- WACO - To say Friday night’s Class 3A Division I quarterfinal between the Navasota Rattlers and the Chapel Hill Bulldogs was entertaining would be an understatement.

The Rattlers and the top-ranked Bulldogs thrilled and delighted the crowd at Floyd Casey Stadium, keeping them on the edge of their seats in a wild affair that was finally won by the Bulldogs, 56-46.

The game was tied heading into the final quarter, and the Rattlers grabbed their first lead with 10 minutes and 11 seconds left, but Chapel Hill scored the final 15 points to pull out the victory.

“It was a dogfight back and forth,” Navasota head coach Lee Fedora said. “I am proud of our kids and the way they played.”

This was the fifth consecutive trip to the quarterfinals for the Rattlers, and unfortunately it was the fifth time they saw their season end in this round. This time it ended with an 11-2 record.

The Bulldogs improved to 13-0 and advanced to next week’s semifinal round where they will face West Columbia, who earlier in the evening eliminated La Vernia, 28-7.

Chapel Hill, which came in averaging 524 yards of offense per game, rolled up 597 against the Rattlers, including 428 on the ground.

“They’ve got some great athletes on their offense and it was tough on our defense,” Fedora said.

It would have been easy for the Rattlers to hang their heads and pack it in after Chapel Hill scored 13 points in the first 39 seconds of the game following a pair of Rattlers’ turnovers.

Instead the Rattlers continued to battle, managing to draw even by halftime thanks to a pair of defensive touchdowns — an interception return by Solomon McGinty and another by Jaylyin Minor.

“When you get turnovers and score off turnovers it is big,” Fedora said. “Our kids kept competing.”

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, setting up a wild final 12 minutes.

Chapel Hill struck first in the final frame when Deaveron Dean fell on loose ball in the end zone after teammate Jay Regan coughed it up at the 1-yard line.

The Rattlers wasted no time answering, as Kadarius Baker hit Austin Collins with a pass that Collins hauled in, turned on the jets and went 66 yards to pay dirt. The extra point was no good, however, leaving the Rattlers down by one.

Navasota’s defense came up with its third score of the night 19 seconds later when Autra Maxey scooped up a fumble and raced 26 yards for a touchdown, handing the Rattlers their first lead of the night.

Having missed the previous extra point, the Rattlers went for two, running a trick play on a pass to Maxey. He bobbled the pass, but eventually secured it, only to have it squirt loose as he dove for the end zone, leaving the Rattlers with a 46-41 lead.

After the Bulldogs returned the ensuing kick to midfield, they went on a 10-play scoring drive, with Reagan capping it with a 1-yard run.

Navasota was forced to punt the ball away, giving the ball to Chapel Hill with under 3 minutes remaining in the game.

The Rattler defense had a chance to get the ball back when the Bulldogs faced a third-and-3 from their own 35. But Reagan broke through the line and raced 65 yards for the score that put the game out of reach at the 1:30 mark.

Navasota’s offense finished the night with 272 yards. Baker threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, completing 15 of his 26 pass attempts. Collins had three receptions for 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while McGinty had five receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.

The Rattler weren’t able to muster much on the ground, finishing with 14 rushes for minus-15 yards.

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- NAVASOTA - The old saying goes, “the third time is the charm.” The Navasota Rattler football team will be looking to change that saying Friday night as it takes on the Chapel Hill Bulldogs in the Class 3A Division I Region 3 quarterfinals at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco at 7 p.m.

It is the fifth consecutive season the Rattlers have made the quarterfinals, with their first four trips ending in defeat to a team that either went on to win the state championship or finish as the runner-up.

Navasota (11-1) hopes the fifth trip to the quarterfinals will be the charm, but they know it won’t be easy, as they face the Bulldogs (12-0), who have been ranked No. 1 all season and enter the game as a 10-point favorite according to the Harris Ratings.

“That just tells you about Region 3,” Rattler head coach Lee Fedora said. “When you think about Region 3 in 3A Division I, every year when you get to that quarterfinals you are usually facing the No. 1 team in the state.

“You always have to believe that for that ultimate goal that you want, you have to beat the best if you are going to be the best. It just so happens that every year we have caught it in the quarterfinals.”

The Bulldogs are also the team that ended the Rattlers’ season last year, 42-13, in a game that was close, but got away from the Rattlers when they turned the ball over three times in the second quarter, leading to 21 straight points for Chapel Hill.

“I am one that hates watching that film from last year because that was a disappointing way that it turned out,” Fedora said. “I put the film on for our kids before practice [Tuesday] and I was showing them that in the second quarter it was 7-7.

“We were in the ballgame and we were getting stops when we need to and we were moving the football. Then we gave up sacks, we throw an interception they return to the 1 and then they score. We fumble the kickoff and they score and then we fumble into the end zone and they score and the next thing you know it is 28-7 and I saw out kids just lay down a little bit.

“I think this group this year has been there, done that and they have handled adversity well.”

Navasota reached the quarterfinals with a dominating 44-3 victory over Huffman-Hargrave last week. The Rattlers scored on their opening possession and never looked back.

“I was proud of our kids,” Fedora said. “We came out with 100 percent intensity and from the get-go we started that gas pedal and stayed on top of it and it just kept going from there.”

Chapel Hill had a much tougher game last week against La Vega. The Bulldogs needed a late goal-line stand and a 93-yard touchdown run from Andrew Tucker with less than a minute remaining to pull out the 27-20 victory.

Tucker’s jaunt capped a night where the Bulldogs rushed for 230 yards, which was well under their average of 323 rushing yards per game. Tucker averages 10 yards per carry and has 10 touchdowns, but he is far from being their only threat.

Senior Jay Reagan has carried the rock 111 times for 925 yards and a team-high 16 touchdowns. Three other Bulldogs have at least 44 rushing attempts on the season.

“They are a running football team that can run it at any time and can break it at anytime,” Fedora said.

The Bulldogs can also pass the ball as well, having thrown for an average of 200 yards per game. Senior quarterback Avery Saenz has thrown for 1,154 yards and 13 touchdowns with no interceptions, despite suffering a fracture in his lower right leg in the third game of the season, forcing him to sit out until the final regular-season game.

In his absence, senior wide receiver Anthony Kincade filled in, completing 74 of 107 passes for 1,201 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

“If you stop the run they can also throw the football,” Fedora said. “I think it shows what a talented group Chapel Hill is in the fact that their starting quarterback gets hurt early and they still find ways to win and be undefeated.”

The Chapel Hill defense has been stingy this season, holding teams to an average of 297.9 yards per game, but will face a Navasota offense that has been rolling, averaging 427 yards and 40 points per game.

The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the semifinals to face the winner between West Columbia and La Vernia who meet at 6 p.m. Friday at the Berry Center in Cypress.

The Navasota-Chapel Hill game can be heard live on Navasota News 1550 KWBC with the pregame set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

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- SHENENDOAH  - It didn’t take the Navasota Rattlers long to show the Huffman-Hargrave Falcons they were in for a long night Friday.

Navasota scored in its first possession, then added four more scores in the first half to build a 32-point cushion at the half, on the way to a dominating 44-3 victory at Woodforest Bank Stadium in the Regional Round of the Class 3A Division I playoffs.

The victory lifts the Rattlers (11-1) into the regional quarterfinals for the fifth straight season where they will face top-ranked Chapel Hill, which defeated La Vega, 27-20. Chapel Hill eliminated Navasota from the playoffs last season in the quarterfinals, 42-13. Huffman, which finished second in 22-3A ends its season at 9-3.

