iredell Dragons to a convincing 86-50 shootout victory over defending district champion Cranfills Gap at home last Thursday night.

“It was a great game by both teams,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “We were fortunate to get some turnovers in the second half, and I believe that was the difference in the game. Early, it was back and forth. Our guys really stepped up when we needed them to.”

After battling to a 42-38 lead at halftime, the Dragons (2-1 in district, 5-5 overall) surged further ahead in the third quarter and put the game away in the final frame. Heutzenroeder led Iredell with 277 yards rushing, followed by Gutierrez with 197 yards, while freshman Caleb Garland added another rushing touchdown.

“I’m extremely proud of our team,” Guereca said. “It is a great feeling to be able to get back to the playoffs. It is great for our program, school and community. Thank you to all those who helped along the way.”

Cranfills Gap senior Aiden Doty threw for 192 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with senior Haydn Kirby for three scoring strikes, while junior 3 receiving Blake Allen ran for two touchdowns and caught a scoring pass for another in the losing effort for the Lions (0-3, 5-5).

“I thought overall we had a good game plan coming into the game,” Cranfills Gap head coach Rodie Johnston said. “We were able to keep up with them until midway through the third quarter, and then the wheels started coming off. Iredell is a physical team that plays very fundamental, and they were able to wear us down over the course of the game.”

MORGAN 68, MOUNT CALM 30

Sophomore EJ Aviles ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more, while senior Adrian Ver-Rico rushed for three score and threw for another as the Morgan Eagles soared to a 68-30 road victory over Mount Calm last Thursday night to claim the District 10-1A, DII championship.

“Overall, our season was a shaky start, but that is normal when moving personnel around early,” Morgan head coach Eduardo Aviles said. “It is the process, and we have had some growing pains. But we finally were able to put it together and be in the position to win the district.”

Aviles completed five of seven passes for 133 yards and rushed for 75 more, while Ver-Rico led the Eagles (3-0, 7-3) on the ground with 155 yards rushing and 65 more through the air. Sophomore Zach Mitchell caught two touchdown passes while senior Kason Sims cashed in on a 65-yard scoring strike.

“The offense has been able to put up points by everyone buying into what we are doing,” Aviles said. “We try to be a balance attack by running and throwing the ball. It has really come together by the efforts of our players coming together.”

Defensively, Aviles led the Eagles with 17 tackles, followed by Mitchell with 11, Vera-Rico with eight as well as Sims with seven tackles and a fumble recovery in the win over Mount Calm (1-2, 4-6).

“Our defense really took some time to develop each week,” Aviles said. “It was a growing pain of what we needed to do and how we would fix it. But overall, it has really come up big against some really big teams that were bigger than us.”

BLUFF DALE 50, WALNUT SPRINGS 0

Leaving little to doubt, the 10th-ranked Bluff Dale Bobcats sprang past the Walnut Springs Hornets, 50-0, at home last Thursday night to claim the District 12-1A, DII crown and eliminate Walnut Springs in the regular season finale.

With junior Diego Muniz going down with an injury on the Hornets’ first offensive play, Bluff Dale (3-0, 9-1) took advantage of injuries and mistakes to bury Walnut Springs’ hope of making the playoffs. Playing with only eight players by the end of the game, the Hornets (1-2, 4-6) coughed up two fumbles and suffered untimely penalties to take away any chance of remaining competitive in the game.

“We were inside the 10-yard line on two occasions in the first half with an opportunity to score,” Walnut Springs head coach Lonnie Flippen said. “But mistakes and the aggressive play of the Bluff Dale kids ended those opportunities.

“I am very proud of the Walnut Springs Hornets and their season. These kids played through adversity all year long. At one point early in the season, we had 14 athletes. We finished the season with eight. They gave it their best effort.

“Our opponents may need to take notice that of those last few kids, none of them are seniors. Everyone returns next year, and I can only hope they will return with a new purpose to make a run deep into the playoffs.”

Photos by WENDY OROZCO

©2022 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Class 3A, DII Clifton Cubs secure first playoff berth in three seasons with 32-26 overtime thriller in Florence, set for bi-district clash with Tidehaven in rematch of 1967 state title game

It’s a postseason rematch that’s been 55 years in waiting. But the fact that the Clifton Cubs will be returning to the Class 3A, Division II playoffs for the first time in three years ranks as the only thing that really matters.

