HIGHS LOWS ADVANCERS

Highs, Lows, and Advancers

Texas football is unique and dearly loved by the citizens of this state. Large schools to small schools they have their followers that are there for their team from early days of August going forward. In November, there is even a more feverish pitch for all the fans following their beloved team into the state playoffs. When the teams are still playing in December it becomes even more special. It also becomes more difficult to advance to the next round. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all present this time of the year.

How is it possible to have such beautiful weather December the 1^st in Snyder, Texas? Then add to that a fantastic matchup between the Rankin Red Devils and the Throckmorton Greyhounds with a combined record of 22 wins and 2 losses and of course the “playoff atmosphere” and a beautiful stadium like you find at the Snyder Tiger field and you have all the ingredients a Texas football fan can handle.

Rankin vs. Throckmorton

Last week the defending state champions of Throckmorton soundly defeated a very good and respected Water Valley team 62 to 16 to send the message they are looking to get back to Abilene for another title shot. Rankin on the other side of this equation last week defeated the tough and previously undefeated  Ira Bulldogs 58 to 38 to set the stage for this game.

Many folks were saying going into this game that it would be a game centered on Rankin’s Dalton Mitchum and Throckmorton’s Gary Farquhar. That was a fair assessment of the situation but make no mistake about it there were two teams on the field. Both of the players mentioned above had an impact in the game. Mitchum finished with a 300 yard rushing game and also caught passes for over 100 yards and scored 6 touchdowns. Farquhar made his presence known as usual on both sides of the ball. He caught six passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns and was all over the field on defense.

The First Quarter was pretty even with Throckmorton striking 1^st on a 6 yard pass to Gary Farquhar from Bryson Oliver and Nathan Riley converted the PAT as the score was 8-0 8:50 left in the period.

With 6:36 left in the 1^st, Dalton Michum would get Rankin on the board when he ran it in 27 yards for a touchdown and Michael Rodriguez would make good on the PAT. Score tied 8-8. G Farquhar would haul in a 47 yard pass play from Oliver for their second touchdown connection of the night with 4:47 left and Riley again converts the PAT and Throckmorton is up 16-8. Michum on a 1 yard run and Rodriguez with his kick closed out the scoring in the 1^st with 1:17 seconds left. The game would see the Quarter end with the teams knotted up 16-16.

Throckmorton would begin the 2^nd Quarter avalanche that saw  a combined 44 points scored by both teams. Levi Taylor had a 14 yard scoring run and Riley was good again on the PAT with 9:51 left until half. Score Throckmorton 24-16. At the 7:09 point Hayden Farquhar would catch a touchdown pass from Oliver and Riley would make the PAT and Throckmorton stretched the lead to 32-16. Michum would score again for Rankin this time on a two yard pass reception from Josh Post. The PAT failed and Throckmorton now led 32-22 with 5:50 left in the half. Throckmorton scored with 3:06 left on a two yard run by Trinity Haggard and the successful PAT by Riley had the Greyhound lead at 18 points, 40-22. Rankin did what they had to do and that was score before the half to stay in the game. With just :35 seconds left Michum ran it in from 3 yards for a touchdown and again the PAT failed but Rankin had cut the score to 40-28 and also established some momentum as well.

Disaster struck with 27 seconds left on the clock after Levi Taylor returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and a Riley PAT made it 48-28 and killed any momentum the Red Devils might have had going into halftime.

The third quarter saw Throckmorton outscore Rankin 32-8. With 6:38 left in the third, Hayden Farquhar would catch an 8 yard pass from Oliver for a touchdown and yet another PAT by Riley and your score became Throckmorton 56 Rankin 28. The game is on the line at this point for Rankin. The Red Devils would respond on a scoring play that had Josh Post catching a 19 yard pass from Michum and this time Rodriguez converted the PAT. 56-36 Throckmorton but a glimmer of hope for Rankin with 4:07 left in the third.

Lightning, deadly lightning, not from the sky but the Greyhound return team struck for the second time. Trinity Haggard would return the kickoff 50 yards for a touchdown. Riley would again split the uprights and Throckmorton led 64-36 with 3:55 left in the third. Bad for Rankin was about to get worse as Throckmorton would score with 2:24 left when Rawlin Morrel would catch a 40 pass from Oliver and another Riley PAT made the score 72 -36. But wait, there is more! Twenty two seconds later Trinity Haggard would run it in from 3 yards out and another Riley PAT the Greyhounds led 80-36 with 2:02 left in the Third Quarter. That was also the score as the 3^rd came to an end.

Do the Red Devils quit? Nope. They score on a 17 yard run by Michum with 9:51 left in the game. The PAT failed. They trail 80-42. Do the Red Devils quit now? No. Aaron Castillo would score from 5 yards out and the Rodriguez PAT is good with 5:39 left in the game. The score is now 80-50 Throckmorton.

With 4:58 left Trinity Haggard would score his fourth touchdown of the night for Throckmorton and Riley would again add the PAT for an 88-to 50 lead.

Still no quit on the Rankin Red Devil side as Aaron Castillo would score from 13 yards out and Rodriguez would nail the PAT and the score which would be the final was Throckmorton 88 Rankin 58.

