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Two touchdowns off turnovers in the first quarter staked Magnolia West to an early lead and the Mustangs went on to rout the Waller Bulldogs, 41-17 on Nov. 9, advancing to the UIL playoffs from District 18-4A.

West (6-4, 5-3) played undefeated and state-ranked Georgetown in Brenham on Nov. 16.  Results were unavailable as of press time.  The Mustangs finished fourth behind Brenham (9-1, 8-0), Montgomery (7-3, 7-1), and Huntsville (7-3, 6-2).  Waller completed the season 4-6 and 3-5 for fifth place in 18-4A.

Junior quarterback Mark Logan ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more, while two Mustang tailbacks rushed for more than 100 yards and one touchdown each in wearing down the 'Dogs.

Waller came to West Stadium hoping to capture a playoff berth themselves, but the early blunders and a bruising Mustang ground game were just too much for the visitors.

"They're a good football team," said West coach Shawn Bell following the game. "We had a couple breaks, they had a couple turnovers that really hurt 'em, and the biggest thing is we capitalized on them."  Bell has defeated Coach Brad Wright's Bulldogs in each of the three years he's faced them, and has led West to three consecutive playoff appearances.

Sophomore Chris Nicholson ran for 135 yards on 24 carries, and junior Austin Carroll added 118 yards on 16 totes, almost all of which came in the second half.

"Chris was a little bit banged up tonight, so Austin had to carry some of the load," Bell said.  "They did a good job of taking care of the ball and running hard.  It's a real credit to the offensive line when two guys are able to do that."

Meanwhile, the Mustangs' defense, led by senior Zeke Bronson and juniors Luke Knowles and Xavier Jones, had a big night of their own, holding Waller to 243 yards of total offense, including only 116 on the ground.

"That was the challenge-to limit the penalties, no turnovers, and stop 'em in the passing game," Bell said. "For the most part, we accomplished our three goals."  West, indeed, never turned the ball over, had seven penalties for 61 yards, and held the Bulldogs to less than 130 yards passing.

On the second play of the game, Waller senior quarterback Rhett Loewe was intercepted by Bronson on a long pass down the left sideline, and West set up shop near midfield.  Eight plays later, Logan snuck across the goal line with 8:00 left in the first quarter.  The PAT snap sailed over the head of senior kicker Andrew Struthers and the score remained 6-0.

But on the Bulldogs' next possession, and again on their second play,    senior running back Joseth McDade fumbled and Jones recovered for the Mustangs at the Waller 39.  A bubble screen from Logan to Bronson on second-and-20 gained 17 yards.  Four plays later, another one-yard keeper by Logan capped the 9-play drive, and Struthers PAT made it 13-0 at the 4:05 mark.

The Bulldogs responded with a 13-play, 95-yard drive to cut the margin to 13-7 when Loewe found junior Elijah Morrow for an 8-yard touchdown and junior kicker Denny Garcia's PAT sailed through the uprights with 21 seconds left in the quarter.  A pass interference call on the Mustangs aided the drive on a third-and-8 at the 'Dogs' 44, and a long scramble by Loewe on second-and-25 set up Waller's eventual score.

Waller failed to muster much offense in the second quarter, but West made it 20-7 on a 13-play, 78-yard march and a 27-yard touchdown toss from Logan to senior Trevor Buckley with 1:58 remaining in the half.  Nicholson ran nine times for 52 yards in that drive.

The Mustangs forced the 'Dogs to punt on their next possession, and with 1 minute remaining in the half, West moved 57 yards in three plays, missing a pass in the end zone before Struthers was short on a 41-yard field goal attempt on the last play.

Waller cut the deficit to 20-10 with 7:27 left in the third quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Garcia, and the two teams traded touchdown drives to make it 27-17 at the end of the quarter.  West scored on 4-play, 51-yard drive (all on runs by Carroll) and Waller replied with a quick, 4-play drive of their own, assisted by another interference call on the Mustangs and a personal foul during a 10-yard sack of Loewe, who then used a swing pass left to Morrow on the next play for a 19-yard touchdown.

West scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the final margin of victory, one on a 22-yard pass from Logan to Bronson, and the other, after another interception off Loewe by sophomore Tyler Ray, on a 25-yard dash by Nicholson with 1:44 left in the game.