“I don’t think I will have to get our kids geared up,”Navasota head coach Lee Fedora said. “They know it is a big ballgame. We just have to keep playing our type of game and get ready to face the No. 1 team inthe state.”

The Rattlers put the wraps on a Falcon offense that came in averaging 338 yards per game, holding them to 104 in the first half and 135 on the game. The halftime yardage total was inflated by a 52-yard run on a fakepunt.

“I was very proud of our kids,” Fedora said. “Look at what our defense did, holding them to three points. It was a fake punt that got them down there. Then we held on and stood strong and made them kick a field goal.”

Meanwhile the Navasota offense rolled up 398 yards by the half, totaling 546 for the game. Kadarius Baker threw two touchdown passes in the first half, one of 73 yards to Austin Collins and one covering 97 yards to Solomon McGinty. Xavier Creeks rushed for a pair of touchdowns — 1 yard and 41 yards — as the Rattlers took control early.

“We only had 30 snaps [in the first half] but everything we were doing was working,” Fedora said. “Our offensive line, you have to give them credit, they were not allowing any penetration and they did a great job.”

Baker, who continues to state his case as the top quarterback in the Brazos Valley, finished the night completing 16 of 20 passes for 290 yards with two touchdowns. On the season he has thrown for 37 touchdowns with just two interceptions.

“Kadarius did what he had to do,” Fedora said.

When Baker wasn’t cutting up the defense with his passing,Creeks was doing it with his legs. The junior tailback finished the night with 134 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries.

While the offense for Navasota was sharp, the story on the night was the defense, which seemed to know where every play was going and managed to get to the spot before the Falcons could.

The secondary picked off Huffman quarterbacks twice— one by Creeks and one by Collins — and shut down a passing attack that was Huffman’s bread and butter all season long.

Starting quarterback Preston Townley, who had thrown for 2,670 yards and 29 touchdowns coming in, only managed 22 yards passing before he was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter. His backup, sophomore Cole Harrell, completed just 5 of 14 passes for 45 yards.

In the second half, the Rattlers wasted no time adding to their lead. Navasota got the kick to start the half and went 72 yards in just nine plays. Creeks concluded the drive with his third score of the night, this one from 6-yards out.

Cesar Barron, who kicked five extra points on the night,concluded the scoring with a 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

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- NAVASOTA - The great Yogi Berra, once quipped, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” For the Navasota Rattler football team the saying holds true for a second consecutive week of the Class 3A Division I playoffs.

After facing the Sealy Tigers last week in the first round of the playoffs, the same team Navasota faced in the first round of the 2010 playoffs, the Rattlers again face a familiar foe.

This time it is the Huffman-Hargrave Falcons, a team the Rattlers defeated at this same juncture of last year’s playoffs.

The Rattlers (10-1) and the Falcons (9-2) will battle at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Conroe, Friday at 7:30 p.m., in the area round of the playoffs. Last season the Rattlers defeated the Falcons, 43-26.

“They are a disciplined team and they are not going to fall apart,” Fedora said of the 2011 Falcons. “They are going to keep competing. They are going to throw the ball around like crazy and if you don’t cover well they are going to find those spots and hit it.”

The Rattlers are coming off a 40-13 victory over the Sealy Tigers. In that victory the Rattlers got off to a fast start, scoring on the second play of the game then used a 14-point fourth quarter to extend a 10-point halftime lead and take control.

“I was proud of our kids,” Fedora said. “It was an outstanding game against a good opponent and I was very proud to get the win. Our kids really stood up to the occasion.”

When the Rattlers and the Falcons faced off last season, Navasota carried a one-point lead into the half thanks to an 89-yard kickoff return by Tevin Creeks just before intermission. The return sparked the Rattlers as they outscored the Falcons 22-6 over the final 24 minutes of the game.

Huffman stayed in the game last season thanks in large part to quarterback Cole DeBerry, who completed 24 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a team-high 73 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Berry has graduated, but the Falcons possess another strong-armed quarterback in junior Preston Townley who has thrown for 2,670 yards and 29 touchdowns so far this season.

Townley’s favorite target is senior Kade Hardy, who has 53 receptions and a team-high 11 touchdown receptions.

“He is a great quarterback and you can tell he makes great reads and their receivers do a great job,” Fedora said. “It is going to be a test for our defense. We are going to have great pass rush and wrap up and we have to have great play in our linebacker and secondary.”

Navasota counters with a strong quarterback of its own in junior Kadarius Baker who has completed 154 passes for 2,497 yards and 35 touchdowns. In 233 passing attempts, Baker has been intercepted just twice.

“What impresses me the most about Kadarius is he has thrown 35 touchdowns and only two interceptions,” Fedora said.

Junior receivers Solomon McGinty and Austin Collins have combined for 111 receptions for 1,846 yards and 25 touchdowns.

The winner of Friday’s game advances to face the winner of the Chapel Hill vs. La Vega game in the Division I quarterfinals. Last season Chapel Hill defeated Navasota, 42-13 in the quarterfinals.

Friday’s Navasota game can be heard live on Navasota News 1550 KWBC with the pregame slated to start at 7:05.

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- DESOTO - The state-ranked Desoto Eagles, champions of District 11-5A, stamped their ranking without doubt as one of Texas’ elite football teams Friday night at their Eagle Field by ushering the A&M Consolidated Tigers from the 2011 playoffs.

The Eagles did it in convincing fashion, a 54-10 walloping of the Tigers, who advanced to the Bi-District round as the third-place club in 12-5A.

DeSoto, who won the right to host the runaway event by virtue of winning the coaches’ coin flip. In that match, Coach Claude Mathis, who formerly coached at Somerville, won the flip over Coach David Raffield, whose club ended the season with a 5-6 record.

DeSoto, which now is 10-1, wasted little time in putting points on the scoreboard. The Eagles, which used an interception as a catalyst for a TD, starting a scoring avalanche on their first six possessions to race in front of the Tigers 27-0 in the first quarter, then stretching their lead to 40-0 by halftime. In the first half, DeSoto had rolled to 308 total offensive yards while the super-quick Eagle defense held Consol to 64. The Eagles didn’t miss the 500-yard total offensive mark by much for the entire game. The Tigers had some pretty good gainers in the final half to register an offensive output of something approaching 200 yards.

The Eagles more than doubled Consol in first downs – 26-12 and completed 18 of 30 passes. Conversely, Consol could complete but four of 16 aerials, and two of those were intercepted. The first one was turned in by Jalen Mills, who has committed to play for the LSU Tigers. The second pick couldn’t be blamed on Consolidated quarterback Jacob Bronowski, since the ball was tipped by the would-be receiver, who couldn’t hold on. That one came with eight seconds to go in the opening half. The Tigers also lost a fumble.

DeSoto, which has one of the fastest teams in the state, featuring overall speed from backs, as well as the defense, didn’t have to punt until well into the third period. That kick was a beauty, rolling to the lip of the Tiger goal line, about six inches away, putting Consol into a deep hole.

The quick-striking Eagles set up the first score with a 38-yard pass from quarterback Raheem Wilson to running back/receiver Devin Rushing, after starting the successful drive from their 48. Dontre Wilson had received to start the game, returning from the six to the 48. Devin Rushing scored from the two, zipping in to his right a minute and 48 seconds deep in the game. A two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving it 6-0.

Thirteen seconds later, Wilson hit Rushing on a 35-yard payoff pass after the Eagles recovered a fumble on the Tigers’ second possession. Bryson Echols booted the extra point, stretching the lead to 13-0.

At the 7:28 mark of the first period, the Eagles completed a 46-yard drive when Rushing scored from the five. Echols kicked the extra point, making it 20-0.

