September 16, 2020

Crawford remains undefeated to challenge for spot in the state rankings, Mart continues its winning ways

With the Class 2A, Division II’s top-ranked Mart Panthers looking more poised to pounce on their fourth straight state title with each passing week, four Heart of Texas teams in Class 2A, DI have emerged as early contenders to become state powers.

Of course, it came as no surprise that sixth-ranked San Saba remained undefeated with an impressive 32-0 victory over Mason. But after Holland blanked Johnson City, 41-0, last Friday, the Hornets broke into the state rankings at No. 10. And under new head coach Greg Jacobs, the perennial powerhouse Crawford Pirates may be on the verge of joining the state’s elite following 62-0 thrashing of the Axtell Longhorns.

But while those teams have been grabbing the spotlight under the Friday night lights, several other squads have been flying under the radar on their way to respectability. Just a week after snapping a 13-game losing streak dating back to Oct. 26, 2018, the Meridian Yellowjackets established a winning streak by blanking Bartlett, 7-0, on Homecoming Night, thanks to their second consecutive defensive shutout.

CRAWFORD 62, AXTELL 0

AXTELL — With six different players finding their way into the end zone, the Crawford Pirates made cannon fodder of the Axtell Longhorns on their way to an overwhelming 62-0 victory at last Friday night at Ellison Field.

Crawford quarterback Tanner Merenda passed for one touchdown and ran for another, running back Garrett Pearson caught a touchdown pass and ran for a score, and running back Breck Chambers rushed for two touchdowns to lead the way for the Pirates (3-0).

Merenda completed four of six in passing for 103 yards, Chambers led the Pirates with 90 yards rushing on eight carries, while Pearson finished with 64-yards on only three attempts as Crawford piled up 331 yards on the ground with eight rushing touchdowns.

PALMER 27, BOSQUEVILLE 26 (2OT)

BOSQUEVILLE – Going for the win in double overtime, the Bosqueville Bulldogs were stopped short on a two-point conversion attempt as Palmer hung on for a thrilling 27-26 victory last Friday night.

Spreading the ball around to four different receivers, Palmer senior quarterback Julian Villasenor threw four touchdown passes, connecting with senior Damian Gonzalez for two scores.

Bosqueville placekicker John Youens nailed a 30-yard field goal with eight seconds left in regulation to tied the score at 20-20 and force overtime.

MART 48, ANAHUAC 14

MADISONVILLE – Mart quarterback Roddrell Freeman threw two touchdown passes and ran for three more as the top-ranked Panthers mauled Anahuac, 48-14, Saturday afternoon at Madisonville’s Mustang Stadium.

Mart (3-0) built a comfortable 26-6 lead by halftime, then put the game away with 20 third quarter points. Freeman completed 10 of 15 passes for 208 yards while leading the Panthers in rushing with 101 yards on 17 carries.

Freeman connected with junior Kylderion Campbell for a 44-yard scoring strike before hooking up with junior Keishawn Clater on pass resulting in a 77-yard touchdown. Clater led Mart in receiving with three catches for 95 yards.

Defensively, junior DaMarion Medlock topped the Panthers with 11 tackles, followed by junior Trey Powell with 10, while freshman Dominic Medlock and junior Robert Hickman collected eight takedowns apiece.

Once again this season, THE SPORTS BUZZ will provide award-winning coverage of the 2020 Texas high school football season, focusing on Class 3A, 2A and 1A schools in the 10-county Heart of Texas region — which includes Bosque, Comanche, Coryell, Erath, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Johnson, McLennan and Somervell counties.

Within the Heart of Texas region, THE SPORTS BUZZ will be covering 15 Class 2A schools spread out across six districts in two divisions. Be sure to check back every Sunday for the Class 2A Gridiron Grades and Friday Night Flashback featuring district standings, scores and upcoming matchups for all 15 Class 2A teams from the Heart of Texas.

Photos by WENDY OROZCO & SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2020 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Defending state champion Grandview remains undefeated in Class 3A, DI; Lexington climbs in the  Class 3A, DII rankings

As the defending Class 3A, Division I state champion, the second-ranked Grandview Zebras continue to stomp through opponents from larger classifications with a resounding 41-7 victory over Class 4A, DII Godley last Friday night to remain undefeated.

On the flip side, the Lexington Eagles continue to climb the ranks in the Class 3A, DII poll by knocking off highly-touted teams, this time taking down Class 3A, DI Rockdale in a wild 35-34 shootout.

After entering the season as Class 3A, DII’s 21st-ranked team, the Clifton Cubs took on a murder’s row of three straight larger opponents to open the season. But each time, the Cubs have come up short in the fourth quarter, falling to the undefeated Class 3A, DI Maypearl Panthers, 17-7, last Friday.

And unfortunately, the novel coronavirus COVID-19 struck in the Heart of Texas last week as the Lorena Leopards at Gatesville Hornets game was cancelled due to pandemic concerns. Lorena ISD announced that the cancellation was due to “a positive COVID-19 test for one of our players. The district was notified after 5 p.m. Friday, and in abundance of caution and in order to begin contact tracing, decided to refrain from playing the game.”

ROGERS 47, WHITNEY 12

ROGERS – Opening the season as the Class 3A, DII’s 14th-ranked squad, the Rogers Eagles finally looked like a playoff contender by soaring past the Class 3A, DI Whitney Wildcats, 47-12, last Friday night.

Scoring 20 unanswered points going into the locker room at halftime, Rogers (1-2) took control of the game before putting it away with 13 more in the third quarter. The Eagles capitalized on three interceptions to build a commanding advantage before intermission.

McGREGOR 56, JARRELL 35

McGREGOR – Winless and picked to finish last in District 11-3A, DI, the McGregor Bulldogs shocked the Class 4A, DII Jarrell Cougars, 56-35 last Friday night.

McGregor senior quarterback VeAndre McDaniel tossed three touchdown passes and ran for two more the Bulldogs built a 35-20 lead by halftime and put Jarrell away in the fourth. As both teams combined for 933 yards of total offense, McDaniel thrilled the home crowd with an electrifying 97-yard touchdown in the second half on his way to a team-high 180 yards rushing while completing six of nine passes for another 96 yards.

Junior running back Chad Lorenz also broke the 100-yard mark, scoring twice on his way to 126 yards on 15 attempts. Senior receiver Ashton Vining caught two touchdown passes to finish with three catches for 69 yards. Jarrell junior running back Derrick Warren rambled for a game-high 266 yards on 25 carries for two touchdowns in the losing effort.

Within the Heart of Texas region, THE SPORTS BUZZ will be covering nine Class 3A schools spread out across four districts in two divisions. Be sure to check back every week for district standings, scores and upcoming matchups for all nine Class 3A teams in the area.

So be sure to check in with THE SPORTS BUZZ every Sunday for the Class 3A Gridiron Grades and Friday Night Flashback from the Heart of Texas region.

Photos by DAVID HARDING & SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2020 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.