Humble – Senior quarterback Aaron Sharp and junior running back De’unte Chapman had a hand in a ten-touchdown performance Friday night to overthrow the upstart Crosby Cougars 63-49, in a district 19-4A showdown shootout at Turner Stadium.
For the second straight year, the Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0) got the best of the Crosby. Last season Summer Creek won by a score of 49-21.
Chapman, a hefty 6’1”, 215 pound power-back, bolted through Crosby’s defense for four rushing touchdowns along with 212 yards on 15 carries and a three-yard scoring reception. Chapman’s rushing scores came on runs of 4, 6, 66 and 68 yards.
Two of Chapman’s rushing touchdowns came after the Cougars penetrated Summer Creek’s backfield, wrapping up the talented back, but were unable to coral him, as he brushed aside several would-be tacklers.
Sharp was brilliant from the shot gun, orchestrating a balanced attack. When he wasn’t handing off to Chapman and Jordan Braden, he went to the air 30 times, connecting on 18 completions for 280 yards, including touchdown passes of 3, 8, 15, 59 and 73.
Wide out A.J. Jeffery was on the receiving end of two of Sharp’s touchdowns passes, accounting for an 8-yarder and a 73-yarder on an eight catch night that would give him 146 receiving yards on the evening. Torrey Johnson had four receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was a tough game tonight,” says Tory Johnson, Bulldogs receiver. “We just came out and played our game and won. “On the touchdown reception; it was a post pattern I ran. I broke it short when I noticed I was quicker than the defender and ran for the end zone.”
Crosby’s Walter twins were equally impressive in giving their best effort as Aston completed 16 of 30 for 281 yards and three touchdowns while gaining 142 ground yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. Austin finished with 159 yards on 25 carries with two touchdowns and caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
“I talked to our defense before we came to the game and right at the end,” Summer Creek’s Coach Brian Ford said. “We knew they were going to make plays. Those kids are great players and are well coached. There whole team plays super hard. We knew we were going to face adversity on defense against those guys. We had to keep fighting and scratching and get that stop that we needed to get a head and we were able to do that.”
With 3:23 left in the third quarter, Crosby (4-1, 2-1) trailed 49-42 starting a drive at its 30-yard line which proved to be the pivotal point in the game. Facing fourth and three from Summer Creek’s 25-yard line, receiver Cullen Lee dropped a pass from Aston that would have kept the drive alive with a fresh set of downs.
Crosby had its chances, stopping Summer Creek on the following series of downs. However, a holding penalty pushed the Cougars deep into its territory and forced a three-and-out which decreased its chances to draw even or take the lead.
Playing catch all game long allowed Crosby’s offense to out dual the Bulldogs 575 – 530 yards. The Cougars also held a 26 -18 edge in first downs.
After the smoke settled, Summer Creek held a 35-28 first-half lead. The Bulldogs got going after a blocked punt which landed inside Crosby’s territory at the 25 yard line. Three plays later, Johnson reeled in an eight-yard touchdown catch from Sharp.
“We played hard but we had a punt blocked for a touchdown,” Crosby Coach Jeff Riordan said. “If we could have gotten some of those little things to go our way, it might have been a different story. But they’re a great team.”
Crosby answered with a 75-yard drive of its own, which was finished off with Aston Walter’s 42-yard pass to Shane Hudson.
“We knew we would need to have a great night on offense. We knew it would be a lot of offense,” Coach Ford added. “It was a team effort. They converted so many third downs. We could have given up but we didn’t. That’s what I’m proud of.”
Later, the Cougars held Summer Creek on its first possession of the fourth quarter but weren’t able to draw even.
The Bulldogs put the game out of reach with two additional touchdowns by Chapman; a six-yard run and a game-capping 68-yard touchdown run.
“It was an offensive battle and they got a few more breaks than we did,” says Riordan. “They executed a little better than we did. That’s a very good football team. They are ranked number three in the state for a reason.”