The Eagles, who scored on their first six of eight possessions, struck again, stretching the lead to 27-0 when Ricky Daniels scored from 18 yards out after hauling in a Raheem Wilson pass with 4:47 to go in the first quarter, and after Echols nailed the extra point.

In the second period, DeSoto scored again on Marcus Williams’ four-yard run. Echols kicked the extra point, lifting the Eagles to a 34-0 lead.

A pass to Ridge Jones stretched the lead to 40-0, the halftime score.

Marcus Williams ran in another score on a three-yard run, and Echols’ kick made it 47-0 in the third quarter.

Consolidated got on the scoreboard in the third period when defensive tackle J.J. Bynum, Texas Tech-bound, rammed in from the Eagle two. The big fellow got his moment of glory as a running back in the final game of his high school career. His score came with 21 seconds remaining in the third. Justin Zimmerman booted the extra point. The scoring run was set up on a 46-yard pass from Bronowski to receiver Justin Benden, and completed a 69-yard drive, the most impressive one of the night for Consol.

A 36-yard pass from Bronowski to Benden put the ball on the Eagle seven. With fourth-and-goal from the six, Jeff Steines booted a 23-yard field goal with 6:07 to go in the game. At the time, it was 47-10, but DeSoto scored one more time with 3:33 to go. It came on a Desmon White-to-Kyle Collins pass play. The kick made it 54-10.

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- WALLER - Last season when the Navasota Rattlers and the Sealy Tigers met in the first round of the playoffs, the Rattlers took a 10-point lead into the half, then failed to score in the third quarter before pulling away with a solid fourth quarter.

This year the Rattlers again led by 10 at the half. This time, however, they wasted no time pulling away. Navasota used a 14-point third quarter to increase its lead Friday night, on its way to handing the Tigers a 40-13 defeat in the Class 3A Division I bidistrict round of the playoffs at Waller ISD Stadium.

The victory moves the Rattlers (10-1) into the area round of the playoffs where they will face the either Silsbee or Hufman-Hargrave, who meet Saturday night. Sealy, meanwhile, ends its season at 8-3

“I am very proud of our kids,” Rattler head coach Lee Fedora said. “I thought our kids fought hard. That was a great team we played tonight and our kids came out on top.”

In the deciding third quarter, the Rattlers scored on both of their possessions, marching 53 yards in just five plays for one score and 75 yards in just three plays for their other.

They also shored up the defense in the second half, holding Sealy quarterback Ricky Seals-Jones to just 14 rushing yards, after allowing him to gain 117 in the first half.

“The Seals-Jones kid is phenomenal,” Fedora said. “You saw several times where it looked like we had him down and he broke free. He is a great athlete. We prepared all week for a guy like that.”

The Rattlers jumped on top early in the game, needing just two plays to do so. After gaining nothing on the first play of the game, Kadarius Baker went up top, finding Solomon McGinty behind the defense.

McGinty hauled in the pass at the Sealy 25 and the outraced everyone to the end zone for the first score of the night. Cesar Baron’s extra point made it 7-0 Rattlers less than a minute into the game.

It was the first of two touchdown passes on the night for Baker who finished the night 6-for-8 passing for 148 yards. He also rushed for 23 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with a stinger in the third quarter.

Navasota added to its lead at the 3-minute mark of the first quarter when Baron connected on a 20-yard field goal after the Rattlers stalled at the Sealy 3-yard line.

Sealy put together back-to-back solid drives deep into Navasota territory the next two times it had the ball, but came away with points on just one of the drives.

The lone score of the half for the Tigers came on a 1-yard run by Jowan Davis, capping a 12-play 65-yard drive.

Seals-Jones led the Tigers on another drive into Rattler territory, but it stalled at the Rattler 6-yard line. A 23-yard-field goal attempt by Erik Hernandez was short, but the Rattlers were flagged for offsides, giving the Tigers another shot.

They came up empty again, however, when they ran in Austin Pratt to try a 20-yard field goal, which was wide right.

Sparked by the stop, the Rattler offense drove 80 yards in just six plays for a touchdown, the score coming when Baker hooked up with Austin Collins from 44 yards out.

After hauling in the pass at the 25, Collins made a move that left Seals-Jones in his wake, then got a crushing block from Jared Sauls as he waltzed into the end zone, giving Navasota a 17-7 lead at the half.

Sealy got the ball to start the second half, but was forced to punt. A short punt into the wind gave the Rattlers the ball at their own 47, and five plays later Baker went in from 2-yards out.

The next time the Rattlers got the ball, they went 75 yards to increase their lead. Jacob Malek, who took over at quarterback, hit McGinty for a 70-yard gain to the Sealy 5, when he rolled left and then lofted a perfect pass to the wide-open receiver.

Two plays later, Malek crossed the goal line, putting the Rattlers ahead by 24, and in the process, deflating the hopes of the Tigers.

The Rattlers added a safety in the fourth quarter when Josh Thomas forced Seals-Jones out of the back of the end zone when he lost the handle on the snap from center.

Malek capped the scoring for the Rattlers with a 9-yard run that came after a Jerbrell Lipscomb interception that gave the ball to the Rattlers at the Sealy 19.

Sealy added a late touchdown on Davis’ second scoring run of the night, but by then, the victory was well in hand for the Rattlers.

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- COLLEGE STATION - Both teams are coming off regular season-ending losses as the A&M Consolidated Tigers face their toughest opponent of the season in Friday night’s Bi-District football game at DeSoto.

A&M Consolidated lost 26-23 at Belton to wrap up the regular season in District 12-5A action, while the DeSoto Eagles lost 23-21 to the Longview Lobos in a game where a late-game safety spelled the difference, knocking the Eagles from their third-place perch in the state, sending DeSoto to a sixth-place tumble in the final poll.

Coach David Raffield of Consol and Coach Claude Mathis of DeSoto flipped a coin to determine site of the game, a home-and-home flip. Raffield lost that coin flip, sending the Tigers to the Metroplex – on DeSoto’s home field – for a 7:30 kickoff to determine who advances to the Area round in the state playoffs.

DeSoto will enter the fray, boasting a 9-1 record, with only the Longview blemish on its record. The Eagles are 5-1 in district warfare.]

The Tigers ended the regular season at 5-5, and 5-2 in district.

Speed, a swarming defense, and a smooth-operating District 11-5A offense awaits the Tigers on DeSoto’s home turf. DeSoto returned six offensive and eight defensive starters from its 2010 Division I Regional finalist club. Raheem Wilson guides the Eagle attack at quarterback, working behind a large and capable blocking offensive line. The attack also features Devin Rushing (good name for a running back) and another RB, Dontre Wilson, along with wide receiver Ridge Jones..

The quick Eagle green-and-gold clad defense spotlights the names of defensive ends Michael Richardson and Denzel Murphy, linebacker Alex Lyons and cornerbacks Bryson Echols and Vondrick Jackson.

Consol, which had some shining stars even in defeat at Belton, hopes they’s shine even brighter this Friday night under DeSoto lights. In the Belton game, the Tigers’ Cameron Cermin and Edison Caldwell showed they know a thing or two about blocking techniques, while running back Quinton White had 51 yards on only eight carries before exiting the game due to a late first-half injury. It’s hoped his return is imminent because Consol will need everyone healthy for this important playoff match. It was Durasis Nutall who led the Tigers in rushing with 54 yards on 10 runs, and he also continued to prove his mettle as slot receiver with four receptions which gobbled up 49 yards of real estate, including a 26-yard touchdown catch. Qaurterback Jacob Bronowski did not suffer an interception while completing 13 of 26 passes for 133 yards. Receiver Justin Benden latched onto three aerials for 44 yards.