The Mustangs finished with 455 yards of total offense, including 300 yards rushing and 155 yards through the air on 10 of 18 passing by Logan.  West had 24 first downs to only 12 for Waller.  Loewe was 10 of 26 passing for 127 yards, but also had the two picks.  He ran for 101 yards on six carries.

"I'm really proud of these kids, they deserve it," Bell said.



 

An expectant tense atmosphere transformed into a non-event Nov. 3 when the Stratford Spartans pounded the playoff-bound Tomball Cougars, 51-23 at Spring Branch ISD's Tully Stadium.

As key college showdowns (Texas/Texas Tech, Notre Dame/Pitt, Oregon/USC) played out across the country, Coach Danny Ramsey's Redcats were stalked and stymied by a big, physical, veteran-coached squad on a postseason path of their own.  The dominating effort clinched second place for the Spartans (7-2, 5-2) in District 22-4A play.  Tomball (4-5, 4-2) will be the third seed from the district.

"They did a great job with schemes that shouldn't have given us trouble," Ramsey said.  "Our kids just blinked, that's all it was."

Stratford stormed to an insurmountable 42-0 lead by the end of the first half, and was essentially assured of victory when they went up 21-0 at the beginning of the second quarter.  Freshman tailback Rakeem Boyd ignited the Spartans' rout with more than 100 yards rushing and one touchdown in the first quarter.

The Spartans found the end zone after drives of 74, 57, 80, and 52 yards to start the game.  And when senior quarterback Travis Hanes connected with junior tight end Jack Brice for a 61-yard catch-and-run with 5:02 left in the first half, the fat lady was already in full song.  After a four-and-out by the Cougars, Boyd took four carries to put the contest out of reach with 1:58 left in the half.

The Cougars, meanwhile, managed only one first down by halftime and had only 48 yards of offense to nearly 350 for the home team, when the school bands began to play what should have been postgame entertainment.

"We didn't bring any game in the first half," Ramsey said.  "We weren't here to play."

Tomball outscored the Spartans 23-9 in the second half as Stratford played many of their reserves and the Cougar defense stopped the Spartans on downs for the first and only time of the evening during their last possession of the game.

The Cougars scored on drives of 74, 75, and 59 yards in the second half to preserve a degree of offensive integrity, but the outcome had long since been decided.

"I could make a lot of excuses," Ramsey said. "The bottom line is, we just didn't play well." 

Tomball and Tomball Memorial, which surprised Ft. Bend Willowridge 30-27 on Nov. 2, began their new rivalry series on Friday, Nov. 9.  The Cougars defeated Tomball Memorial 49-6 and will take on Houston Reagan at Tomball ISD Stadium Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Look for game recaps of both contests in the next issue of the Tribune.

Three touchdowns within a four-minute span of the third quarter propelled the Tomball Cougars to a 52-42 win over Fort Bend Ridge Point Oct. 26, at Tomball Stadium and secured the locals a spot in the Texas UIL 4A playoffs.  The victory was Tomball's fourth straight after opening the season 0-4.

"Our kids played really hard and practiced really hard all week, and decided to bring it to this game," said Cougar head coach Danny Ramsey.

Leading 24-22, midway through the third quarter, a closely-fought contest turned one sided,as Tomball scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions.

The two teams traded scores in the first half, the visitors striking first at the 10:05 mark of the first quarter.  A 7-play, 71-yard drive was capped on a hitch pattern from sophomore quarter Jesse Crebbe to senior wideout Mark Roman, who dashed 24 yards for a touchdown.

Tomball responded with a 7-play drive of their own, with tailback Xavier Powell scoring on a 43-yard run to make it 7-7 after Brown's first PAT of the night.  On their next possession, the Cougars moved 50 yards to the Panthers' 20 before settling for a 30-yard field goal by Brown at the 3:12 mark.  That drive was keyed by Reynolds' 31-yard keeper off a zone read on a third-and-four from the Cougars' 36 yard line.

Ridge Point tied the game with a field goal to start the second quarter, but the Cougars were forced to punt on their next possession.  The Panthers then marched 81 yards in 12 plays, with senior wide receiver E.J. Ewah scoring from 20 yards out on a sweep left with 5:13 remaining in the half.  A two-point conversion failed, which eventually provided the Cougars with their one-point halftime margin.

Sophomore fullback Percy Alford rumbled into the Panthers' end zone from 18 yards out to cap a 10-play, 80-yard drive on the Cougars' next possession, and Brown's PAT made it 17-16.  With just over two minutes left in the half, Ridge Point moved 30 yards to the Tomball 35 before Krebbe's deep pass down the right sideline was intercepted by Cougar defensive back Tyler King.

