In a very defensive struggle where points came at a premium, the Hale Center Owls scored a second quarter touchdown and were able to make that standup spoiling Wheeler’s homecoming getting a rare 8-0 win at Nicholson Stadium on Friday night in Wheeler.
The lone scoring play of this game came in the first frame for the Owls. Following a scoreless first quarter, quarterback Carter Gonzalez hit freshman Mario Cano for a 30-yard scoring toss, and then Cano ran in for a 2-point conversion for that 8-0 advantage.
“It was a long road trip for us,” Hale Center head coach Marc Puente said. “But use made it a fun experience for the guys. It doesn’t have to be pretty, we just want to get a win however we can.
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Gonzales was successful on 14-of-23 passes for 95 yards on the night. Cano added to the 136 passing yards completing his only pass to Ryan Mesquite for 41 yards. Mesquite was the favorite target for Owl quarterbacks with 6 receptions for 74 yards. Cano was hit 3 times for 46 yards.
The Owls picked up 25 rushing yards, led by Cano with 19 yards on 4 attempts.
Wheeler’s offensive attack was led by quarterback Creed Newkirk with 10-of-18 completions for 99 yards. Graves Jackson was Newkirk’s favorite target for the night with 3 receptions for 29 yards. Chris Gallardo led the rushing attack for the Mustangs with 15 yards on 15 carries.
Puente credited his defense in the win.
“Our defense was lights out the entire four quarters,” Puente said. “We held them to 128 yards of offense, and that says a lot. They are so good on offense and are very physical.”
The owl defense recovered two fumbles and intercepted two Mustang passes.
The Mustang defense wasn’t far behind as they recovered two fumbles and intercepted two Owl passes as well. They held Hale Center to 161 yards of offense. The Mustang defense was led by Abraham Sigala with 11 tackles, 3 for a loss. Sigala caused and recovered an Owl fumble.
“I’m just proud of how we played overall,” Puente said of his team. “We were able to play big and physical, and we made some big time fourth down stops. I think we have a lot of young guys that are growing up right now, and we’re finding a way to win.”
Hale Center is now 2-1 on the season while the Mustangs fall to 2-1.