The Orangefield Bobcats jumped to an early lead Friday night and then hung on for their third straight win. Orangefield defeated the Shepherd Pirates 27-21 at F. L. McClain Stadium.
The first half was dominated by Orangefield (3-0) with the Bobcats taking an early 19-0 lead and gaining 257 total yards to just 73 yards for Shepherd (1-2). The second half was the reverse with the Pirates gaining almost a hundred more yards than the Bobcats and narrowing the final gap to six points.
It only took the Bobcats a little over two minutes to grab the lead. The fourth play of the game Kaiden DuBose took a handoff, swept around the right end, and sprinted down the sideline for a 49-yard touchdown. The kick was missed and Orangefield led 6-0.
The next possession took a little longer, but the results were the same, eleven plays and another Bobcat touchdown. Heston Puckett carried four times for 18 yards.
Chase Broussard broke loose for 26 yards for a first down at the Shepherd 20. On third-and-eight quarterback Gunner Jones faked a handoff and found Kent Michael wide open downfield with a pass for an 18-yard score. Jones was stopped short on the two-point conversion attempt keeping the score 12-0 with 2:57 to play in the first quarter.
The Bobcats took the ball following a Pirate punt at their own 33 to start the second quarter. Michael made a nifty run, leaping a tackler downfield to pickup 29 yards. Tyler Washington earned another first down with a twelve-yard carry to the Pirates’ 21.
On fourth-and-three at the 14, Orangefield used a substitution as Dubose was switched to quarterback instead of wingback. DuBose faked a handoff and then swept left end as he crossed inside the pylon for the touchdown. Dubose was the leading rusher for the Bobcats with 70 yards on five carries. Jones’s kick was good and the Bobcats’ lead was 19 points with 7:18 before halftime.
Shepherd had negative total yardage to that point thanks primarily to a high snap that resulted in a 26-yard loss on their second time with the ball. The Pirates began to move the ball on their third possession.
The key mover and shaker was running back Kenan Turner. He carried the ball six times on the march for 60 yards. Turner got the Pirates on the board with a 13-yard run at 2:52 left before the half. Joel Valdez made the score 19-7.
A lost Bobcat fumble could have proved costly, but the Orangefield defense stopped Shepherd on four plays to take the ball back at its own 34. The Bobcats closed out the half leading by twelve points.
The Pirates started the second half with an impressive drive of 19 plays covering 79 yards. The biggest play was the first pass completion of the night for Shepherd. Chayce Jimmerson outjumped two Bobcat defenders to haul-in Dezmon Yates’ looping pass for a 30-yard gain.
Yates picked up three yards on fourth-and-three for another first down at the Orangefield 21. The fifth first down of the possession setup first-and-goal for the Pirates at the ten.
Three plays were stopped for one-yard gains by the Bobcat defense. On fourth down Yates lofted a pass to the back left corner of the end zone intended for Jimmerson. The ball fell incomplete, but Orangefield was flagged for pass interference giving Shepherd a first down at the one. Turner scored on the next play to cut the lead to 19-14 with 2:06 left in the third quarter.
Again, it only took Orangefield four plays to respond. Clayson Choate returned the kickoff to the Shepherd side of midfield and a penalty advanced the ball to the Pirates’ 36.
Chase Broussard got ten yards and a first on the first play. Three plays later Choate carried the ball to the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown. Jones passed to Choate for the two-point conversion making the score 27-14 with just 22 seconds left in the third.
With the game well in hand the Bobcats recovered a fumble by Yates near midfield and could have put the game out of reach. Just two plays later though Orangefield lost its second fumble of the game.
Pressure by the Bobcats forced Yates to scramble, and he unwisely tried to just chunk a pass in the flat to avoid the sack. Orangefield’s DuBose made a sensational diving catch for the interception.
The fourth turnover in about four minutes followed when Jones was picked off by Jimmerson of the Pirates. Shepherd went back to its workhorse Turner to drive forty yards for the touchdown, Turner scoring for the third time in the game from the 16. Turner finished the night with 152 yards on 27 carries.
Still five and a half minutes were left, and Orangefield had seen its lead shrink to just six points. A first down appeared to have been gained by the Bobcats, but a chop block wiped it out and forced the only punt of the game by Orangefield.
With all the momentum on its sidelines and the ball, Shepherd started at its 35. After a short run by Turner, Yates threw the same pass that had worked for 30-yards to Jimmerson in the first half. The tall receiver pulled it down for an apparent first down in Bobcat territory. Jimmerson was called for pushing off, and the 15-yard penalty proved fatal for the Pirates’ chances.
Turner was tackled for a rare loss, and two pass incompletions turned the ball over on downs to Orangefield. The Bobcats ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Next week is a bye for Orangefield. The Bobcats play the Buna Cougars on Friday, September 27, at Orangefield to start district action.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
-photo by Darren Hoyland-
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