It’s a Numbers Game
It’s a Numbers Game
Chris Forgey
Correspondent – The Local Drift – Blooming Grove
It’s a numbers game, a game of inches
Sometimes it feels good, sometimes it pinches.
4 and 2, 0 and 1, 33 to 18.
Even though we lost this one
We still know we have a great team.
Kick for one, go for two, pass and you may get six.
Four downs for at least 10 is needed to move the sticks.
3rd and 10, 4th and goal, a yard for a first down.
Win the game you have a smile, lose and you have a frown.
Injuries to 7 and 9, another to number 2.
With Lions on the sideline it’s hard to get our due!
Palmer is our next foe on the 17th day.
Not an easy row to hoe but our Lions will find a way!
Lions Begin District Play With Loss To Maypearl, 33-18.
Region III, District 9-3A began divisional district play Friday night, October 10. The Blooming Grove Lions hosted the Maypearl Panthers in a tough battle that left the Lions with more questions than answers and some key injuries.
The game began with Maypearl taking the ball first. After a series of simple running plays that gained the Panthers a couple first downs, they were forced to punt. Sr. Dalton Blake fumbled the punt away which gave the Panthers new life at the BG 29-yd line. Maypearl soon capitalized with a TD run by Sr. Richie Dubose to take an early 6-0 lead. They did not convert the extra point. The BG fumbled punt return and Maypearl missed extra point were just two of many blunders in a game filled with special teams miscues by both teams.
The Lions drove into Maypearl territory on their first possession but the drive was halted on a 4th down interception which gave Maypearl the ball at their own 27-yd line. The Panthers then mounted their ground attack again, grinding up the BG defense with simple but effective running plays. Sr. Nick Gonzales set them up at the BG 2-yard line with a nice catch, then on the next play Gonzales ran it in for the TD. Maypearl’s 2-point conversion was unsuccessful which led to a 12-0 score after one quarter.
Things began to look up for the Lions in the 2nd quarter. Maypearl didn’t attempt many passes, sticking mostly to their run game with tight formations on offense. However, early in the 2nd quarter they looked to throw for a big gain which would’ve probably turned into a long TD but the pass was broken up on a nice defensive play by Jr. Tyler Baumgartner. On their next offensive drive the Lions moved efficiently down the field with a large chunk of their production coming on a 29-yard run by Sr. Tyler Ellis to the Panther 3-yd line. It took four plays but the Lions crossed the goal line on a short run by Jr. Juanya Pyburn, which put BG within 5 of the Panthers, 12-7.
BG got the ball back later in the 2nd quarter on their own 43-yd line after a strong defensive stand deep in Panther territory. Then Sr. RB Daniel Camarillo got busy. Camarillo was the driving force behind the Lions’ ground game, rumbling through the Maypearl defense on several impressive runs, which set up a 31-yd FG by Tyler Ellis. The Lions got the ball back late in the 2nd quarter and threatened to score after two 20+ yard passing plays from Ellis to Pyburn. BG looked to take the lead but an Ellis pass was intercepted at the end zone and taken back to midfield by Nick Gonzales. Gonzales would be a thorn in the Lions’ paw all evening. The first half ended with Maypearl on top 12-10.
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The Lions began the second half without the services of their star player, Tyler Ellis, who was injured just before halftime. Ellis stood on the sideline for the entire second half as Juanya Pyburn took over at QB. Ellis would be sorely missed. The Lions were not as sharp without Ellis and struggled to maintain offensive consistency. The Lions suffered another major loss later in the game when Tyler Baumgartner sustained a hip injury. Baumgartner was on the ground for quite some time midway through the 4th quarter as the concerned and hushed crowd looked on. He was eventually carted off the field and would not return but was a key contributor for BG prior to his injury.
BG tied the game early in the 3rd quarter when Maypearl snapped the ball over the head of punter, Sr. Dalton Riley. Riley ran back and covered the ball in his own end zone for a BG safety. With the score tied 12-12, it appeared the Lions were on a roll, having scored 12 unanswered points. However, on the next possession Maypearl Sr. Pearce Flemins intercepted a Pyburn pass and took it 55 yards for a TD. Maypearl made the extra point, making the score 19-12. On the next possession, RB Daniel Camarillo showed once again how valuable of a weapon he is with a 45-yd TD run right up the gut of Maypearl’s defense. The extra point was blocked which kept the score at 19-18 in favor of Maypearl.
Maypearl then got their ground game going again, taking control of the line of scrimmage and methodically running away with the game. Sr. Nick Gonzales took the ball 80 yards for a TD in the 3rd quarter to put Maypearl up 26-18, which was the score at the end of the quarter. In the 4th quarter Maypearl continued to attack, led at QB by Sr. Tyler Berryhill and Nick Gonzales. Midway through the 4th quarter Gonzales scored his third TD of the game on a 51-yd run, making the score 33-18 after the extra point.
QB Pyburn and the BG offense did their best to come back in the 4th quarter but they just couldn’t get into rhythm. Pyburn was his usual electric self, making big plays and keeping the visiting defense on edge. However, the BG offense was mostly out of sync in the second half. Things went from bad to worse when Baumgartner got injured. To add insult to injury, the Maypearl coaches complained loudly to the officials about what they believed to be a missed offensive foul call on the play while Baumgartner lay motionless on the ground. That action did not sit well with the BG fans who voiced their own objections to the visiting coaches. From that point on, Maypearl got the ball back and literally ran out the clock. The game ended with the final score, 33-18.
The loss brought the Lions’ record to 4-2 (0-1 in district). Next week they travel to Palmer to take on the Bulldogs, who defeated Rice 36-20. Palmer is also 4-2 overall (1-0 in district).
Chris Forgey
The Local Drift – Blooming Grove
www.bloominggrovetx.com
Watch the full game in it’s entirety.
SCORING BY QUARTERS:
Maypearl 12 – 0 – 14 – 7 – TOTAL 33
Lions 0 – 10 – 8 – 0 – TOTAL 18
