Photo by Tammie Martin/ossports
It came down to defense. For two quarters, Atascocita watched the Panthers control the tempo.
Still, it had as much time a team could ask for, as it rallied behind its defense, scoring 14 points in the second half, and Eagles’ senior safety Freddie Allen tackled Panthers’ receiver Jeremy Gonzales short of a first down to eliminate the threat and beat C.E. King, 28-24 late in the fourth quarter to remain undefeated in district play on Friday at Sheldon ISD Stadium.
The victory extended Atascocita’s district streak to 30 and set it on a collision course with two-time defending 6A Division I State Champs North Shore in district 21-6A.
Facing fourth and six, C.E. King lost its battle when Allen tackled Gonzales a yard shy of the mark to gain. Gonzalez ran a crossing pattern when he received the ball a few yards underneath the first down marker. There he met Allen, who wrestled him to the ground with under 40 seconds left.
Finally, the Eagles ran out the clock to preserve the win.
Still, the Eagles (5-1, 4-0) converted an onside kick when Ratliff kicked a slow-moving grounder, which defensive back Caleb Burton recovered at the C.E. King 41 yard line with 2:55 remaining. Three consecutive passes from Session to Wheeler completed the comeback, 28-24 with Wheeler in the end zone.
Wheeler, who accounted for ten receptions, burned C.E. King’s defense by finding open areas in the secondary.
A pair of talented sophomores led the defensive charge for Atascocita. Linebacker Jameer Martin and massive defensive lineman Samu Taumanupepe 6’3, 395 pounds, headlined the damage. Both were part of the constant pressure that forced the Panthers’ offense south in the second half.
Jameer had two sacks while Taumanupepe made several stops behind and at the line of scrimmage. The effort allowed junior quarterback Gavin Session time to get on track with his receiving corp.
Still, Atascocita’s offense had to adjust to the Panthers’ athletic defensive line, facing defensive tackles Zaylon Davis, Aaron DeLeon, 6’4 defensive lineman Will Evans, and 6’2 Marque Williams. Despite being held to 14 first-half points, Atascocita’s could have come at a better time as scored its final 14 points on its last two possessions.
Taumanupepe dropped Wimbely for a six-yard loss as the momentum spurred the Eagles’ offense. After a short punt set up Atascocita at the Panthers 49, Session completed two passes to junior receiver Keith Wheeler. The second accounted for six points, and the Eagles trailed 24-21 after Ratliff’s bonus kick with 3:00 minutes left.
The task at hand featured a defensive tug of war in the third quarter.
C.E. King (5-2, 2-1) spotted the Eagles a 14 point lead and battled back to grab a 24-14 halftime lead.
Running back, Tyras Winfield found an opening through the right side and won the footrace to the end zone, concluding a play, 75-yard drive to put Atascocita up, 7-0 following Ian Ratliff’s extra-point kick.
The next series for both teams resulted in punts. But the Eagles cashed in on an opportunity when C.E. King’s Kodi Russi muffed the punt at the Panther’s 22 with 6:27 left in the first quarter.
It took Atascocita one play to Score as Winfield took a quarterback Gavin Session’s pitch and completed the halfback pass to receiver Deion Brown to build a 14-0 lead.
The route seemed apparent after Eagles’ linebacker Jadon Ducos sacked Kameron Kincheon, forcing a punt.
Then the Panthers, looking for a spark, received it after cornerback Caleb Burton fumbled the ball at the Atascocita’s 25-yard line where defensive back Elijah Peters scooped up the loose ball and sprinted to the end zone with 4:34 to go in the first quarter.
That sparked the Panthers, who scored three more times, including a 30-yard scoring run by Wimberly. That evened the score at 14 with 2:30 to go in the first quarter. Bonilla’s extra point kick followed Kincheon’s 21-yard scoring pass to receiver Kameron Scott, giving C.E. King its first lead of the game with 11:53 left.
And before the half ended, Bonilla kicked a 28-yard field goal, inflating the score, 24-14. But that would be all for the Pathers.
C.E. will travel to the state’s top-ranked team in North Shore next week. The Eagles will have a bye week and face North Shore the following week.
Leave a comment