Overall, the Throckmorton Defense was physical. Very physical. The Greyhound ball carriers ran very hard all night dragging or running over the Rankin defenders. Rankin was defeated but never quit.

Throckmorton will return to Snyder next Saturday at 6:00 PM as they take on the Valley Patriots to determine who goes on to the state championship game in Abilene on December 15^th.

Don Hardin

Abilene

Richland Springs Wins......AGAIN!!!

Richland Springs will one day lose a game. Really? Maybe? I have written their obit at least three times this season. I thought they would lose against Gordon, Jonesboro, and Milford. Guess what? Did not happen.

They have 11 or 12 boys suited out. No, young men. No, men of steel. They are the baddest sons of guns to walk the face of the earth. Cross their path and you go home a loser.

Let's look at the latest example.

MILFORD VS. RICHLAND SPRINGS

The scene was the famed and historic Tiger Stadium in Hico.

What you had going in was two super talented undefeated teams. # 1 Richland Springs Coyotes taking on #2 Milford Bulldogs. To say the least, this was a long anticipated contest.

Richland Springs wasted no time in setting the tone for this one. They kicked off to Milford and one minute and twenty-six seconds into the game,Patrick Phillips intercepted a pass thrown by Jairus Russell and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Trevor Tinney converted the PAT and just like that the Coyotes led 8-0. They would never trail.

Make no mistake about it, Milford is a very athletic team. Led by #3 senior Jairus Russell they would make a run at the two time defending state champions. On the ensuing kickoff Mr. Russell  took the ball on the 4 yard line and promptly went 76 yards like water rolling down hill. Another tone setter for the night, the PAT failed and it was 8-6 Richland Springs with 8:19 left in the first. Before the first quarter would end, Chance Bush would score on a 15 yard run and the PAT was good and Jacob Essary of Milford would catch a touchdown pass for Milford and the PAT failed. The score at the end of the quarter was Richland Springs 16 Milford 12. 

The second quarter saw the best and the worst for Milford. Richland Spring's Patrick Phillips who earlier scored on the interception return burned Milford on a 70 yard pass reception from Chance Bush. Amazingly, the Coyotes PAT failed. The men of steel now had a 10 point lead 22-12 with 7:22 left in the half. Milford came right back with Essary scoring on a 7 yard run but once again the Bulldog PAT failed and Milford trailed 22-18 with 5:47 left in the half. All three missed PAT's by the Bulldogs at this point in the game made would be a tie game. If and buts.......

FRESHMAN Bryan Salinas of Richland Springs would get his first touchdown of the night on a 4 yard run with 2:32 left in the half and again Tinney would convert the PAT and Richand Springs led 30-18. For the first time in the game it appeared the Coyotes were putting the game away. Then, Russell of Milford made a beautiful run that looked effortlessly on his part darting 70 yards for a touchdown and coupled with the PAT of Joseph Salazar Milford was back in the game trailing by just four points, 30-26 and only a minute and twenty-nine seconds left in the half. The question was immediately apparent. Could they hold Richland until half? The answer came quickly. With a mere 18 ticks left on the clock until half time the Coyotes would strike again on a Patrick Phillips pass reception for a touchdown. Tinney converted once again and at the half Richland Springs led 38-26. They went to the locker room with momentum and knowing they would get the ball to begin the second half.

My new found friend Charles Bryce, a newspaper reporter with The Standard Times of San Angelo, was sharing one third of the press box with me. I must mention right here and right now what a fine job his paper does with coverage of Six-Man. I so appreciate it. I told him that I had expected Milford to win this game and that if somehow Milford could get a stop defensively to start the third quarter, they would indeed win the game even though they trailed 12 points at the half.

Viola! Richland starts out the second half with a fumble deep in their own end of the field. Milford is set to score and be right back in the contest. Richland Springs would make their biggest defensive stand of the game here aided by a penalty against Milford and it all lead to a turn over on downs. FRESHMAN Bryan Salinas would strike again, this time on a 64 pass from Bush and a PAT conversion with 5:13 left in the third the score was Coyotes 46 Bulldogs 26. Somewhere in the background of my brain, I could hear TAPS being played exactly as I had heard it at a military funeral for my wife's uncle earlier in the day.

Milford did not quit yet. Essary would score on a 10 yard pass from Russell and Salazar would convert the PAT with 4:00 minutes left in the third to cut the lead to 46-34. A win for Milford at this point was still possible but the men of steel that I have also referred to as sharks knew there was blood in the water. Richland Springs would score at the :33 seconds mark of the third on a pass to Thomas FOWLER, yes there is still a Fowler at Richland Springs, again at the 8:47 mark in the 4th and again at the 6:33 point of the 4th to lead 78-34. TWENTY FOUR STRAIGHT POINTS!!!!

Jarius Russell would finish the scoring for Milford this night on an electrifying run of 43 yards and Salazar would convert the PAT to bring the Bulldogs to trail 70-42. To add an exclamation point on the Coyote victory, FRESHMAN Bryan Salinas would score on a 50 yard run and Tinney would again convert the PAT and your final score Richland Springs 78 Milford 42.

Two week in a row the men of steel have defeated teams that were probably in reality better teams than the Coyotes. So be it. ROLL ON COYOTES! Next up your nemesis, the Strawn Greyhounds.

Don Hardin
Abilene