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Wolves survive late Stallion stampede
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@acnpapers.com
Plano West head coach Mike Hughes said prior to the gridiron clash against North Mesquite that the Wolves were playing the best defense they have since 2004.
Friday night at Clark Stadium, the Wolves proved worthy of such superlatives as they shutdown the Stallions on a first-and-goal in the waning seconds of the game to hold on to a 17-14 victory.
“I think a lot of teams would’ve quit in that situation,” Hughes said. “But we always tell the guys not to panic and keep playing hard no matter what. And tonight that paid off because that is exactly what they did.”
Down, 17-14, North Mesquite got to the West 1-yard line with less than one minute to go following a 34-yard reception by Dezmin Lewis. On first-and-goal, running back Joseph Bergeron, a Texas commit, was stuffed. The ensuing two snaps were fumbled, leaving the Stallions with a 20-yard field goal attempt, no timeouts left and the clock ticking below 15 seconds.
Junior kicker Byron Campos hustled onto the field, but his 20-yarder was blocked as time expired to secure the 17-14 West win.
“This game is all about fundamentals,” said Mike Robinson, North Mesquite head coach. “Tonight we played a team that was fundamentally sound and we were not. It’s all about blocking, tackling and the small things; it’s the small things that make the big things happen.”
The biggest thing Friday night was a West defense that forced six turnovers before its last-minute goal line stand.
“We made a lot of mistakes on offense tonight,” Hughes said, “but our defense stepped up and picked the offense up.”
The near score was part of a big final 15 minutes for the Stallions, who trailed, 17-0, midway through the third.
North Mesquite got on the board with 2:59 remaining following a 14-play, 71-yard drive. The drive was capped by a 2-yard run from Joseph Bergeron, who had 82 yards on 24 carries, but it was a 4th-and-19 pass completion that had the most impact. The Stallions were going to attempt a 43-yard field goal before a false start pushed them back. Instead North Mesquite went for it and got the first down on a 29-yard completion from junior quarterback King Davis to junior Brandon Myles.
Davis, who had a fumble lost and three interceptions, fought to redeem himself later in the fourth quarter as he led a 9-play drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown completion to senior Chris Butler.
That made it 17-14 with 1:58 remaining.
North Mesquite was able to close the gap thanks to a defense that forced four straight punts and a fumble to close the game, while limiting the Wolves to 29 yards of second-half offense.
“At the half our defense said they were going to shut West down,” Robinson said. “And in the second half, our defense played lights out.”
The same could be said for the Wolves defense in the first half as both West scores were set up off turnovers.
The Wolves scored early in the second quarter on a drive set up by a pick from junior Bryce Cottrell. But outside of just the turnover, which was made with North Mesquite driving in Wolves’ territory, it was a fourth down conversion that allowed points to go on the board. Facing 4th-and-9 from the Stallions 26, West junior quarterback Carson Smith hit junior Carlos Wiggins on an 18-yard pass that was sprung on a block from senior Patrick Raney.
The Wolves took a 3-0 less than a minute into the second quarter following a 23-yard field goal from senior Leon Taylor.
West nearly went up 5-0 on the ensuing possession, but a rarely-seen delay of game penalty on the defense negated a safety.
A second Stallions’ turnover, this one a pick by sophomore Davis Roeschke, led to the Wolves getting on the scoreboard for a second time.
But again it was a key conversion that kept the drive going.
On 3rd-and-15 from the North Mesquite 33-yard line, Smith connected with senior Jeff Tornow on a 20-yard pass to prevent West from having to settle for another field goal. The Wolves hit paydirt this time as a 4-yard scamper into the end zone by senior Jarrett Horan made it 10-0 with 1:48 left in the half.
That remained the score at the break as junior Grant Cooper pulled down an interception for West and senior Jeremy Young returned the favor for North Mesquite.
The Stallions only gained 75 yards in the first half and had all their drives end on punts or turnovers.
That trend continued early in the third quarter as West senior Hunter Bruce scooped up a fumble deep in North Mesquite territory on the second play from scrimmage. Horan eventually took it in from 1-yard out to make it 17-0 little more than two minutes into the half.
The Stallions’ furious comeback would make things interesting, but the Wolves held on for the 17-14 victory.
“Our team took playing all four quarters to a new level tonight,” Hughes said. “It wasn’t pretty, but it’s a win. And when you beat a team as good as North Mesquite, you gotta feel pretty good about it.”
Next up for West is the district opener. The Wolves begin 8-5A play at 7:30 p.m. Friday when they host Lewisville at Clark Stadium.
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