STORY BY: BOB WRIGHT
KILEEN – After a 20-minute lightning-threat delay Friday night at Leo Buckley Stadium in Killeen, the A&M Consolidated Tigers put together some offensive lightning of their own with a 49-0 victory over Killeen Ellison’s Eagles while going 2-0 in the District 12-5A race. Overall, the Tigers pulled their season mark to 2-3, after a rocky non-conference start while becoming more familiar with their new wide-open attack’s offensive schemes.
In tuning up those schemes, and after the lightning danger had subsided, the Tigers produced a little weather mix of their own, raining down seven touchdowns on the Eagles, while thundering down the field for a total offense of 409 yards.
The Tiger “D” held Ellison to a 147-yard output, featuring some defensive heroics of Kyle Chisum, J.J. Bynum, old reliable Marshall Strain at linebacker, and secondary folks Demetrius Willingham, Josue Ordonez and Adriel Grant.
Bynum, all 270 pounds of him, had a night to remember, lining up as running back, and tacked up a two-yard touchdown run, untouched off right tackle just 48 seconds deep into the third quarter, pushing the score to 28-0. J.J. also intercepted a pass in that quarter, at the 3:34 mark. It was one of four picks turned in by the Tigers. David Levias picked off an aerial in the second period, while Brett Mahnke had two interceptions – one in the second (he returned that one 28 yards), and the other in the third, when he was in the right spot at the right time to snuff out a fourth-down pass by the Eagles at the Tiger seven..
It might not have been the touchdown that was Bynum’s shining moment at Buckley Stadium. Rather, it could have been a fumble recovery in the final quarter. J.J., who refused to be downed on several occasions during that entertaining return, covered 60 yards on the return, and was only downed by a facemask violation which tacked on an additional 15 to the Ellison 32. That led to yet another Tiger TD, capped off by a fourth-and-nine connection on a 20-yarder from quarterback Weston Garner, who had come in for Jacob Bronowski. Garner located receiver Justin Binden with 5:31 to go in the game. Dillon Moore, who booted five of five extra points, toed it over the goal post. It was 35-0 at the time.
Consol added another score after a partially blocked kick at the Eagle 14 set up the opportunity. Alex Moore scored on a seven-yard run with 3:39 to go. Jeff Steines kicked the first of his two extra-point tries, making it 42-0.
The final Tiger score came with backups staying in the lineup for Coach David Raffield. Zerrick Merchant swept right for 30 yards and the final payoff punch.
The scoring had gotten underway in the opening period when Bronowski found an open running seam and zipped 34 yards on the Tigers’ initial possession.
Next touchdown was a 48-yard pass-and-run from Bronowski to Quinton White in the second period. That scoring drive took just 59 seconds and had been set up by Levias’ pick.
Bronowski again found running room in the same period, scoring on a 50-yard run, then continued to find the all-important “daylight” and took it 86 yards, setting up Bynum’s two-yard scoring run.
Putting the only damper on Friday night’s win was an injury in the fourth quarter to Quinton White. He received big attention from trainers on the sideline, and hopefully the injury will quickly heal in time for next week’s annual district showdown with the Bryan Vikings at Kyle Field.