Consol, which tied Belton for second place in the final district standings, got some good defensive work from linemen Jimmie Gilbert, Christian LaCouture and J.J. Bynum; linebackers David Levias (eight tackles (two from behind the line of scrimmage) and Marshall Strain, who paced the team with 13 tackles (10 of ‘em solos); and safeties Josue Ordonez (11 tackles) and Brett Mahnke (five tackles and solid pass defense).

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-NAVASOTA- There are things in life that just seem to go great together: peanut butter and jelly, cheese and crackers and baseball and hotdogs.

The Navasota Rattlers and the high school football playoffs are another pairing that just seems to go great together, and Friday night the pairing will once again take place.

The Rattlers (9-1), fresh off their second consecutive outright District 23-3A title, will open the Class 3A Division I playoffs when they take on the Sealy Tigers (8-2) at Waller ISD Stadium in a 7:30 p.m. clash.

The two programs, which have become very familiar with each other through the years, will meet for the second straight season, in the same place where the Rattlers posted a 33-17 victory last year. The Rattlers hold a 12-4 lead in the all-time series between the schools.

“Last year is over,” Navasota head coach Lee Fedora said. “They’ve got a new team and we’ve got a new team.”

While the majority of each team is new, there are some familiar faces, especially on the Sealy side of the ledger, where standout Ricky Seals-Jones returns to lead the Tigers’ offense.

Last season Seals-Jones was featured as a receiver, but this time around, he has done most of his damage from the backfield. Seals-Jones has thrown for 761 yards and eight touchdowns, while rushing for another 1,245 and 15 touchdowns.

Jowan Davis, who finished the regular season with 1,167 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, joins him in the backfield.

“Sealy is a good football team and they are well coached,” Fedora said. They’ve got athletes on the offensive side of the ball. The scary thing about Seals-Jones when he is back there is he can hurt you throwing the football but if you cover the pass he can take off and run. He is big and physical and he is a playmaker.”

The Rattlers counter with an offensive attack that is led by junior quarterback Kadarius Baker who has thrown for 33 touchdowns, with only two interceptions. He has a host of receivers to throw to, led by Solomon McGinty, Austin Collins and Austin Baumert.

Navasota’s lone loss this season came in Week 2, when they dropped a 35-28 decision at Class 4A Willis. In that game the Rattlers played a horrible first half, but battled back and found themselves with a chance to go in for the potential tying, or game-winning score on the final play of the game.

A sneak by Baker came up a half-yard short, but that loss seemed to serve as a springboard for the Rattlers who have one eight straight games since.

“There is something about this group, the team chemistry,” Fedora said. There is not one guy that wants to stand out. They just want to be part of a team and a family and they have great team chemistry.

“That is nothing that a coach can do. I can’t get my coaching staff to go in and make them have chemistry. That is something the kids do on their own.”

The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the regional round to face the winner between Silsbee and Huffman Hargrave. Those two teams meet on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Humble’s Turner Stadium.

The Navasota-Sealy game can be heard live on Navasota News 1550 KWBC beginning with the pregame at 7:05.

Navasota-Sealy All-Time Series

Navasota leads 12-4

1970 Sealy 7, Navasota 0

1971 Navasota 27, Sealy 0

1980 Navasota 33, Sealy 0

1981 Navasota 23, Sealy 3

1982 Navasota 28, Sealy 6

1983 Navasota 39, Sealy 0

1984 Navasota 47, Sealy 0

1985 Navasota 27, Sealy 17

1988 Navasota 28, Sealy 7

1989 Sealy 10, Navasota 7

2002 Navasota 19, Sealy 0

2003 Sealy 16, Navasota 13

2004 Navasota 27, Sealy 21

2005 Sealy 55, Navasota 0

2008 Navasota 35, Sealy 0

2010 Navasota 33, Sealy 17

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- BELTON - A late field goal by the Belton Tigers, a missed field goal and extra point by A&M Consolidated, along with Consol’s inability to move the football in the waning seconds combined to send Consolidated to a 26-23 defeat Friday night at Belton.

It wasn’t the kind of tuneup for the playoffs which Coach David Raffield and his Tigers had hoped for, as Consol ended its regular-season schedule with a 5-5 record and a 5-2 District 12-5A mark. Belton, also headed for the playoffs, owns an identical 5-2 district record, and is 8-2 for the season.

Consol, which lost a “home-and-home” coin flip, must travel to Desoto next week for its bi-district match.

Consolidated fell behind 14-0 before closing the gap to 14-7 in the first quarter, then tied it 14-14 and trailed 20-17 by halftime. That came when Dillon Moore booted a 40-yard field goal as time expired. Durasis Nutall had ripped off a fine run to set it up, stepping out of bounds with 1.8 seconds left in the half as the field goal unit trotted onto the field.

Belton, led by smooth-operating quarterback Peter Shelburne and some fine runs by 1,000-plus running back Donovan Williams, scored on its second possession. It took just two plays to put the points on the board. The touchdown came on a 55-yard bomb from Shelburne to wide receiver Derick Bates. Carlo Mosnia booted the extra point.

Williams scored on a three-yard run with 3:31 remaining in the opening quarter, and Mosnia kicked the extra point, putting Belton up 14-0.

In that quarter, Consol scored on a beautifully-executed 26-yard screen pass from QB Jacob Bronowski to running back/receiver Nutall, who darted, dodged and eluded would-be tacklers on what might be the flashiest run of the evening. Dillon Moore kicked the point. The score had a catalyst of sorts, set up when Belton tried an onside kick, recovered by Consol to set up the Tigers with a short field.

A deadlock developed at the 8:19 mark of the second quarter when Quinton White jumped over one defender, spun away from another and scored on a nine-yard run. It might have equaled Nutall’s earlier run in entertainment value. Moore kicked the point. In that scoring drive, Nutall ripped off a 21-yard run.

Belton regained the lead with 3:38 to go in the half, with the drive needing seven plays, the payoff coming on a 50-yard pass-and-run from Shelburne to Durham Smythe, the tight end. Moania’s extra-point kick was wide to the left, leaving the score 20-14, Belton. Then came Moore’s 40-yard field goal, as Consol had closed the gap to 20-17 by halftime.

Consolidated took a 23-20 lead with 8:58 remaining in the game when Bronowski gouged out the final yard. Justin Zimmerman tried the extra point this time, but missed it.

Mosnia nailed a 21-yard field goal with 4:30 left, then put on what to be the clincher with a 33-yard field goal with a minute and 20 seconds left.

Consol had one final gasp, starting from its 28-yard line, but couldn’t get close enough to score a TD. The Tigers, however, had a field goal on their minds, which would have tied it and forced an overtime. In those final frantic moments, with the clock working against them, the Consol Tigers managed a first down on a Bronowski pass to Justin Benden. With the clock running, Bronowski spiked the ball to preserve what precious seconds remained – 17.8 seconds. Bronowski got another first on a run. With the clock stopped and owning 4.4 seconds, Zimmerman missed a final field goal attempt, a 44-yarder.

Despite the loss, several Consol defensive gems came to the forefront on plays by David Levias, Christian LaCouture, Marshall Strain, J.J. Bynum and Josue Ordonez,

Quinton White left the game in the second quarter. He was favoring an ankle and he never returned. It’s hopeful that White will be ready when the Tigers face Desoto.

The first downs were dead even at 17 apiece for Belton and Consol. Neither team lost a fumble. Only turnovers for the night came on two interceptions by Consolidated – the first by middle linebacker Joe Waithaka and the other by Jimmie Gilbert in the fourth period. Gilbert’s pick resulted in a 40-yard return to the Belton 30. Consol punting was outstanding, seven kicks for an average of 42.2.

