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WEB EXCLUSIVE: Better late than never: Rattlers explode for 35-point fourth, rout Kaufman County
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
MURPHY – It required weathering three of the more frustrating – and at times, bizarre – quarters of the season, but the Collin County Rattlers are one of three unbeaten teams remaining in the Minor Professional Football League.
A 0-0 game for 44 minutes exploded in favor of the Rattlers over the final quarter for a 35-6 blistering of the Kaufman County Ryders Saturday from Kimbrough Stadium.
“I think the cold and the rain kind of stunted our offense early on,” said Tim Smith, Collin County head coach. “I think it got into our heads more than anything, but we came out in the second half and got it together.”
Collin County started all four of its fourth-quarter possessions in Ryder territory, scoring each time.
Chris Jackson got the ball rolling with a kickoff return to the Kaufman 22-yard line with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Aided by a pair of Ryders' penalties, the Rattlers required five plays to tally their first touchdown of the night on a 6-yard scramble by quarterback Terry Barber. Collin County regained possession just 15 seconds later after Brandon Hearne recovered a Kaufman fumble and turned said takeaway into points after Barber found Alex Martinez on a 22-yard strike with 8:56 left in the game for a 14-6 lead.
The offense wouldn’t be needed for the Rattlers’ next score.
That’s because Shelton Thigpen capitalized on a Kaufman miscommunication to intercept Kenoy Dabney and return the pick 60 yards to increase the lead to 20-6.
Rushing touchdowns were posted by Michel Ghaderi Sohi, who led the Rattlers with 115 yards on 12 carries, and Maurice MiShaw, who added 38 yards on six carries, to round out Collin County’s scoring and up the team’s ledger to 3-0 on the year.
“I think it’s a pride thing,” Smith said. “We average 49 points a game, so when your defense is holding it down and putting us in good position I think we were hungry to put it in the end zone.”
The most the Ryders had in return was a defensive score that broke the 0-0 stalemate late in the third after Sidney Powell took a Barber interception 85 yards to the house.
In fact, the Kaufman defense held up its end for three quarters by forcing five turnovers – four in the third stanza alone.
A rain-soaked terrain did the Rattlers no favors as they coughed up the ball on three consecutive possessions to start the third frame prior to the Powell interception. The Rattlers didn’t allow the Ryders any further as they gave up just three first downs in the second half, one which was attained on an unsportsmanlike conduct call after a Rattlers sack.
In total, the Rattlers surrendered just 97 yards of offense, all of which came on the ground and 88 of which were triggered by Dabney, who carried the ball 20 times. Forcing 16 plays of 0 yards or less, the Rattlers added six takeaways – five in the second half.
“The defense was unreal tonight,” Smith said. “It’s what drives this team and always has.”
Of note was a bizarre string of events midway through the third quarter following an interception by Thigpen that led to a skirmish between the teams and the ejection of players on both sides.
“I don’t know much about this Terrell team and I know they were a bit short-handed,” Smith said. “When you let a team like that play with you for too long, it’ll start getting to that physical point and unfortunately that’s where it got to tonight.”
Kedrick Alexander was the lone ejection for Collin County, with Smith estimating two or three players having been tossed on Kaufman’s side.
The idea of cooler heads prevailing didn’t last long as two more dust-ups, complete with Kaufman players ripping off their own helmets and shoulder pads on the field while arguing with teammates attempting to calm them down, closed out the third. A few more Kaufman players were then ejected or just left for the locker room as an already-thin Ryders squad was down to 16 players by game’s end.
“There will be a grievance sent into the league and some film on what [Kaufman] was doing tonight,” Smith said. “Hopefully it doesn’t cause them to be ejected from the league, but there will be a grievance against them.”
The outbursts precluded a first half that saw both teams struggle to move the ball with Collin County outgaining Kaufman, 80-65. The Rattlers amassed 159 yards over the final two frames though and kept their unbeaten record intact heading into Saturday’s tilt against the DFW War Hawx.
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