It was a tale of two-halves, but the Orangefield Bobcats took care of business when it mattered most to defeat the Livingston Lions, 20-14, Friday night at F.L. McClain Stadium in Orangefield.
The Bobcats used a dominating ground attack to control the game in the first half, as running backs Heston Puckett and Kadeon Evans pounded the rock for hard yards throughout the contest.
After a three-and-out on its first series, the Bobcats got the ball back quickly following an interception of Livingston quarterback Damien Ruiz by Orangefield defender Puckett. Orangefield then marched the ball 59 yards in six plays as quarterback Gunner Jones scooted in from the four-yard line. He then added the extra point for a 7-0 lead halfway through the first quarter.
Livingston pinned the Bobcats back near the goal line early in the second quarter and appeared to be generating a little momentum, but Jones and the Bobcats offense took charge once again. Using its arsenal of running backs, Orangefield marched the ball 97 yards while using more than 9 minutes off the clock before Jones scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak and a 14-0 lead going into the half.
The Lions changed tactics in the second-half and let Ruiz take charge of the offense, as he used his arm and his legs to keep the Bobcats defense off balance. Following a poor punt by the Bobcats, Ruiz and the Lions only needed two plays to capitalize and narrow the score to 14-7.
Orangefield turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, and Livingston once again appeared to be right back in the game. However, Clayson Choate quickly stopped any thoughts the Lions had of tying the game with an interception.
The Bobcats took possession at the Livingston 40-yard line and slowly began to move the ball. After converting a fourth-and-one for another first down, the Lions defense stiffened and an untimely penalty left Orangefield looking at a second down and 16 from the 34-yard line.
Following a timeout, Kaiden DuBose moved to quarterback for Bobcats and, on the next play, he rolled left and zipped down the sideline ahead of the Livingston defense for a touchdown and a 20-7 lead.
On the next kickoff, for the second time in the game, Livingston appeared to have returned the ball for a touchdown only to have the play negated by a penalty. As a result, the Lions offense started at its own 43-yard line following the holding call and marched the ball 57 yards for another touchdown courtesy of a 17-yard scamper by Ruiz.
The Bobcats defense was relentless in its pursuit of Ruiz for the remainder of the fourth quarter, which proved to be the difference, and the Bobcats offense refused to relinquish the ball on its final possession and ran out the remaining three minutes of the clock to win the game.
Orangefield (2-0) will host the Shepherd Pirates (1-1) next Friday. Shepherd defeated Coldspring, 40-34, on Friday night.
-Tommy Mann, KOGT-
LIVINGSTON 14
ORANGEFIELD 20
Liv 0 0 7 7 14
OF 7 7 6 0 20
SCORING SUMMARY
O – Gunner Jones 4 yard run, Gunner Jones kick (6:11)
O – Jones 1 yard run, Jones kick (1:52)
L – Damien Ruiz 4 yard run, Eric Vasquez kick (9:10)
O – Kaiden DuBose 34 yard run, kick failed (3:02)
L – Ruiz 17 yard run, Vasquez kick (11:51)
Liv OF
First Downs 12 16
Rushes-Yards 24-124 55-271
Passing 69 21
Total Yards 193 292
Com-Att-Int 9-17-2 1-6-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 8-65 5-30
Individual Stats
Rushing – Liv: Damien Ruiz 14-94, Debrian Rains 7-13, Keon Perkins 1-8, Noah Hargraves 1-8, Cody Dupas 1-1; OF: Chase Broussard 5-66, Kaiden DuBose 7-60, Heston Puckett 11-41, Gunner Jones 15-38, Kadeon Evans 10-31, Clayson Choate 2-23, Kent Michael 3-9, Hunter Ashworth 2-3;
Passing – Liv: Damien Ruiz 9-16-2 69, Noah Hargraves 0-1-0 00; OF: Gunner Jones 1-6-0 21
Receiving – Liv: Julian Gardner 5-52, Chris Washington 1-9, Izzy Enard 1-6, Debrian Rains 1-1, Jaylen Harrell 1-1; OF: Kadeon Evans 1-24
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