WOODROW — It had been a minute since the West Texas High football team had ventured this deep into the postseason. Three decades, to be exact.
At this point in time, the Comanches aren’t worried about history. WT High’s winning formula has been taking care of business, one week at a time. That tried, yet true philosophy hasn’t let the team hailing from Plemons, Stinnett and Phillips down yet.
The 1-0 approach benefitted West Texas High, as the Comanches overpowered Cisco with a final score of 48-22 in a Class 2A Division I state quarterfinal bout held on Friday at Pirate Stadium at First United Park.
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The Comanches not only remain undefeated by improving to 14-0 overall, but also punch their first ticket to the state semifinal round since 1995. On top of those newly acquired accolades, the red and gold tied a school record for most wins in a season, initially set in 1989.
At 6 p.m. next Thursday at Hawk Stadium in Iowa Park, WT High will face Hamilton in the Class 2A Division I state semifinals. The Bulldogs (12-2) eliminated Axtell with a lopsided 24-3 decision in the Region II title game, held on Friday at Rocket Field in Robinson.
To reach their third trip to the final four in school history, WT High relied on their bread and butter of smashmouth football. Behind their massive line, the Comanches chewed up yardage on the ground and took advantage of turnovers.
Senior quarterback Cayde Winters answered the bell once more, accumulating 216 rushing yards and four touchdowns while going 4-of-5 for 149 yards and two more scores.
“It feels great to be two games away from state,” said Winters. “We’re almost there, but we have to handle our business on Thursday next week. We’re excited. It’s been a great run, but I hope that it keeps going.”
In selfless fashion, Winters tipped his cap to his teammates in front of him and alongside him.
“When your line is making gaps for you while (sophomore Zach Bryant) and (senior Kelby Sherwood) are lead blocking, it’s easy to get 10, 15, 20 yards,” Winters said. “I have good size against most people, which helps me get some extra yardage. But I just give all the credit to my teammates. Everything they do is awesome.”
Of those four receptions, Bryant reeled in three for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Just like his QB, Bryant is focused on winning one game at a time.
“It feels great, but it just goes on being 1-0 every single week,” said Bryant. “That’s all that matters. We can’t look at the past week, we have to look to the future. To be 1-0 every week, we have to have great days on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.”
For WT High head coach Jeff Smith, the reasons why the Comanches are playing December football are setting lofty goals and attaining those objectives.
“It’s something we’ve talked to the kids about all year,” Smith said. “To see them accomplish something they’ve set out to do is huge. When you have a group of kids who just bust their butts every day, work hard and don’t complain, you see them start to reach those goals. It’s just awesome to see.”
The Loboes saw their autumn campaign come to a close with a 12-2 overall record.
At first, it appeared as if the game was projecting to be a back-and-forth battle.
Cisco leaned on senior running back Noaa Hernandez initially, which led to a four-yard touchdown run at the 4:30 mark of the opening stanza. Following the PAT from junior Terrick Hernandez, the Loboes held an early 7-0 lead.
While the Comanches abide by their modus operandi of “run the rock, chew the clock,” they can also toss the football around the yard. With 11:43 on the clock in the second quarter, Winters connected with Bryant for a 68-yard touchdown pass.
“It was a beautiful throw,” Bryant said of his first TD. “The protection and the play calling was just perfect, and I just happened to catch the ball. Cayde threw only where I could get it. It was just great.”
By forcing Cisco to stack the box, Winters knew that he could make the Loboes pay.
“I knew (Bryant) was going to be open,” said Winters. “We saw the safety crash really hard on every single play. It worked to perfection, and Zach was wide open. There was nobody around him. As soon as I threw it, I said ‘touchdown.'”
To Smith, the shot downfield was worth the risk.
“When you run the ball like we do, you have to load the box,” Smith said. “(Cisco) had everybody they had in a position to stop the run, so you have to take a chance and hit them over the top. We did that, and we were fortunate to do that a couple of times.”
Winters converted the two-pointer, providing the Comanches with a narrow 8-7 advantage.
Cisco replied with 6:52 left until halftime, with a one-yard touchdown from Hernandez. The Loboes regained the lead at 14-8.
WT High returned the favor, with a 14-yard touchdown run from Winters with 5:21 left until intermission. Winters then punched it in for two points, granting the Comanches a two-point lead at 16-14.
At the 3:23 mark, the momentum swung in favor of West Texas High. On a fourth and one, the Comanches stopped Noaa Hernandez short of the sticks.
The Comanches took advantage of the stop, as Winters followed his blockers into the endzone from one yard away. Setting up the one yard run was a downfield pitch-and-catch between Winters and Bryant.
With 13 seconds remaining until the break and Winters dialing up another two-point conversion, WT High stretched their lead to double digits at 24-14.
