Eagles edge Tigers in overtime
THRALL — Hearne quarterback Kemon Langham scored on a seven-yard run in overtime to lead the Eagles (2-7, 1-4) to a 20-14 win over the Thrall Tigers (6-3, 3-2) Tuesday night.
“Our defense played great,” said Thrall Coach Aaron Vanecek. “We just didn’t take advantage of some plays, and they let those plays get away from us.”
The Eagles struck first on their opening drive. Utilizing a balanced attack, Hearne moved the ball 77 yards in nine plays. Ja’Marijon Benford scored on a five-yard runoff left tackle to cap the drive. The Eagles opted to go for two, but Tazamion Webster’s pass sailed out of bounds, leaving the score 6-0 with 9:22 to play in the opening period.
Thrall scored its first touchdown of the night midway through the second period. The Tigers got the ball at the Hearne 39 after an interception by Maverick McAllister. C.J. Kelm picked up 15 yards on first down and a 10-yard pass interference call against the Eagles moved the ball to the 12. Five plays later, Chance Parker found Tyler Bonkowski in the end zone for the score. Alejandro Estrada’s point after gave the Tigers a 7-6 lead at the half.
Thrall High School varsity football junior quarterback Chance Parker scrambles for yardage Oct. 6 during the Tigers’ home game versus Holland High School. Photo by Larry Pelchat
Another interception set up the Tigers’ second score. This time it was Travis Matthews stepping in front of an Eagle pass, returning the pick to the Hearne 23. Runs by Parker and Kelm moved the ball to the Eagle one where Parker dove in for the score. The point after gave the Tigers a 14-6 lead with 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
All appeared to be going well for the Tigers. Their defense continued to bend, but not break, twice holding Eagles on downs deep in Thrall territory, but with 4:13 to play, the Eagles made their game-tying drive. Sticking mostly to the ground, the Eagles moved the ball to the Thrall 11. With 55 seconds remaining on the clock, Langham hit Justavian Benford in the end zone for an 11-yard score. Langham ran in the two-point conversion knotting the score at 14.
In overtime, the Tigers, who struggled on offense much of the night, missed on a 41-yard field goal attempt that fell just short of the crossbar. When The Eagles took over, they quickly moved to the Tiger seven. On the next play, Langham rolled left into the end zone for the winning score.
The loss, coupled with Schulenburg’s 36-32 loss to Holland, sets up a key match-up in the final week of the regular season. Thrall will travel to Schulenburg, with the winner of that game claiming second place in the district. The loser will drop to fourth place, one game behind thirdplace Weimar.
“We just have to buy into each other and have a good week of practice,” Vanecek said. “Schulenburg is going to be tough.”