The post Tigers Drop Nail Biter at Belton, 23-26; Consol-Desoto Playoff Game Set for Next Friday appeared first on WTAW.

- BRYAN - The Rudder Ranger defense held its end of the battle Friday night against the Elgin Wildcats at Merrill Green Stadium as long as it could – but offensive woes cost the Rangers a chance at winning its only district game this season, as they lost 49-21 to the Wildcats on senior night.

The Wildcats (6-4, 2-4) scored 28 unanswered points in the second half of the game, with one touchdown coming on an interception and another on a punt return.

Even more disappointing for the Rangers (1-8-1, 0-6) on senior night is that some of those that played on varsity as freshmen just four seasons ago and had to endure a winless season then, now end their high school career with another winless season in district play.

Rudder’s offensive woes started early in the game, as on its first drive of the quarter senior quarterback Jamarcus Davenport fumbled the ball at the end of a 12-yard run.  Four plays later, Elgin sophomore quarterback Te’Rel Simmons nailed senior wide receiver Aundoy Thomas in perfect stride for a 43-yard touchdown pass to put the Wildcats up 14-0.

On the next drive for Rudder, Davenport once again fumbled the ball on a handoff to senior tight end Kody Burton on the two-yard line.  Burton – who normally is a defensive standout at linebacker – redeemed himself on the very next play from the defensive side of the ball, as Elgin’s Simmons fumbled the snap in the endzone, on which Burton fell on top of for the score.

Rudder’s defense continued to help out in the second quarter, as sophomore defensive back Mark Davenport recovered a fumble and ran it back 74 yards to Rudder’s end of the field.  Senior Austin Baron punched the ball through on a 4-yard touchdown run three plays later to narrow Elgin’s lead to 21-14.

Davenport would step up again just three minutes later on defense, picking off a ball and returning it 27-yards to once again set up the Rudder offense.  Baron – who came in the game for the regular quarterback Davenport after he injured his ankle in the first quarter – launched a 13-yard pass into double coverage which was tipped into the hands of senior receiver Brenden Steptoe, tying the score at 21-21 just before halftime.

Baron finished the night with 58 passing yards on six completions, and added 15 more rushing yards along with his two scores.  Junior running back Tre Guyton finished the night as the Rangers’ top rusher with 154 yards on 19 carries, the fifth time this season Guyton has broken the century rushing yard mark.

The second half would not be as much a positive for the Rangers however.

On its first drive of the third quarter, Baron slung an errant pass into the hands of Elgin junior defensive back Richard Robinson.  The Rudder defense held Elgin to a short three-and-out on the next possession, giving the ball back to the offense.  But Baron once again made a hasty pass to the wrong team, on which Wildcats senior defensive back Geno Perez ran the interception back 46 yards for the touchdown to give Elgin the lead once again.

On Rudder’s next offensive drive, a 35-yard punt by senior Sheldon Johnson was returned 88 yards down the sideline by Elgin’s Thomas.  Thomas finished the night as the Wildcats’ top receiver with 77 yards and a score, along with being their top kick-returner in the game.

From there, it was more offensive struggles by the Rangers who could barely get past mid-field, and the Wildcats’ Simmons drove the team the rest of the way to victory, adding two more scores to push the final score to 49-21.  Simmons finished the night with 167 passing yards, and added another 71 on the ground to compliment his three overall touchdowns.

The loss meant the second time in the Rangers’ short four-year history that they finished winless in district.  And adding salt to the wound, the Rangers will graduate 32 seniors this season, meaning there will be a lot of fresh new faces in starting roles next season.

Fall season 2012 football will kickoff again around August.

The post Rudder Rangers’ Rough Season Concludes with a 21-49 Loss to Elgin appeared first on WTAW.

- GIDDINGS -  It is often said that in games between two solid teams special teams can make the difference. Friday night in the Navasota Rattlers’ regular-season finale, the saying rang true.

The Rattlers used a 70-yard return by Solomon McGinty of a bad snap on a field goal attempt to put a charge into their sideline following a lackluster first half, propelling them to a 27-16 victory over the Giddings Buffaloes at Buffalo Stadium.

The victory capped an undefeated 5-0 District 23-3A season for the Rattlers, giving them their second consecutive outright district championship. The Rattlers finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall mark, their only loss coming in the second week of the season to Class 4A Willis.

“We got concerned coming over here because Giddings is a good football team,” Navasota head coach Lee Fedora said. “We told them [the players] it is a hostile environment and we didn’t play the first half like we needed too.

“We went in at halftime and all we told our kids was we know what type of team we are, and it is going to show in the second half. Special teams got a big play for us and that got our energy going. I am proud of our kids and their effort tonight.”

The victory propels the Rattlers into the Class 3A Division I playoffs where they will open against the Sealy Tigers, next Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Waller ISD Stadium.

Before McGinty’s return the Rattlers were on the ropes and Giddings was driving to try and deliver the knockout punch. But the Rattler defense, which struggled in the first half, came up big stopping the Buffaloes and forcing a 28-yard field goal attempt.

The snap to holder, and Giddings quarterback Jackie Wade, sailed over his head and was rolling on the turf. McGinty scooped it up and with a convoy of Rattler players returned it 70 yards for a touchdown, pulling the Rattlers within three points.

It also breathed life into the Rattlers, who forced the Buffaloes to punt the next time they had the ball. Navasota’s offense, which struggled through the first, responded with an 83-yard drive following the punt, with Austin Collins turning a bubble screen into a 40-yard touchdown, giving the Rattlers the lead.

The Rattlers added another big special teams play midway through the fourth quarter when Giddings’ punt returner Jamil Jackson muffed the kick and Austin Baumert picked it up at the Giddings’ 9-yard line.

On the next play Baker lofted a perfect pass into the end zone to McGinty putting the Rattlers up by 11, and dashing the Buffaloes’ thoughts of a co-district championship.

McGinty, who had a touchdown reception in the first half, accounted for three of the Rattlers’ scores, finishing the night with six catches for 80 yards. Collins added seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Baker, who is the leading candidate for the player of the year in the district, finished the night 16-of-20 for 183 yards and three touchdowns, throwing for 104 yards in the second half.

Navasota’s defense, which was gashed for 225 yards in the first half, allowed just 89 in the second. After allowing tailback Joseph Glenn, the district’s leading rusher, to rumble for 90 yards and a touchdown in the first half, the Navasota defense held him to 63 in the second.

Additionally, Wade, who was 7-of-10 passing for 104 yards in the first half, went 0-for-9 in the second half.

The Rattlers’ playoff game with Sealy can be heard beginning with the pregame at 7:05 on Navasota News 1550 KWBC.

Additionally, the first Rattler Tailgate Party and Radio Show will take place on Tuesday night beginning at 7 p.m. at Mallett Brothers Barbeque. It will also be broadcast live on Navasota News.

The post Early Deficit at Giddings Not Enough to Rattle the Rattlers, Navasota-Sealy to Meet in Playoffs appeared first on WTAW.

- TEMPLE - A 23-point Temple first quarter set the tone for the game as the Bryan Vikings wrapped up the 2011 season with a 0-37 loss to the Wildcats Friday night at Wildcat Stadium.

The Vikings’ first possession got off to a strong start before the Wildcats (6-4, 5-2) forced a punt.

Tim Willett’s first punt of the night buried the Wildcats at their own one yard line. But that proved to be a small obstacle for Temple.

The Wildcats’ 12-play, 99-yard drive took fewer than four minutes off the clock. Gaylon Sanders ran in from one-yard out to put Temple up 7-0.

