ABERNATHY — With 38 seconds left on the clock, a crucial battle for positioning within District 2-2A Division I came down to just one play.
Trailing by two scores heading into the fourth quarter, Abernathy had rallied back against New Deal — a rivalry that is separated by a mere seven miles. Senior running back Malachi Walters had punched in the endzone a moment before for the Antelopes, teasing a potential overtime.
The Antelopes decided to go with their premier playmaker, junior Caden Bird, to help extend the game a little bit further. However, New Deal junior Heath Chenault tore through the line and tripped Bird up short of the goal line.
The Lions sealed the game in dramatic fashion, defeating the Antelopes by way of a 26-24 nailbiter in a battle of position within the district on Friday at Antelope Field.
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New Deal head coach Matt Hill had to wipe a little sweat from his brow.
“Our kids held on there, defensively,” Hill said, following the game. “Hats off to the Abernathy coaches, they had a great offensive game plan and a great defensive game plan against us. We just had to get one stop, and we happened to be on that one yard line. Our kids bowed up and they made a play. I’m just excited for them.”
According to Abernathy head coach Justin Wiley, the close setback stung. However, his team battled back from a 14-point deficit with 12 minutes left to play.
“Our kids play four quarters all of the time,” said Wiley. “It doesn’t matter if it was a game like last week against New Home, when we had a bunch of injuries and we were down. We had a chance to get in there and tie the game. Our kids are going to continue to fight, and that’s the kind of kids we have. I’m so proud of them.”
Going into the match and coming out, both sides had to overcome injuries. Abernathy had nine players in street clothes pacing the sideline, while New Deal senior quarterback Dallas Sumner had to leave the game early due to an arm injury.
The contest resorted to a war of attrition between the Lions and ‘Lopes, which resulted in 503 combined rushing yards. Every touchdown also came from the ground.
New Deal was powered by senior running back Jonas Rodriguez and teammate Isaiah Santoyo. Rodriguez spearheaded the Lions’ rushing efforts with 142 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and Santoyo picked up 53 yards and two trips to paydirt on five yards.
Rodriguez was happy to keep ascending the district standings.
“It’s amazing,” said Rodriguez. “We’re just going up the ladder every Friday. I thank God for my team, and I thank God for my linemen. They block for me, and if we keep driving every week, we’re going to be district champs by the end of the season.”
The senior also praised his guys up front.
“They push (themselves) on every play,” Rodriguez added. “They help me, and they help the team. They allow us to score, and allow us to win every Friday. If we stick together, we can get past any team on any play, and keep going forward all of the time.”
Save for the final day of the game, Bird was brilliant for Abernathy. The junior collected 209 yards and two touchdowns by the end of the game.
Wiley, who leaned on Bird and the wildcat formation all throughout the game, tipped his cap to his playmaker.
“Our quarterback went out last week, so we rotated three different kids,” Wiley said. “He was our wildcat quarterback, and (last) Monday was his first time all season taking snaps for us. It was awesome to see, and he’s a tremendous talent. We have to keep finding creative ways of putting the ball in his hands.”
New Deal now shares the top spot in the district with New Home, improving to 4-2 and 2-0 within the South Plains circuit. The Lions will square off against Olton at 7 p.m. next Friday at Noland Stadium in New Deal.
The Mustangs (3-4, 1-1 in district) fell to Post via a 48-15 final score on Friday at Memorial Stadium in Olton.
“Anytime where you’re 2-0 in district, I believe you get self-motivated,” Hill said. “I hope we show up and play a good game. You know, you got to play one game a week, so we’ll get after the Olton Mustangs next week.”
Abernathy has an opportunity to rebound, taking on Floydada at 7 p.m. next Friday at Charles Tyer Stadium in Floydada. The Whirlwinds (0-7, 0-2 in district) took a 75-0 setback at the hands of New Home on Friday at Leopard Field in New Home.
“We have finished first or second in our district for a lot of years, and there’s a lot of pride in that,” said Wiley. “There’s a lot of hurt right now, because we started district (play) 0-2. They know where we stand, and they know what our goals are. I don’t have any doubt that our kids are going to be here on Monday afternoon and be ready to go.”
The start of the game was an exchange of time consuming drives. Following a stalled drive from Abernathy, New Deal got on the board first by way of an eight-yard touchdown run from Santoyo. Following a successful PAT by sophomore Jacobi Creek with 1:59 left in the first quarter, the Lions held an early 7-0 lead.
The Antelopes replied with 4:02 remaining until intermission, as Bird plunged into the endzone from one yard out. The PAT from senior Jake Harkey missed the mark, as New Deal latched onto a one-point lead at 7-6.
Before halftime, New Deal sophomore defensive back Kylan Galindo picked off a pass from Abernathy’s freshman quarterback, Cutter Johnson.
Returning from the locker room, the Lions dominated the third quarter. New Deal’s offensive line opened up holes for Rodriguez and Santoyo, with Rodriguez scoring a nine yard touchdown at the 9:19 mark and Santoyo securing a four yard score with 1:49 to go in the period.
With 12 minutes left, New Deal extended their lead to 19-6.
Abernathy mounted a comeback, as senior running back Malachi Walters picked up a three yard touchdown with 10:24 remaining. New Deal countered, with Rodriguez striking paydirt from four yards out with 5:59 to play.
It didn’t take long for the Antelopes to trim the lead, as Bird cut to the outside and turned on the jets for an 84-yard touchdown run with 3:33 remaining. Abernathy then managed to stop the Lions on a fourth and short, giving them 95 seconds to steal victory from the maw of defeat.
The Antelopes used a big gain from Bird to get within striking distance of the endzone, before getting within two points with 38 seconds left in the game. Walters recorded a five-yard touchdown run, but Bird’s two-point conversion attempt to tie the game was stopped at the one yard line.
Before exiting the game, Sumner was 1-of-1 for 20 yards and rushed once for eight yards. Junior Josiah Mendoza caught Sumner’s lone pass for 20 yards. New Deal’s back-up quarterback, junior Colt Ramsey, was 1-of-3 with six yards passing.
Senior Dalton Martin led the Lions on defense, with 11 solo tackles and one tackle for a loss. Along with his game winning tackle, Chenault supplied four solo tackles, six assisted tackles and one for a loss.
Walters complemented Bird’s outstanding performance with 74 yards and two touchdowns in 18 carries. On defense, Walters tallied three tackles, alongside senior Eddie Perez’s three solo stops and one assisted tackle.
Johnson was 5-of-7 for 32 yards. Sophomore Josiah Scott hauled in one catch for nine yards against New Deal.