Falcon’s defense pulled out first half stops, while its offense clicked all evening
C. E. King never gave up, but the reality of Foster’s play prove to be true and consistent.
Its offense fed off its defense, as Foster gained over 385 yards of offense to beat the Panthers, 42-28 in the Class 5A Division II Region III Bi-District playoffs on Friday night at TDECU Stadium.
Foster (10-2) will meet Temple, who knocked off Stratford 14-6, next week at a time to be determined.
A strong first half defensive effort ignited the Falcons offense. Foster’s defense held C. E. King to seven first half points while it scored four first half touchdowns.
“We came to play. In the first half we took what they gave us,” says Foster coach Shawn McDowell. “They made some great halftime adjustments to put us on the ropes. But our defense came up with a big interception for a touchdown.”
The Panthers pulled within 14 points on a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Johnathan Brantley to receiver Reginald McCullough with 6:48 to go in the third quarter. The score 28-14.
However, the Falcons stayed consistent with its game plan which included a steady dose of talented receivers in Evan Fairs and Cedarian Lamb.
“He’s just a player (receiver Cedarian Lamb),” McDowell. “CD came up with some clutch catches. That’s why we’re going to the third round.”
On its 85-yard scoring drive, Falcons’ junior quarterback Alex Ramart converted two fourth-down passes to Lamb. One for nine yards to the 20-yard line and the other, a nine-yarder at the C.E. King nine.
“I felt like I helped my team contribute to this win,” said Foster’s receiver Lamb said. “I was able to get out of my breaks early enough to get separation to make it easy for my quarterback,” Lamb.
Sophomore running back Quinton Oliver carry the ball the final nine yards for the responding score. That stretched the lead back to 35-14 with Joseph Roper’s extra point kick.
Ramart, who completed 17-of-24 for 178 yards and two touchdowns, had the luxury of great protection from a beefy offensive line and skilled receivers in Fairs and Lamb which made it difficult on the Panthers secondary.
Running back Quantonio Williams had 17 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Receivers Fairs and Lamb combined for 14 receptions, 165 yards, and two scores.
With time becoming a factor, C. E. King battled back with a 75-yard drive which took 4:54 off the clock. Brantley connected with four different receivers on the drive.
A defensive holding called on Foster’s cornerback Tykenzie Daniels and a penalty for hands to the face accessed on defensive lineman Sidney Murray pushed the ball to the Falcons three. Two additional plays and Brantley pressed his way into the end zone to pull the Panthers within 14 points at 35-21.
A strong Falcon defensive effort held C. E. King (8-3) to seven first half points. While its offense got on track and rolled to a 28-7 halftime lead.
Defensive back Tykenzie Daniels intercepted Brantley at the 46-yard line of C. E. King to setup its first scoring drive. Three plays later, Ramart went up top to Fairs to complete a 26-yard touchdown pass with 6:11 left in the first quarter.
The Panthers responded with a six-play, 77-yard drive, capped on Brantley’s 60-yard scamper, knotting the game at seven after Morales extra point kick.
Brantley did his best to keep his team in the game by passing 177 yards on 14-of-25 attempts, with two touchdowns, two interceptions and he carried the ball 19 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Desmond Coleman, Reggie McCullough, and Ben Quintero formed a triangle of Panther receivers, who combined for a 178 yards, steaming from 12 receptions and two touchdowns.
Just as fans settled into their seats, Foster took possession of the ball at its 25-yard line and watched Williams sprint 75-yards down the left side line. It only took 14 seconds off the clock.
C.E. King missed an opportunity to trim the lead when kicker Jonathan Morales’ 42-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. That left 6:30 in the half, which gave the Falcons time to add a pair of touchdowns.
“You can’t give up big plays,” says Panther’s coach Don Price. “That’s the big difference. We gave them a turnover early on a short field. We gave up too many one play drives.”
With a drive that began at the Foster 25, Williams took a hand-off up the middle and froze at the two-yard line as a wave of defenders swept by, leaving a hole as he ran into the end to finish a 10-yard score.
Other facets of the Falcons game worked well on this night. Including back-to-back sacks of Brantley by defensive linemen Murray and Ty Reed. Both plays combined for an 11-yard loss with under a two minutes to play in the second quarter.
“Their a good ball club,” Price explained. “Their a very talented team. You can look at their size.”
With 1:42 left in the second quarter, linebacker Garrett Grammer, who had a 23-yard game-icing pick-six with 5:17 left in the game, stirred the pot with a 43-yard punt return to the C. E. King 17.
One play later, Ramart found high jumping-Lamb 18-yards down the field in the end zone with 1:13 left in the half to send Foster to halftime leading 28-7.
The Panthers never gave up. Foster proved to be a bit much.