Returning from the locker room, the Comanches controlled the flow of the third period. Cisco was forced to go to the air, which allowed WT High to make easy adjustments.
“We kind of changed what we were doing in the secondary, because we knew they were going to have to put the ball in the air,” Smith said. “We took some guys out of the box and put some people in the secondary to try to keep the ball in front of us.”
With 3:01 on the clock, Winters finished off a time consuming march with a one-yard touchdown run. Tacking on another two-points, West Texas High extended their lead to 32-14.
The Comanches again turned away Cisco before the end of the quarter, with an interception by senior defensive back TJ Riggs. The turnover allowed WT High to drive down the field once more, before Winters struck paydirt from six yards out with 8:55 left in the game.
Following a two-point conversion from Sherwood, the Comanches built up a 40-14 lead.
The Loboes responded quickly this time around, as sophomore quarterback Colby McIlroy fired a pass to senior receiver Adam Bennett for a 35-yard touchdown. Cisco went for two and converted, as McIlroy connected with junior wideout Carter Toof.
With 8:08 to play, the Loboes looked to regain lost ground. Cisco almost did so, recovering the ensuing onside kick.
However, the Comanches stopped Cisco by way of a turnover on downs. Winters followed up with a play-action, and found a wide open Bryant for a 39-yard touchdown.
“I was nervous, I’m not going to lie,” Bryant said. “I thought about going down (to eat up more clock), but then I realized, we have to finish this thing. Again, it was a great ball, great protection and everything was just perfect.”
Sherwood scored two, pushing WT High’s lead to 48-22 with 4:47 left in the game.
Cisco had one last chance to trim the substantial deficit. With 2:45 remaining, the Loboes faced a fourth and one. The snap flew over junior quarterback Owen Kilpatrick’s head, before WT High senior linebacker Kooper Hernandez collected the ball.
“When I saw that happen, I went straight to (Kooper), hit on the head and congratulated him,” Winters said. “I was like, ‘Alright, we still have offense to play and we still have a few minutes left. Let’s get it done.'”
From there, the Comanches were able to run out the clock to keep their dream season alive and thriving.
Along with his two-point conversions, Sherwood rushed for 24 yards on seven carries. In total, the Comanches racked up 394 yards of offense. They were efficient on third and fourth down, finishing 6-of-9 on third down and a perfect 1-of-1 on fourth.
Smith credited his offensive line.
“If we don’t have that group of guys, we’re not where we are today,” Smith said of the unit. “You can ask Cayde, who enjoys running behind those big animals. I’m extremely proud of those guys.”
Noaa Hernandez led Cisco with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. McIlroy was 2-of-6 for 60 yards and a TD, and Kilpatrick was 4-of-6 for 43 yards. Sophomore Corbin Harrison reeled in three catches for 52 yards.
WEST TEXAS 48, CISCO 22
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | ||
| Cisco | 7 | 14 | 0 | 8 | — | 22 |
| West Texas | 0 | 24 | 8 | 16 | — | 48 |
FIRST QUARTER
CIS — Noaa Hernandez 3 run (Terrick Hernandez kick), 4:30
SECOND QUARTER
WT — Zach Bryant 68 pass from Cayde Winters (Winters run), 11:43
CIS — N.Hernandez 1 run (T.Hernandez kick), 6:52
WT — Winters 14 run (Winters run), 5:21
WT — Winters 1 run (Winters run), 0:13
THIRD QUARTER
WT — Winters 1 run (Winters run), 3:01
FOURTH QUARTER
WT — Winters 6 run (Kelby Sherwood run), 8:55
CIS — Adam Bennett 35 pass from Kolby McIlroy (Carter Toof pass from McIlroy), 8:08
WT — Bryant 39 pass from Winters (Sherwood run), 4:47
| CIS | WT | |
| First downs | 9 | 16 |
| Rushes-Yards | 31-118 | 42-245 |
| Passing | 103 | 149 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 6-12-2 | 4-5-0 |
| Punts-Avg | 2-39.5 | 2-25.5 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 8-60 | 8-49 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Cisco, Noaa Hernandez 18-102, Cody Gayle 1-32, Corbin Harrison 5-10, Owen Kilpatrick 3-3, Colby McIlroy 1-(-9), Team 1-(-9). West Texas, Cayde Winters 29-219, Kelby Sherwood 7-24, K. Bauert 2-2.
PASSING — Cisco, Kolby McIlroy 2-6-2—60, Owen Kilpatrick 4-6-1—43. West Texas, Cayde Winters 4-5-0—149.
RECEIVING — Cisco, Corbin Harrison 3-52, Adam Bennett 1-35, Cannon Harris 1-10, Noaa Hernandez 1-6. West Texas, Zach Bryant 3-149, Kelby Sherwood 1-0.