After halftime, Tomball went 62 yards in eight plays, scoring on Powell's 5-yard sweep at the 9:39 mark.  Brown's PAT made it 24-16.  The Panthers countered with a 9-play, 65-yard drive, and junior tailback Je'Marcus Johnson found paydirt from five yards out.  But another two-point try was unsuccessful, maintaining the Cougars' lead at 24-22.  Tomball then started the game-deciding run, which consumed most of the third quarter.

The Cougars scored on a 67-yard pass from senior quarterback Drew Reynolds to junior wide receiver Weston Shattuck.  After a three-and-out and 5-yard punt by Ridge Point (4-4, 3-2), the Cougars moved 42 yards in three plays to make it 38-22.  That touchdown came on a 30-yard scamper by senior tailback Dmitri Scott, who bounced off several tacklers before rambling to the end zone.

The ensuing onside kick by senior placekicker Chadd Brown was recovered by senior Jeff Cantwell at the Panthers' 42.  Two plays and a 15-yard facemask penalty later, Reynolds found senior tight end Kendall Browning over the middle for 12 yards and a touchdown to increase the Cougars' lead to 45-22 after Brown's sixth PAT of the night.
Ridge Point scored two TD's in the fourth quarter to make it interesting, but Powell scored from 48 yards out on a jet sweep left to make it 52-35 with 49 seconds left in the game.  The Panthers would respond in kind with 32 seconds left to conclude the scoring.

"They're a very athletic team and very well coached," Ramsey said following the point fest.  "We go up three scores, that was a big deal. Even to go up two scores was a big deal, but to do it so fast in the third was probably the turning point with regards to confidence on our offense."

The two teams were nearly even in total offense, Tomball finishing with 512 yards to Ridge Point's 509.  The Cougars racked up 362 yards rushing on 49 attempts, led by Powell's 183 yards on 25 carries.  Reynolds pitched in 88 yards on 9 totes, and Scott added 57 yards on six carries.

"Their defense was pretty good," Powell said.  "They stopped me in the backfield a couple of times, but overall I just did my thing."

The Panthers ran for 288 yards on 48 attempts, including a 100-yard-plus night from Johnson (27 carries, 140 yards) and junior fullback Josh Burrell (101 yards on 13 tries)
Reynolds finished 8 of 15 for 150 yards passing, with four of those completions  to senior wideout Mason Dillard for 56 yards.  Krebbe totalled 221 yards passing (13 of 24), and Roman had five catches for 100 yards.

The Cougars and Panthers were also close in first downs (24 to 26) and time of possession (23:48 to 23:40).  Both teams had two turnovers.

The Cougars (4-4, 4-1 in 18-4A) traveled to Tully Stadium on Nov. 3 to challenge the Stratford (Spring Branch) Spartans for a second place finish in district play. Tomball fell to Stratford, falling to third place in the district. The Cougars will take on Tomball Memorial Nov. 9 at Tomball ISD Stadium.

The game-winning two-minute drill is a standard in professional football, but the Huntsville Hornets worked it to near perfection in their come-from-behind, 35-31 win over Magnolia West, Oct. 19.

Hornets quarterback Malik Brown drove his team to a touchdown with 26 seconds remaining in this critical District 18-4A battle.  An 8-yard pass to senior Ricky Bennett on third-and-goal moved Huntsville's record to 5-2 (4-1 in 18-4A), while the Mustangs dropped to 4-4 (3-3) on the season.

Starting at the West 44 with 2:04 play, Brown, a junior, guided the Hornets to the end zone in eight plays, helped by a pass interference call on West on first and 20 at the 23-yard line. It was the fourth straight close finish for the Mustangs, who have won two of their four nail biters since the end of September.

"The bad news is we had a chance to win," West Coach Shawn Bell told his squad after the game.  "The good news is we still control our own destiny." 

Wins against Caney Creek and Waller at the end of the regular season could ensure the Mustangs a spot in the 4A postseason playoffs.

West took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, capitalizing on a Huntsville turnover deep in Mustangs' territory.  Brown fumbled on a quarterback keeper and West's Jeremy Bronikowski found the loose ball on the 22. On the next play, Bynum ran 16 yards to the 6-yard line, then scored on a flanker reverse with 6:59 left in the quarter.

