Photo by Undre Smith/ossports
Tomball – They have 12 seniors, but only eight competed. It forced the young Mustangs to grow up quickly this season, and with the loss of one of its top two-way players, tailback/defensive end Elijah Gales left the game with a broken forearm with 1:40 left in the first quarter.
A program accustomed to competing for state titles watched its season slip away as West Orange-Stark lost its Class 4A Division II Region III quarterfinal contest 31-14 to the China Spring Cougars on Friday night at Tomball ISD Stadium.
West Orange-Stark entered the game searching for a birth in the semifinals. However, the season ended on a low note but with a bright future.
“We had a good year,” West Orange-Stark coach Cornel Thompson mentioned. “I’m proud of our kids.”
China Spring (14-0) will face Cuero in the Class 4A Division II semifinals next Friday at 7:00 PM in Round Rock at Reeves Stadium.
“This might be one of my favorite wins of the entire year,” China Spring coach Brian Bell declared. “We had a lot of adversity in this game. The guys didn’t lose their composure.”
A considerable part of the Mustangs offensive production left the game following Gales’ fractured forearm, which happened after he took a handoff up the center of China Spring’s defense where he suffered a punishing blow. Gales sprung to his feet, screaming and shaking his left arm in agony as he trotted to the sideline with 1:40 left in the first quarter.
“We had a chance here, but we lost our best running back,” Thompson said. “That hurt because he’s a two-way guy, but we had some kids fighting trying to win the game.”
The injury occurred on the heels of a turnover which saw West Orange-Stark’s defensive lineman Andrew Wilson recover a fumble at the China Spring 41 with 2:48 to go in the first quarter. The drive fizzled out after three plays, resulting in a punt.
Later, things snowballed in Gales’ absence while the Cougars’ offense found its rhythm. But not before it suffered three turnovers.
“To lose three turnovers in the first half and bounce back from that without losing our composure, I’m really proud of them,” Bell said.
China Spring bounced back, scoring ten unanswered points to grab a 10-7 halftime lead.
Cougars’ quarterback Major Bowden, who rushed for 284 yards on 12 carries, tied the game on an electrifying 67-yard scoring run. Later, with no time left, kicker Thomas Barr drilled a 36-yard field goal, giving China Spring its first lead of the game, 10-7.
China Spring’s defense kept the Mustangs’ offense in check most of the evening. Its defense sacked West Orange-Stark’s quarterback Keyshawn Robinson which led to a punt on fourth and six, but the Cougars gave the ball back after Kyle Barton fumbled the ball on the China Spring 26, giving the Mustangs a short field to work with. Gales scored on a four-yard run ten plays later to give the Mustangs a 7-0 lead after Cristian Quiteno Polio’s kick.
In the second half, the Cougars pulled away. Barton, who tallied 100 ground yards, ignited China Spring’s second frame of the third quarter when he took a 15-yard carry to the 33. Two plays later, Bowden outran the defense for his second 67-yard touchdown. The Cougars led, 17-7, following Barr’s kick and never trailed again.
“Our offensive line did a great job, and defense was very consistent,” Bell said. “We haven’t seen adversity like that all year long. They really set the tone the entire night. Our guys kept bouncing back.”
But the youthful Mustangs answered with a two-play 70-yard drive when Robinson hooked up with receiver Darren Anderson on a 70-yard scoring toss to draw within, 17-14 with 46 seconds left in the third quarter.
“We had to count on a bunch of young guys,” coach Thompson said. “We beat a couple of football teams on the way this year that people didn’t think we would beat.”
Meanwhile, Bowden and backup running back Dawson Exline scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to put the game away. Exline’s one-yard scoring run increased the Cougars lead, 24-14, and Bowden added a 44-yard highlight reel, totaling three rushing touchdowns on the evening as the score swelled, 31-14.
West Orange-Stark (11-2) continued to struggle on offense as Robinson went 1-of-6 in the fourth quarter with a game-ending interception.
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