Getting back to the postseason did not come easy. It took all 10 games over the regular season and overtime in the finale before the Cubs earned a playoff berth as the fourth-place team coming out of a tough District 13-3A, DII. Clifton had to overcome an inspired group of seniors in Florence to rally and pull out a thrilling, nail-biting 32-26 overtime victory over the Buffaloes last Thursday night in Stampede Stadium.

“I cannot express how proud I am of these young men and our staff,” Clifton’s first-year head coach Brent Finney said. “Transitions are never easy. These kids battled through adversity and injuries all season. It would have been really easy to give up after losing the first three district games, but they never did. These guys set a goal back in the first of August to get back to the playoffs and they made it happen.”

Returning to the playoffs for the first time in three years, the Cubs (2-3 in district, 3-7 overall) will travel to Bastrop to take on District 14-3A, DII champion El Maton Tidehaven in a Bi-District playoff matchup at 7 p.m. Thursday. Marking the first time Clifton has faced Tidehaven since the 1967 Class 1A State Championship game, the Tigers (6-0, 8-2) will come into the game riding a six-game winning streak after wrapping up the regular season with a 28-14 victory over playoff-bound Van Vleck last Thursday.

“Obviously, Tidehaven is a good football team and a district champion,” Finney said. “They have a couple very dynamic players on offense that will be a challenge to contain. Defensively, they are very aggressive. We will have to be able to play ball control offense and try to keep their offense off the field as much as possible.”

In some ways, the district finale at Florence with a playoff berth on the line proved to be a microcosm of the entire season in one game. But in the end, the Cubs return to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons in the first year with a new head coach.

“Give lots of credit to Florence, they played a great game,” Finney said. “It was their senior night and with 15 seniors, they played a very inspired game.”

Junior fullback Riley Finney powered his way to 135 yards and four touchdowns, while senior quarterback Trent Guinn connected with senior Carter Tunnell on a nine-yard scoring strike to provide the scoring for Clifton.

With the game knotted at 26-26 following regulation, the Cubs won the toss and elected to go on defense first. After the Clifton defense held Florence on downs, the Cubs struck quickly as Guinn connected with senior Jordan Enriquez for a 22-yard gain before Finney powered his way into the end zone for the winning score.

Jumping out to a 13-0 lead in the first half, the Cub offense got off to a strong start, but then struggled to put anything together for almost two quarters. But with their backs against the wall and trailing by two scores with 4:17 left in the third quarter, the Cubs turned it on to defuse the momentum Florence built in the second half.

“After a huge momentum swing in the third quarter, our guys responded and just refused to give up,” Finney said. “The way they stepped up in the fourth quarter and in overtime is just a testament to the fight that these kids have developed all season long.”

After Florence produced 23 unanswered points to take a 10-point lead late in the third quarter, the Cubs finally answered as Finney and junior running back Parker Tunnell went to work on the ground with an eight-play, 68-yard scoring drive. Then just 1:22 later, the Cubs capitalized on an interception to quickly score again to recapture the lead, 26-23, with 11:39 left in the game.

Tunnell finished with 95 yards rushing on 18 carries as the Cubs pounded their way to 227 yards on the ground and 313 yards of total offense.

“The offense was able to go score and get the lead back in the fourth,” Finney said. “And in overtime, we had a huge completion to set up the winning score.”

Likewise, the Clifton defense opened strong, even though the Cubs struggled defending the quick pass to the wing for most of the game. But late in the game with the win on the line, the defense stepped up as Finney led Clifton defensively with 10 tackles, followed by Carter Tunnell with eight and senior Peyten Urbanovsky with seven, while senior Mason Williams and junior Ervin Rodriguez came up with crucial interceptions.

The Buffaloes stormed back in the fourth quarter by marching down the field before stalling and kicking a field goal to tie the game with 7:55 remaining. Florence got the ball back and went to work again before the Cubs held at their own 19-yard-line. Senior AJ Lingo powered his way up the middle to block senior placekicker Angel Perez’s 36-yard field goal attempt to send the game into overtime.

“Coach Williams made some adjustments,” Finney said. “The defense really stepped up in the fourth quarter, and then huge in overtime.”

Interestingly, the Cubs and Tidehaven have a history of playing in the postseason, as the Tigers defeated Clifton, 7-6, in the 1967 Class 1A State Championship game. While it has no relevance on this year’s matchup, it’s hard to look past the history connecting the two schools.

“It is always interesting to have some history with an opponent,” Finney said. “Although that game was over 50 years ago, we have always heard about that game. Being a Clifton native, it is very cool to hear fans talk about that game and to spark some additional excitement for the playoffs.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

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