A&M Consolidated wraps 18-5A play with win over Livingston

By LARRY BOWEN

LIVINGSTON — A&M Consolidated’s share of the District 18-5A football championship came with a few bumps and bruises, in a game much tougher than most expected, but that will not take any shine off the gold football.

The Tigers jumped to a big early lead, then withstood a spirited effort by struggling Livingston to take a 40-21 victory in their regular-season finale Friday night at Lion Stadium.

Consol (7-3, 6-1) finished in a three-way tie with Bryan and College Station for the district championship. Willis claimed fourth place with a win over Huntsville that sent the Tigers into the Class 5A Division II bracket instead of Division I, where Consol would have been the No. 1 seed had Huntsville won.

The Tigers, in the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season, will be the No. 2 seed in Division II behind College Station, which earned the top seed with its victory over Consol. The Tigers will play Waco in a bi-district game in Waco ISD Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

“We’re feeling great,” Consol coach David Raffield said. “We accomplished a huge goal this year, and that was to get a district championship. It wasn’t the prettiest at all times tonight, but we kind of knew it would be that way.”

Livingston (2-8, 1-6) looked to be headed for a season-ending blowout loss when Consol took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. However, the Lions turned the Tigers’ trip into a slugfest instead of a cake walk with a combination of risky defense and a ground-pounding offense.

The Lions scored on a couple of long runs by wingback Christian Mitchell, including a shocking 82-yarder on the first play of the second quarter that turned the game into a battle instead of a trouncing. However, Consol limited powerful fullback David Caddie, the district’s leading rusher, to 58 yards on 24 carries.

Linebacker Trevor Williams and tackle Jayden Drisdale produced play after play, often at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield. The Tigers also got key plays from linebackers Cooper Atkinson and Jonathon Sylvester.

Consol’s defense struggled as the Lions drove 75 yards in 13 plays to start the second half with a touchdown. Livingston followed with a 42-yard touchdown scamper by Mitchell that made it 34-21 late in the third quarter.

After Consol missed a field goal, the Lions made one more serious challenge. Livingston drove from its 20 to near midfield, but on fourth-and-four Caddie was stopped 2 yards short of the first down by Sylvester and Williams.

“For the most part, [the defense] played unbelievable tonight,” Raffield said. “Livingston does so many incredible things on offense that they really make you be perfect on every play. Jayden made a couple of super plays. He is just continuing to get better. Trevor is just a stud in the middle. To think he’s only a sophomore is amazing.”

Senior Mason Hickson passed for 194 yards and two touchdowns, but Consol receivers missed several catchable throws and the Lions defense often packed the line of scrimmage to blitz and punish the quarterback. Hickson was injured late in the first half and walked off the field, but did not play again as sophomore backup Cade Williams took over.

The Tigers attempted only two passes and managed only three first downs after halftime. Consol was being shut out in the last two quarters before Robert Franklin broke loose on a 58-yard touchdown run with 1 second left in the game.

“I think Mason’s fine,” Raffield said. “He was cleared to go, and we chose not to go with him in the second half. Without Mason in there we had a guy trying to get better at quarterback, and that’s one of the reasons we chose to go with him. It was time to get him some more experience.”

Consol built the lead it never relinquished with a fast start. Kennon Williams returned the opening kickoff 56 yards to set up a 30-yard drive. The Tigers had to go only 58 yards for their second score, then started their third scoring drive at the Livingston 42 after a short punt.

The punting game cost Livingston again late in the half when the punter had trouble with a low snap and was tackled for a 3-yard loss at the Lion 17. Hickson hooked up with David Gan for a 16-yard completion on the play during which Hickson was injured, and Franklin scored on the next play for a 34-7 halftime lead.

Story courtesy of The Eagle

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