The touchdown not only gave the Wildcats the lead. It also opened the floodgates.

On the ensuing Viking possession, Zach Alvarado fumbled inside Bryan’s five yard line. Temple’s Demarkes Mathis lived a defensive lineman’s dream as he scooped up the ball and rumbled in the final three yards to put the Wildcats ahead 14-0.

Temple’s defense was not finished putting points on the board, however. Alvarado was sacked in the end zone on the next possession and Bryan (4-6, 2-5) trailed 16-0.

Following the free kick, Temple quarterback Zach Allen hit Jeremy Hemphill for a 48-yard completion to put the Wildcats back in the red zone.

Sanders finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run to put Temple ahead 23-0.

The woes continued in the second half.

A short Tim Willett punt gave the Wildcats a short field at the Bryan 18. Sanders ran in from 13 yards to put Temple up 30-0.

The Wildcats added their final score on a three yard touchdown pass from Allen to Ronnie Chapman.

Temple finished with 335 total yards. Allen had 150 passing yards and 39 on the ground.

Sanders had 100 of the Wildcats 185 rushing yards.

Temple’s defense, which came into the game statistically last in the district, may have made the biggest difference in the game for the Wildcats. They kept the Vikings in check offensively, holding Bryan to 107 yards of total offense, including only 58 yards rushing.

Temple advances to the 5A playoffs. They will face Longview next Saturday at 2 p.m. in Corsicana.

Score by Quarters            1           2           3           4           Final

Bryan                                        0          0           0           0               0

Temple                                   23         0           7           7              37

1^st Quarter

Temple, 4:14, Gaylon Sanders 1 yd TD run (Joseph Pickett kick), 7-0

Temple, 3:20, Demarkes Mathis 3 yd fumble return for TD (Pickett kick), 14-0

Temple, 1:27, Zach Alvarado tackled in end zone for safety, 16-0

Temple, 0:01, Sanders 2 yd TD run (Pickett kick), 23-0

3^rd Quarter

Temple, 6:56, Sanders 13 yd TD run (Pickett kick), 30-0

4^th Quarter

Temple, 3:58, Ronnie Chapman 3 yd TD pass from Zach Allen (Pickett kick), 37-0

The post Bryan Ends 2011 Season on Sour Note, Loses 0-37 to Temple appeared first on WTAW.

- BRYAN - The Rudder Rangers take the field Friday night in Bryan with the hopes of one thing – sending the seniors off on a positive note.

The Rangers (1-7-1. 0-5) will face the Elgin Wildcats (5-4, 1-4) at Merrill Green Stadium in the final game of the regular season for both of the District 16-4A foes.

The game will also be “senior night” for the Rangers, which will feature the first class of seniors to go through all four years at the high school.  Rudder will see 36 seniors graduate from the team, many of whom are starters on this year’s squad.

The Rangers’ defense will have the task of containing Elgin sophomore quarterback Te’Rel Simmons, who had passed for more than 100 yards in all but one game this season, and has found the endzone at least once a game.  Simmons has 1,360 passing yards and 19 touchdowns for the season. Simmons has also be a touch tackle out of the pocket, rushing for 939 yards and another six scores.  In the backfield with Simmons will be junior running back Abraham Zepeda, who has picked up the majority of rushing duties in the absence of senior back Charlestin Matthews.  Zepeda had a111 rushing yards and a touchdown in last week’s victory over Bastrop.

One of the seniors the Rangers will be sad to see go is senior quarterback Jamarcus Davenport.  Davenport’s passing game has improved as of lately, including his 95 passing yards and touchdown in last week’s loss to Pflugerville Connally.  Davenport has 521 passing yards and five touchdowns on the season.  Sharing offensive duties will be junior running back Tre Guyton, who is average 94 rushing yards per game and one score per game.

Other offensive standouts that are seniors for Rudder this season include the majority of the Rangers’ receiving core: Sheldon Johnson, Trent Mitchell, and Will Martin, who have been the main targets for Davenport this season.

On the defensive side, linebackers A’Shanian Smith and Kody Burton have been major standouts, racking up 61 and 62 tackles respectively.  Both are seniors.  The defensive line will graduate two major players as well, Skylar Perez and Ryan Doty, who both have double digits and recorded a sack each.

Despite any players the Rangers will lose for next season, one thing does remain the focus for Friday night’s game: ending the season with a victory.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

The post Ramfeezled Rudder Rangers Reject Rash Resignation Regarding Rearmost Recontre (vs. Elgin) appeared first on WTAW.

- BRYAN - The Bryan Vikings will wrap up the 2011 season on the road at Temple Friday night.

Bryan (4-5, 2-4) looks to snap a four-game losing streak as they take on the playoff-bound Wildcats.

Temple (5-4, 4-2) is coming off a 20-12 win last week over Killeen Ellison. Bryan lost 39-17 to Belton in a game that knocked the Vikings from playoff contention.

“We’re very disappointed as a football team,” Vikings head coach Bob Bellard said. Bryan is missing the playoffs for only the second time in Bellard’s five-year tenure.

The hangover from missing the postseason carried over into the week of practice, Bellard said. But the Vikings eventually began to bounce back.

“It’s always the coach’s responsibility to get our kids up and get them ready for the next week,” Bellard said. “But’s it’s been tougher this week.”

The Vikings face a winnable game in Temple, which has struggled at times in the 2011 season. The Wildcats have lost to A&M Consolidated and Copperas Cove in district play, as have the Vikings.

The onetime historic rivalry between the Wildcats and Vikings has lost some of its luster over the years. Bellard chalks that up to the changing face of the surrounding communities.

“The younger generations have probably moved on to other rivalries,” Bellard said. “I think Temple-Belton has become the bigger rivalry in Temple.”

Bellard believes A&M Consolidated has become the bigger rivalry for younger Bryan residents, although he says some Vikings fans still hold the Temple game high on the list.

“I think there’s some of that in the old community, in the older part of Bryan, right now,” Bellard said.

The Vikings defense will have to stop a potent Temple offense that leads the district with more than 452 yards a game.

The Wildcats are bolstered by running back Gaylon Sanders, the leading rusher in 12-AAAAA with 1,385 yards on the ground. Quarterback Zach Allen is a comparable offensive weapon with more than 1,500 yards passing and more than 600 yards rushing.

The post Vikings Close Out 2011 Season at Temple appeared first on WTAW.

- COLLEGE STATION - The A&M Consolidated Tigers end their regular season schedule Friday night at 7:30, facing another group of Tigers at Belton.

The Tigers, Consolidated variety, are playoff-bound with a 5-4 season mark, wrapped around a 5-1 District 12-5A record as they go against Belton, with a 7-2 mark and boasting a 4-2 district reading.

Coming off the 30-23 overtime win over the Harker Heights Knights at Tigerland last week, Consol enters the district finale at Belton with some Tigers’ having some game-changing plays last week. Defensive line play was exceptionally strong, with some key plays coming from Christian LaCouture, a tackle; end Fredrick Goodman and another end, Jimmie Gilbert, who always seem to make several “big plays” a game.

Put up the names of defensive backs – cornerback Demetrius Willingham, seven tackles while giving fits to the Knights during the OT, and safeties Josue Ordonez (13 tackles) and Brett Mahnke, half a dozen tackles; and never discount senior linebacker Marshall Strain, another gridder who seems to come up with big plays in each contest. Against the Knights, he had 13 tackles.

Offensively, Consol had its standouts – receiver Justin Benden hauled in seven passes for 72 yards, Durasis Nutall rushed for 82 yards on 11 carries; running back Quinton White rushed for 97 yards and caught six passes for 57 yards. In the offensive line, tackle Cameron Cermin had a strong game.

