The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Battlin’ Bears opened up District 10-4A Division 1 play on Friday night with a thrilling 16-12 victory over Vidor at Pirates Stadium.
The Pirates would find the scoreboard late in the first quarter on a quick strike, two-play drive that only took 58 seconds off the game clock when quarterback Daigan Venable found receiver Landon Jones one step ahead of the LC-M defense for a 46-yard touchdown pass. The Pirates extra point kick was blocked and left Vidor ahead, 6-0 at the end of the first quarter.
LC-M forced a Vidor punt a short time later deep in Pirates territory. A bad snap sent the ball over the punter’s head and into the end zone, where a quick kick put the ball at the Vidor 23-yard line.
Bears quarterback Braylon Lewis roared through the Vidor defense to the 6-yard line for a 17-yard rush, and, on the next play, running back J’Lynn Morris punched the ball in when he took the handoff around the right side to the pylon and the touchdown. Following the Isaiah Watzlavik extra point, LC-M went ahead 7-6.
LC-M was threatening again just before halftime, but Vidor safety Brody Bloss intercepted Lewis in the end zone as time expired in the half.
The Pirates received the kickoff to start the second quarter and used its ground-and-pound running game to chew up the clock and move the ball downfield. Skylar Stankovich started at tailback in the second-half and was the key spark to the Pirates offense. He had a big 19-yard run to move the ball to the Bears 17-yard line and punched the ball into the end zone five plays later for a 1-yard touchdown for a 12-7 lead.
The Vidor extra point kick was again blocked by the LC-M defense, but this time defender Jakson Strewe scooped up the ball and dashed towards the Bears end zone to steal the two point conversion away from the Pirates and cut score, 12-9.
The Pirates defense forced LC-M to punt and again began moving the ball downfield. Stankovich had a huge 51-yard run to the Bears 15-yard line, but a big penalty nullified a touchdown by Venable a couple of plays later and another penalty pushed the ball back to the 23-yard line. The Bears forced a turnover on downs and took the ball back. Vidor dominated time of possession in the third quarter as the Pirates offense had the ball for 10:55, but only came away with six points.
LC-M made the Pirates pay on the next possession as Lewis took charge with big runs, including a 34-yard run into Vidor territory and a key 11-yard gain to the Vidor 19-yard line to convert a fourth down. On the next play, Lewis zipped into the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown to give LC-M a 16-12 advantage.
Vidor threatened once more late in the fourth quarter after recovering an LC-M fumble deep in Bears territory, but the Pirates would fumble the ball as well and it was recovered by the Bears defense to seal the victory.
LC-M’s offense gained 282 total yards for the game. Lewis passed for 92 yards as he completed 9 of x23 attempts. Lewis rushed for 108 yards and one touchdown as well.
Morris had 58 yards on 16 carries, while running back Jonas Fuller added 24 yards on six carries. Receiver Khayden Reed had 61 yards on five receptions for the game.
The Pirates pounded out 319 yards of total offense on the night, courtesy of its Slot-T running game which contributed 273 yards on the ground. Venable ran for 72 yards on 17 carries, while passing for 46-yards and a touchdown. Stankovich had 104 yards rushing and a touchdown, all in the second-half, on 13 carries. Jones had one reception for 46 yards and a touchdown.
LC-M (2-2, 1-0) returns home next week to take on the Hardin-Jefferson Hawks (3-1, 1-0). Vidor will travel to Bridge City next Friday to face the undefeated Cardinals (4-0, 1-0).
-Tommy Mann, KOGT-
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