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Colonels outranked by Wolves, 21-17
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@acnpapers.com
MURPHY -- With a fourth-down tackle behind the line of scrimmage on Thursday night, Plano West had secured the victory over South Garland.
But a flag for a facemask penalty gave the Colonels (0-3) another opportunity.
That second chance would last four plays as another West (1-1) tackle behind the line of scrimmage, this one a sack by junior linebacker Mike Mitchell, ended the game and gave the Wolves a 21-17 victory.
They had reason to be as West almost made a fatal mistake four plays earlier.
With West in front, 21-17, South Garland faced a fourth down deep in Wolves territory. That play ended with a blatant facemask penalty that kept the Colonels drive going and moved them to the 13-yard line with less than a minute to play.
"The facemask penalty was tough, but we didn't get discouraged," Mitchell said.
To ensure that was the case, West head coach Mike Hughes called timeout.
"After that penalty we had to regroup real quick and stay focused," Hughes said.
And the players knew that.
"Coach always says if you have a bad play, you can dwell on it for three seconds and then you have to move on," said Blair Edwards, West senior linebacker.
The Wolves did move on, forcing two plays for negative yardage, an incomplete pass and then Mitchell's sack to end the game.
"I was right there when Mike made the tackle," Edwards said, "and I just had to grab him after that."
That West's defense would put the game away isn't surprising considering the unit (with stout contributions from seniors Bryce Cottrell, Avery Heanu, Ike Egege, Mitchell and Edwards) kept the Wolves in the game all night. Outside of touchdown bursts for 80 and 20 yards from South Garland running back Ezekiel Spellman, who had 173 yards on 19 carries, the Colonels offense was kept largely in check.
"They popped a couple of big plays on us," Hughes said, "but we are still growing in this defense and this game was a big step for us."
Spellman's 80-yard touchdown came on the second drive and gave South Garland a 7-0 lead. West had its opportunities early, starting two of its first three series inside Colonels' territory, but it wasn't until the Wolves were backed up that their offense became effective.
West moved the ball 83 yards on eight plays, all of which were runs. Rotating the ball between senior quarterback Carson Smith, senior wide receiver Carlos Wiggins and junior running back Tim Okposin, the Wolves tied the game with a 1-yard score from Okposin with 4:52 remaining in the half. Okposin, who didn't play in the second half after getting injured, ran for 56 yards on 10 carries while Wiggins had 81 yards on 13 carries to go along with two receptions and a lengthy punt return.
"When healthy, I think you got a good look at what Tim and Carlos can do," Hughes said. "And Carson, he's our guy; he played better tonight and made big plays when we needed them."
The two biggest Smith plays came in the second half.
After Spellman's second touchdown, West fired back with another lengthy run-based drive. This time, the Wolves moved 89 yards in 10 plays. Nine of those plays were runs, the other being a 27-yard connection from Smith to senior Nathan Orbach, with Smith scampering in from 23 yards to tie the game, 14-14, with 6:02 remaining in the third.
But the quarter wouldn't end with that score intact as West forced a punt and then took a 21-14 lead following a 17-yard touchdown completion from Smith to senior Austin Blair. Smith had two touchdowns on the night, completing 5-of-13 passes for 56 yards and running the ball 16 times for 71 yards.
While West was making plays, South Garland was shooting itself in the foot.
The Colonels got a 26-yard field goal from Jose Barrea, to pull within 21-17 with 4:32 to go in the game, but that came only after a botched hold on another field goal attempt. South Garland was also roundly penalized on the evening, suffering five penalties on the final drive alone. The most recurring flag came because of false starts.
"Our defensive line was able to make them jump with a fake count," Mitchell said.
Something Hughes was hoping for en route to the 21-17 victory.
"We have a moving front and that can be tough on the opposing offensive line," he said.
Carson completed 8-of-15 passes for 114 yards, Regi Petterson had three receptions and Marquel Mcnac ran for 60 yards on nine carries for South Garland in the loss.
Next up for the Colonels is 10-5A play while West wraps up non-district at 7:30 p.m. Friday from Memorial Stadium against North Mesquite.
"I really think this win will boost our confidence," Hughes said, "and be a shot in the arm for us."
Though that's not to say the Wolves are now content.
"It's good to get this win under our belt," Edwards said, "but we still need to work on some little things and try to keep progressing."
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