Huntsville then moved 66 yards in seven plays, scoring their first touchdown on a 16-yard toss from Brown to junior receiver Christain Champine.  But Varela's point-after attempt sailed wide left and West remained ahead 7-6 with 4:45 left in the quarter.

The Mustangs started their next drive from their own 30, moving to the Hornets' three, before settling for a 20-yard field goal by Struthers with 2:05 left in the first period.  The drive was highlighted by passes from Logan to Ray for 17 yards and to junior receiver Justin Smith for 25 yards.

The two squads exchanged punts to start the second stanza, then West struck quickly on a bubble screen from Logan to senior Jeremy Jordan, who scampered 64 yards down the middle of the field to extend the Mustangs' lead to 17-6 after Struther's second PAT of the contest.

The Hornets retaliated on their next possession, beginning after Branch returned the kickoff 31 yards from the West 14 to the 45.  Brown and his cohorts then took 11 plays to score again, this time on a 22-yard completion from Brown to sophomore receiver Morie Evans on fourth and 9.  The two-point conversion attempt failed, but West was penalized for being offsides.  Brown then found another sophomore receiver, Dacuan Jenkins, in the left corner of the end zone to cut West's lead to 17-14 at the half.

West opened the second half with a 15-play, 81-yard drive which consumed nearly half of the third quarter.  The march included a daring fake punt on fourth-and-five at the Mustangs' 35 when senior Zach Mitchell passed to Ray, who caught the ball just far enough for a first down at the 40.

Later in the drive, sophomore Chris Nicholson rumbled up the middle for 19 yards to the Hornets' 28.  A pass interference call on Huntsville moved the Mustangs inside the visitors 10.  Two plays later, Logan scored on a keeper from four yards out, and West moved to a 24-14 margin.

After another exchange of punts, Huntsville drove 55 yards in three plays, scoring their third touchdown on a 6-yard run by Evans.  Prior to the score, Brown had found Champine on a toss into a crowd of players for 50 yards to the West 5.  Varela's second PAT of the night closed the gap to 24-21.

On the next possession, Logan was intercepted by Hornet defensive back Kadamaien Albert at the Mustangs' 18 yard line, but Brown was sacked for an 18-yard loss on second-and-10 as the quarter closed.  A personal foul call on the Hornets led to an end to that threat, just before the remainder of the fourth quarter fireworks.

Huntsville took the lead for the first time with 8:20 remaining in the contest after a 3-play, 45-yard drive, capped by a 26-yard pass from tailback James Burns to wide receiver Kaleb Branch.  Junior kicker Fernando Varela's PAT made it 28-24.

But West responded with a quick 63-yard march of their own, ignited by a 50-yard catch-and-run from junior quarterback Troy Logan to sophomore fullback Tyler Ray.  Logan then found senior receiver Zeke Bronson for 8 yards to the Huntsville 9.  After the Hornets were assessed a 4½-yard penalty for a facemask infraction, senior Brady Bynum found paydirt on the next play.  Senior kicker Andrew Struther's PAT reclaimed West's lead at 31-28.   The two teams then traded possessions before the Hornets' winning drive.

West actually had a slim chance at victory after Huntsville's go-ahead score.  Starting at their own 25, the Mustangs moved to the Hornets' 31 after a 38-yard completion from Logan to Bynum with one second left.  A desperation heave from Logan in the right front corner of the end zone fell just short and off the fingertips of Bronson.

"A close game," Logan said.  "I should have thrown it a little bit deeper."

The Mustangs finished with 19 first downs to 21 for Huntsville. West had 333 yards of total offense, including 249 yards passing.  Jordan hauled in eight receptions for 144 yards, while Ray had three catches for 72 yards. Huntsville totalled 301 yards of offense, including 185 through the air. Brown also had 49 yards rushing.

"They just had one more possession than we did," Bell said. "I believe we could have won the game if we would have had enough time at the end."

In a season of heartbreaking finishes and close losses, it just figured that the fifth annual Magnolia Bowl would be decided by the slimmest of margins.

Despite an amazing fourth quarter comeback by the Magnolia Bulldogs, the Magnolia West Mustangs (4-3, 3-2 in District 18-4A) held on for a 21-20 win Oct. 12.  The cross-town rivals were locked in a 7-7 tie until midway through the final stanza, when the fireworks began for the large crowd at MHS Stadium.