Coach Rodney Southern’s Belton Tigers present wide receiver Derick Bates to give the Consol secondary a test. More receivers in the Belton attack include Levi Jordan and tight end Durham Smythe, 6-5, 215, with 4.8 speed in the 40.

Belton is known for its “sturdy defense,” spearheaded by linebacker Davis Butler, who had 135 tackles and four sacks last season. He took up where he left off for the 2011 campaign. Adding to Belton’s strong linebacker play are Ryan Stinson and Tyler Santellana.

The Belton attack is guided by quarterback Blayten Magana.

Despite the outcome Friday night, the Tigers of Consol will then prepare for their bi-district match, which comes next week.

The post Playoffs Await Tigers Next Week, This Week: Regular Season Finale at Belton appeared first on WTAW.

- COLLEGE STATION - It was a wounded Tiger early on Friday night at Tigerland.

A&M Consolidated suffered three interceptions and a fumble, which was returned for a touchdown, but overcame those turnovers against the Harker Heights Knights to push its record to 5-4 and 5-1 in District 12-5A.

Despite the turnovers in a game which also saw the first three extra-point kicks fail (two of the Harker Heights kicks were blocked by Consol, which missed one of its own), the Tigers clinched a playoff berth with the 30-23 overtime victory over the Knights.

That’s right! OT, and the Tigers excelled Friday night in that department, getting the ball first at the 25, scoring and then the Consolidated “D” played extremely tough while holding Harker Heights away from the goal on its lone opportunity from the 25.

Harker Heights dropped to 4-5 for the season, and 4-2 in the district race.

In the OT period, with the score knotted at 23-23, faced an illegal procedure call which pushed the Tigers back to the 30 before they could run a play. Not to worry. Jacob Bronowski, coming off a sore ankle and sustaining three earlier interceptions, produced a strike to Quinton White, who “out-quicked” the Heights secondary to the nine. On a third-and-goal, Bronowski hit wide receiver Justin Benden for the score. Dillon Moore, who earlier had hit an extra point and a field goal, booted true on this one to produce the final score of 30-23.

Much of the overtime drama took place when the Consol defense took over on the Knights’ possession. A lick on Rodriguez, the Heights QB, caused the ball to pop free, but the Knights recovered all the way back to the 38. Rodriguez led his team for a first down at the 15. The Consol “D” rose to the occasion when David Levias and Marshall Strain combined for a sack of the quarterback, followed by a delay penalty against the visitors. Then came an illegal procedure penalty against Harker Heights, moving the ball back to the 31 and bringing up fourth down with 26 needed for the first. Brad Haynes, on a run, was stopped at the 10, ending the game.

In addition to Strain and Levias, the Tiger defense proved too tough in the final analysis, with some key plays’ being made by Fredrick Goodman, J.J. Bynum and Christian LaCouture.

The Tigers racked up 22 first downs to 18 for Harker Heights, which did not have a turnover.

Consol scored on a Quinton White keeper, out of Wildcat formation. White faked to Darasis Nutall, then punctured the middle of the Knights’ defense from 15 yards out 44 seconds deep into the period. It completed an eight-play, 53-yard drive. Moore missed the extra point.

Rodriguez scored to tie it on a trick play after pitching to his running back, who threw it to his quarterback. Jake Harler’s first of two extra-point kicks was blocked.

Nashon Hughes, on the Tigers’ third interception, returned the pick 33 yards for a score, putting the Knights up 12-6. There were no extra points kicked in the first half, since Consol blocked the kick for the second time.

Harker Heights wasn’t through for the first half. Marcus Reo returned a Consol fumble 20 yards to make it 18-6 with 30 seconds remaining. Greg Haynes, holder for extra points, faked in the kicking setup, and pushed in for a two-point conversion, making the score 20-6 at halftime.

Consol began its comeback in the third quarter on an 18-yard run by Nutall after the Knights’ faked punt failed to produce a first on fourth-and-two at the 8:20 mark. Moore’s kick made it 20-13.

Moore nailed a 34-yard field goal with 4:53 to go in the quarter at the 4:53 mark, raising the score to 20-16.

Consol went ahead 22-20 on a one-yard run by Bronowski with 9:57 remaining in the game. Moore’s kick made it 23-20. The score was set up by a 12-yard punt by the Knights, giving Consol a fairly short field on which to work.

Harler tied it with a 37-yard field goal later in the period.

The 1991 team and its coaches, including head coach Ross Rogers, were introduced on field and honored for its State Championship run while in Class AAAA. That championship victory was produced in the Astrodome as Consol beat Carthage 35-16. The Tigers wore throwback jerseys in honor of that club.

Consolidated ends the regular season next Friday night with a road trip to face the Belton Tigers.

The post Tigers Need OT to Get Past Harker Heights, 30-23 appeared first on WTAW.

- BRYAN - The term coined in sports is “trickeration.”

It was fitting, then, on the Friday before Halloween that the Belton Tigers used second quarter “trickeration” to distance themselves from the Bryan Vikings en route to a 39-17 win at Merrill Green Stadium.

Down 3-0 after one quarter, Belton (7-2, 4-2) faked a punt at midfield and got a first down as upback Kyle Rhoades took the snap into Bryan territory. The drive ended with the first of three Donavan Williams touchdowns, this one from two yards out.

The Vikings (4-5, 2-4) answered quickly as Zach Alvarado hit Tim Willett on a medium pass over the middle. Willett did the rest with his legs going 79 yards for the score and Bryan led 10-7.

It was the last time the Vikings would have the lead in the game.

Belton’s Carlo Mosnia hit a 41 yard field goal with 7:04 left in the first half to tie the game 10-10.

After forcing a Bryan punt, the Tigers looked like they would have to punt as well until Peter Shelburne hit Derick Bates in stride for an 80 yard touchdown pass on third down and 20. Belton led 17-10 with 3:02 left in the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Mosnia gave the ball a slight tap, positioned himself between the ball and the nearest Viking player, waited until the ball traveled 10 yards and promptly fell on it.

This second act of “trickeration” set up what turned out to the fatal blow. Williams ran 10 yards for the score with 1:41 left until halftime to put the Tigers ahead 24-10 at the break.

Belton got a 35 yard interception return for a touchdown from Tramine Rose with 4:56 left in the third. The pick-6 was followed by successful two-point conversion and the Tigers led 32-10.

It looked like the Vikings would make it interesting. With 7:52 left in the game, Alvarado hit Ziquarias Webber in stride for a 56 yard touchdown pass, making it 32-17.

Any hope for Bryan was dashed on the Belton’s next offensive play. Williams capped off his touchdown hat trick with a 50-yard score only nine seconds later, putting the Tigers up 39-17.

Bryan had 347 yards of total offense on the night, including 156 on the ground. Running back Derrick Smith was the leading rusher with 102 yards on 20 carries.

Alvarado finished with 191 yards passing on eight completions out of 15 attempts. The senior had two touchdown passes and an interception in his final game at Merrill Green Stadium.

Belton’s offense finished with 381 yards, 171 on the ground and 210 passing.

With the loss, the Vikings are now mathematically eliminated from postseason action. Bryan wraps up the 2011 season next Friday at Temple.

