Valley edges Nazareth in OT thriller
In a rare Six-Man overtime game, Valley converted a one-point conversion attempt as Damien Valdes ran the bootleg pass to perfection and found Cash Sperry in the endzone to secure a thrilling 33-32 victory over Nazareth on Thursday night at Patriot Stadium.
Valley (2-2) led 20-18 with 1:09 left when Valdes intercepted Will Young for a 20-yard pick six that gave the Patriots a 26-18 lead. The Patriots, however, were unable to convert the point after attempt which left the Swifts (2-2 with life. Young made Valley pay for that failed attempt by hitting Kayle Rogers on the first play after the kickoff from 35 yards out, one of three scores on the night for the talented tight end, and Alejandro Guerrero booted the two-point conversion attempt through the uprights sending the game to overtime tied at 26.
In overtime, Young and Rogers connected again, this time from 23 yards out, to give the Swifts a 32-26 lead but the extra point was no good and Valley was in position for a win.
The Patriots Malakhi Farley plunged in from one-yard out to tie it up and Valley head coach John Stanaland dialed up the perfect play to win it on the Valdez bootleg pass to Sperry.
“We had two calls on,” Valley head coach John Stanaland said. “Depending on the defense I was going to check out of one and it happen to work.”
The freshman Valdes played outstanding finishing the night going 7-of-14 for 90 yards passing with two scores and had the pick six late plus an 80-yard kickoff return on the night.
It was the biggest player on Valley’s squad that stood out, however, as Tucker Schlueter ravaged the Swifts offense all night by racking up an eye-popping 19 tackles to help his defense hold Nazareth to four total yards on the ground and showing why he’s considered one of the best players in the Amarillo-area.
Rogers was just as good for Nazareth grabbing four balls for 93 yards and those three scores while racking up five tackles on the defensive side. Despite the late pick, Young was solid in this one going 10-of-15 for 192 yards with four TD tosses and nabbed an interception on defense.
Overtime rules
When Valley and Nazareth faced off in overtime Thursday night, it was the first time either head coach John Stanaland for the Patriots or Tyler Goodwin for the Swifts had been in an overtime game.
The free period is not common in the 11-man game and even less likely in Six-Man. That prompts the question of what the rules in overtime are. According to the UIL/NCAA Six-Man Football rules comparison approved by the UIL in April 2021, the rules of overtime are as follows:
- First overtime period – each team has an opportunity to be on offense from the opponent’s 25-yard line unless a change of possession results in a score. The team scoring a touchdown can attempt a 1 or 2 point try.
- Second overtime period – each team has an opportunity to be on offense from the opponent’s 25-yard line unless a change of possession results in a score. The team scoring a touchdown can only score on a 2-point try via place or drop kick.
- Third and subsequent periods – each team has an opportunity to be on offense for a 1-point try (run or pass) from the 7-yard line.
Miami rallies in second half
Using a second half rally, Miami remains the only unbeaten Six-Man team in the Amarillo-area team as the Warriors pulled away from Paducah 56-28 at home Friday night.
After three lopsided victories to start the season, head coach D.J. Howell’s team went to the locker room tied at 16 with the Dragons. That’s when Haiden Thompson took over and helped the Warriors (4-0) put up 40 points in the second half while teaming with Luke Wheeler to put the brakes on Paducah’s high scoring offense.
Thompson chewed up the Dragons (2-2) defense as the talented quarterback amassed 318 yards on the ground and five touchdowns while Wheeler added two scores for the Warrior offense. That duo combined for 22 tackles and a pick-six from Thompson to secure the victory.
Owls bounce back on the road
Despite a concerted effort from Weatherford Christian on Sawyer Francis, Silverton still buried the Lions 59-12 on Thursday night in Benjamin.
Francis, who had rushed for over 150 yards in each of the first three games of the season, found an opposing defense eyeing his every move. That prompted head coach Kevin Hurn to use more play action pass, which paid dividends for the Owls (3-1), as Carlos Alanis and Zaden Ortiz tossed four scores through the air.
Even with the attention solely on the talented track star, Francis still picked up 167 yards on only seven carries while taking three of those to paydirt.
The tall, lanky senior is also dangerous on special teams as he registered a kickoff return score in this one as well. The Owls defense was stingy with four players registering four or more tackles and Ortiz grabbed a pick-six in the win.
News and Notes
The stat line of the night belongs to Hedley’s Nick Clark who galloped for 347 yards on only 21 carries scoring nine touchdowns on Friday night as Hedley beat Patton Springs 64-43 to get the Owls back to 2-2 on the season. Clark was just as impressive on defense registering 17 tackles and a sack.
Happy scored 14 points in the opening thirteen seconds of the third quarter to secure a mercy rule win, 68-22, on the road Friday night in Kress. Joey Blackmon had 87 yards rushing, 111 yards passing and five combined touchdowns while his quarterback, Noe Juarez, completed only four passes but registered 169 passing yards and four scores. After a season-opening loss, the Cowboys are now back on track at 3-1.
Brodie Weathers and Davin Hext combined for 242 rushing yards and three scores as the “dirty dozen” from White Deer (3-1) spoiled homecoming for Wildorado holding on for a 26-22 victory. Despite the loss, Aden Woodard continues to put up great stats for the Mustangs (1-3) rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns while Woodard and Blu Washington combined for 20 tackles.
McLean is quietly 3-1 on the season as they cruised by Lefors 54-0 on Friday night in Pirate country. McLean standout freshman Stran Henderson was the star. Just like a Swiss Army Knife, Henderson was used for a little bit of everything taking a kickoff back 75 yards for a score, adding a 56-yard touchdown reception and had an interception.
Booker continues to impress by waxing Hart by a 52-6 count. Groom doubled up Claude 52-6, Follett dismantled Amarillo PCHEA 60-14, and finally, Harrold stayed unbeaten at 4-0 by handling Darrouzett 62-12.
State Notes
In Division I, top ranked Westbrook pummeled Spur 52-6 while No. 2 Knox City toppled No. 5 Rankin 77-32 behind Cameron Hernandez’s 223 yards and four scores on the ground.
Top ten teams Gordon (4-0), Abbott (4-0) and Whiteface (4-0) combined to outscore their opponents 168-8 while No. 7 May got by Garden City 49-30 and No. 8 Jonesboro held off Newcastle, 50-38.
Division II saw No. 1-ranked Benjamin wax Guthrie 62-0 while Amherst continues to open eyes. The No. 10 Bulldogs stayed undefeated at 4-0 by upending Springlake-Earth in a nail-biting 52-48 win.
Gordon kicker Juan Davila Cabrera made the SportsCenter Instagram page with his extra point kick against Waco Live Oak. The left footed Cabrera split the uprights on his kick but sent a parting gift home with a vehicle driving by as the ball sailed into the open window of a SUV driving by. Now that’s a money kick right there.
The odd note of the night comes from the Houston area. Pasadena First Baptist, state runner-up’s in TAPPS Division II last year, was hosting High Island. The Warriors went up 65-0 in the first quarter when the Cardinals decided to forfeit the game. Officially, the game goes down as a 1-0 victory for the Warriors.