"What do you expect from a rivalry game," said West Coach Shawn Bell.  "Both sides did a great job." 

The Mustangs triumph was their fourth straight in the short history of the series.  Magnolia (1-5, 0-4) won the first meeting in 2008.

West struck on their first possession of the game after Solomon fumbled on the Bulldogs first play of the game.  The Mustangs moved 30 yards in seven plays, scoring on a 7-yard run by junior tailback Brady Bynum at the 8:27 mark.  Senior Andrew Struthers' PAT made it 7-0.

Magnolia was forced to punt on their second possession, then West drove 31 yards to the 50-yard-line before an illegal substitution penalty on fourth-and-inches forced their own punt.  The 'Dogs then rolled 60 yards in eight plays, capping the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run by Harris at the 9:24 mark of the second quarter.  That drive was aided by a 19-yard completion from Edwards to Turnbow on second-and-long from the West 24 just before Harris's score.

West began another march from their own 31 and moved 37 yards into Magnolia territory.  Two 15-yard pitch-and-catch plays from Logan to junior receiver Justin Smith loomed large, but on first-and-10 from the 'Dogs 32, Logan was intercepted near the endzone by junior Devane Mitchell.

After one more possession by each squad, the 'Dogs concluded the first half by moving to the Mustangs' 22 in two plays, with Turnbow gaining 35 yards on a reverse with 30 seconds left in the half.  After a false start and three incomplete passes, Edwards was intercepted on fourth-and-15 by West's Jeremy Jordan near the goal line.

West completed a 17-play, 97-yard drive with 6:45 left in the game, when junior quarterback Troy Logan found Tyler Ray on a third-and-goal at the Bulldog 8-yard-line.  Logan zipped a pass to Ray at the 1-yard line and the burly sophomore fullback crossed into the left side of the endzone for the Mustangs' first lead since early in the contest.

After the ensuing kickoff, Magnolia junior tailback Greg Solomon lost his second fumble of the night, this one recovered by Ray at the 'Dogs 11.  Two plays later, Ray rumbled to paydirt from eight yards out, and West was up 21-7 with 5:53 left.

But starting from their own 26, the Bulldogs picked up 18 yards on three carries by junior all-purpose back Shyerome Harris.  Then senior quarterback Damian Edwards, making his first career start in place of the injured Noah McGowan, hit senior wide receiver Jordan Turnbow in stride down the middle of the field for 56 yards and a touchdown.  Junior placekicker Woodman Nigh's PAT made it 21-14 West with 4:05 remaining.

West then moved to the Bulldogs' 45, before quick-kicking on fourth-and-7 to the 'Dogs 15.  Edwards, in rapid succession, found Turnbow for 35 yards, then junior receiver Marquis Robinson for 27 yards to the Mustangs'  23.  The second pass was tipped and almost intercepted by West defensive back Zeke Bronson.

It was an improbable comeback after a light night for the Bulldogs offensively. 

"I just kept playing," Edwards said.

On the next play, Harris took a handoff over right tackle, cut back to the left and dashed 23 yards for the TD.  A high snap made Nigh's PAT no good, but an offsides penalty on West gave the 'Dogs a second try.  This time, Magnolia Coach Andy Sexton elected to try a two-point conversion, but Harris was stopped near the goal line.  It remained 21-20 West, which ran out the clock after the 'Dogs attempted recovery of an onsides kick.

"Our holder lost his helmet (on the first PAT) and by rule had to leave the field", Sexton said. "So we almost we had to go for two."

"I'm just glad our guys found a way to win," Bell said following the game. "It's a win, and that's all that counts."

Two of West's three losses this season have been by a combined total of 12 points (versus Stratford and Montgomery), while four of the Bulldogs' five losses have been by a combined 19 points. 

Total offense for the two squads was nearly as close as the score, with the Bulldogs compiling 303 yards to the Mustangs' 297.  West had 20 first downs to 14 for Magnolia.  Edwards was 8 of 16 (with the one interception) for 176 yards through the air, four of those going to Turnbow for 51 yards, while Logan finished 11 of 21 (with one interception) for 133 yards, five caught by senior Trevor Buckley for 71 yards.  The Mustangs ran for 164 yards, and the Bulldogs 127, with Harris gaining 85 yards on 15 carries, including his two touchdowns.

The Mustangs hosted Huntsville Oct. 19, while Magnolia travels to Waller.