Score by Quarters           1            2           3           4           Final

Belton                                     0           24         8            7              39

Bryan                                      3             7           0           7              17

1^st Quarter

Bryan, 2:09 Chris Johnson 24 yd field goal, 3-0

2^nd Quarter

Belton, 11:47 Donavan Williams 2 yd TD run (Carlo Mosnia kick), 7-3

Bryan, 9:54 Tim Willett 79 yd TD pass from Zach Alvarado (Chris Johnson kick), 10-7

Belton, 7:04 Carlo Mosnia 41 yd field goal, 10-10

Belton, 3:02 Derick Bates 80 yd TD pass from Peter Shelburne (Mosnia kick), 17-10

Belton, 1:41 Williams 10 yd TD run (Mosnia kick), 24-10

3^rd Quarter

Belton, 4:56 Tramaine Rose 35 yd INT return for TD (2-pt conv), 32-10

4^th Quarter

Bryan, 7:52 Ziquarias Webber 56 yd TD pass from Alvarado (Johnson kick), 32-17

Belton, 7:43 Williams 50 yd TD run (Mosnia kick), 39-17

The post Belton Tops Bryan 39-17 appeared first on WTAW.

- NAVASOTA - The battle for the District 23-3A lead Friday night was expected to be physical and it lived up to that expectation. It was also expected to be close, but the Navasota Rattlers made sure it was anything but.

The Rattlers built a 26-point halftime lead, en route to a 47-18 victory, clinching at least a district co-championship and securing their position in the upcoming high-school playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.

The victory also sent the 21 seniors on the squad out on a high note in their final home game of the regular season.

“This was probably a day where I felt as good as any going into a game because our week of practice was outstanding,” Navasota head coach Lee Fedora said. “The kids prepared hard and did a great job and you saw that tonight.”

The Rattlers (8-1 overall, 4-0 in 23-3A) built their lead by forcing three first-half Smithville (7-1, 3-1) turnovers, two of which they turned into points.

The game started with a bang as Austin Collins returned the opening kick for an apparent 95-yard touchdown. The score was wiped out however because of a block in the back penalty, but the Rattlers started their first possession in Smithville territory.

It didn’t take long for the Rattlers to cash in as Kadarius Baker threw the first of his three touchdown passes on the night, when he hit Austin Baumert in the corner of the end zone for a 20-yard score. The extra point was missed, but the Rattlers had a 6-0 lead.

Baker added to the Rattler lead later in the quarter when he went in from 1-yard out to close a five-play 82-yard drive. Trying to make up for the missed extra point after the previous touchdown, the Rattlers went for two, but were stopped, leaving the score at 12-0.

After the Rattlers recovered a fumble at the Smithville 31, they turned it into points when Howard Horn ended a six-play drive with a 6-yard run. Another two-point conversion came up empty, however, putting the Rattlers up by 18.

The defense got into the scoring act just before the end of the half when Jacob Malek picked off a Coltyn Brown pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown.

The three first-half turnovers the Rattler defense forced were part of another solid night. Smithville came in averaging 310 yards per game and the Navasota defense limited the Tigers to just 262 total yards.

The defense also held the Tigers more than 50 yards under the per-game rushing average, limiting them to 173 yards on the ground and kept them out of the end zone until the game was well in hand.

“Our defense played outstanding,” Fedora said. “We knew we had to get stops and three-and-outs, and if we didn’t do that we needed to get some turnovers.”

The Rattlers forced a three-and-out on the first possession of the second half, and then Malek, who finished the night with 127 yards on just eight carries, extended the Rattler lead with a 68-yard jaunt after taking a pitch from Baker, who held on to the ball until the last possible second before pitching it.

Baker, who threw for 163 yards and three touchdowns, sandwiched two touchdown passes to Solomon McGinty around Smithville’s first score, pushing the lead to 47-8.

The first McGinty touchdown came on a 44-yard bubble screen and the second came on a 55-yard downfield strike. McGinty finished the game with four catches for 121 yards.

The Rattlers will close out the regular season next Friday when they travel to Giddings to take on the Buffaloes in a 7:30 p.m. contest. The game can be heard on Navasota News 1550 with the pregame starting at 7:05.

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- COLLEGE STATION - The A&M Consolidated Tigers are looking to bounce back Friday night against the Harker Heights Knights after a classic game a week ago in which Consol absorbed its first District 12-5A loss at Copperas Cove. Despite losing by a narrow margin (23-21), a defeat isn’t pleasant, and that’s stuck in Consol’s craw during workouts this week.

In this comeback effort, look for the Tiger defense to continue its improvement, right along with the offense. The late, great coach, Bowden Wyatt of Tennessee once said, “My advice to defensive players: Take the shortest route to the ball and arrive in a bad humor.” Consol’s Coach David Raffield heartily echoes those sentiments as his Tigers prepare for the comeback and try to stretch their district mark to 5-1. A win would push the season mark to 5-4.

Harker Heights comes to Tigerland for a 7:30 kickoff with a 5-3 season record, and hanging in the district race with a 3-2 reading. The Knights are just a few points behind Consol in scoring, with the Tigers’ 248 and Harker Heights’ 237 output. Consol has the best “stat” in defense, allowing opponents 157 while the Knights’ defense has given up 185 points. The visitors come to Consolidated just off a 17-14 win over the Bryan Vikings.

Unsure who might get the starting quarterback call for Consolidated – either Jacob Bronowski, who started the season, or Weston Garner, who has gained some valuable experience in a backup role. Both QBs should be ready to roll against the Knights.

Coach Mike Mullins’ defensive unit is no slouch, particularly with extra strength in the secondary, which has proved its mettle more than once this season. Spearheading the secondary are Naashon Hughes and Jonathan Nava. A big offensive line is led by the “biggest of the big,” Darius James, 6-5, 315, who is joined by the likes of Camrhon Hughes, 6-7, 291.

Running back Marvin Jackson and wide receiver Greg Haynes can be expected to lead the offense against the ever-improving Tiger “D.”

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- BRYAN - For the second week in a row, the Rudder Rangers will face a Pflugerville ISD football team, this time squaring off against the Connally Cougars on Friday night in Pflugerville.

And the Rangers’ (1-6-1, 0-4) task of getting back into the win column will be just as tough as last week, as Connally (6-2, 2-2) has only dropped games this season against district foes Pflugerville Hendrickson and Hutto who are standing first and second in district 16-4A respectively as of week eight.

The Cougars are looking to stay in the tight race for the final playoff spot in the district, and will be carrying a lot of energy forward from last week’s victory over Bastrop.

Leading the charge for Connally will be junior quarterback Dajon Williams, who threw four touchdown passes on just 178 yards in last week’s win. Williams has also connected on passing scores of more than 50-yards four times this season, and is averaging two scores a game.  In the backfield with Williams will be running back Dae Payton, who has multiple touchdown games this season, including single game performances of five and four touchdowns earlier this season.

Despite the 25-18 loss last week, Rudder’s offense will look to continue its marked improvements that started with their almost upset-defeat of first place ranked Hendrickson.  Ranger junior running back Tre Guyton has been a bright spot for Rudder’s offense this season, racking up 757 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.  He has hit the century mark in rushing yards in four games this season, including a 153-yard performance last week. Senior quarterback Jamarcus Davenport will also look to continue his improvements, who came into last week only averaging 3.5 completions per game.  Davenport was 8-for-11 on passing attempts, and also had a rushing touchdown last Friday.

Defensively, the Rangers’ secondary also showed improvement last week, breaking up several pass attempts and recording numerous tackles. Seniors Austin Baron and Brenden Steptoe each had seven tackles, and the front line helped with the pressure as senior Kendall Lewis recorded two sacks.  Senior linebacker Kody Burton has also been a constant figure in the game plan for Rudder, and leads the team with 55 tackles on the season.

Most importantly for the Rangers, they will look to notch their first district victory this season, and avoid going winless in district for the third time in four seasons.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 in Pflugerville.

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