Texas Football Classic 2009
Alamodome
Thursday: Floresville 36, Fox Tech 13
Friday, 7:30 p.m.: Boerne-Champion vs. Midlothian
Saturday, Noon: Mayde Creek (Katy) vs. Brenham
Saturday, 3:45 p.m.: Permian (Odessa) vs Duncanville
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.: East Central (San Antonio) vs. Steele (Cibolo)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Floresville football coach John Baker could have raised a ruckus at halftime. He could have hooted and hollered and spit out some expletives.
But what would have been the point? He knew. His players knew. Everyone in the largely vacant but utterly spectacular Alamodome could see the obvious.
“We couldn’t play any worse,” he said. “We don’t have a whole bunch of talent so we can’t make a whole bunch of mistakes and we made about every one of them in the first half.
“I just told them to keep going.”
Boy did the Tigers go.
The Tigers did a complete about-face, turn around an embarrassing 13-3 halftime deficit with a pretty much flawless second half en route to a resounding 36-13 opening night victory over Fox Tech (San Antonio) to kick off the 11th annual Texas Football Classic before about 5,000 fans.
After having two touchdowns nullified in the first half due to penalty, diminutive but determined senior running back Carlton Bullard rushed 18 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns to easily earn the game’s MVP award.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder finally busted loose for on a 42-yard touchdown burst up the middle with 9 minutes, 5 seconds left in the third quarter to set off a five-touchdown barrage in the second half. He later scored on 1-yard plunges.
Floresville senior Carlton Bullard (2) scored three second-half touchdowns.
Photo by Ralph Mawyer
Savvy, scrappy junior quarterback added a beautiful 33-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Anguiano and Ben Vasquez closed the score with another 1-yard TD burst as the Tigers, who opened last season with a 42-18 win over Fox Tech, scored on all of its second-half possessions.
The first three were set up on Fox Tech turnovers.
“We did and played like we preach,” Baker said. “We didn’t commit any turnovers, forced a few and it all worked out.”
Said Bullard: “(The first half) was like a bad dream – a really bad dream. I had to wake up and focus and that’s what I did. Good things paid off.”
It was all bad for the Tigers in the first half as they lost one fumble, had five costly penalties and watched poised Fox Tech quarterback Mark Morales (16 of 22, 188 yards) complete first-quarter touchdown passes of 45 and 17 yards to Jonathan Garza and Gregory Mackey, respectively.
Bullard, meanwhile, had TD runs of 58 and 8 yards wiped out by penalty and Floresville had only a 30-yard field goal by Eddie Flores to show for it.
Two-way lineman Dual Harroff said Baker subdued halftime speech actually got the Tigers focused. Harroff is one of just two returning starters for a very young and inexperienced defense.
“He just gave us the floor and said we were the ones who had to put it all together,” Harroff said.
The way Floresville fought back made this win all the sweeter.
Photo by Ralph Mawyer
When the Buffaloes started the third quarter with a nice drive – keyed by back-to-back completions from Morales to Jesse Clark, Floresville continued to look disheveled.
But sophomore Michael Bullard turned things around, first stripping then recovering a Chris Torres fumble at the Fox Tech 42.
On the next play, Carlton Bullard burst through a huge hole up the middle and wasn’t touched to close the gap to 13-10. After two wasted celebrations earlier, Bullard looked for a flag but when he didn’t see one, raced to embrace his linemen.
“I love my line,” Carlton Bullard said.
On the game’s next play from scrimmage, Morales connected on a pass to Edward Salazar, but he fumbled and Lawrence Talamantez recovered at the Buffaloes’ 33.
On the very next play off play-action, Allen found a streaking Anguiano and just like that the Tigers were up for good, 18-13 with 8:50 left in the third quarter.
Floresville had struck for two touchdowns in 15 seconds.
Texas Football Magazine Founder Dave Campbell poses with MVP Bullard.
Photo by Ralph Mawyer
“We were definitely frustrated and had our heads down after the first half,” junior receiver and defensive back Jonathan Parker said. “But our coaches did a great job putting our heads back on.”
A sack and fumble recovery by Harroff set up another short drive and touchdown, a 1-yard TD run by Bullard on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Then on Floresville’s next possession, Bullard broke off nifty runs of 32 and 13 yards to set up his own 1-yard TD, his third of the game.
"He’s not the biggest back, but he runs awfully hard,” Baker said of Bullard.
He showed that on the team’s final possession on a third-and-10 play, breaking at least four tackles on a screen pass from Allen to pick up exactly 10 yards. It drew perhaps the biggest ovation of the night.
“He works hard in the weight room and he practices hard too,” Parker said. “All that pays off and it paid off tonight.”
FLORESVILLE 36, FOX TECH 13
Floresville 0 3 13 20 - 36
Fox Tech 13 0 0 0 - 13
First quarter
FT – Jonathan Garza 45 pass from Mark Morales (kick failed,) 5:52.
FT – Gregory Mackey 17 pass from Mark Morales (Jesus Maldonado kick), 2:21.
Second quarter
F – Eddie Castro 30 field goal, 1:11.
Third quarter
F – Carlton Bullard 42 run (Eddie Castro kick), 9:05.
F – Cedric Anguiano 33 pass from Cole Allen (kick failed), 8:52.
Fourth quarter
F – Carlton Bullard 1 run (Eddie Castro kick), 11:57.
F – Carlton Bullard 1 run (kick failed), 9:09.
F – Ben Vasquez 1 run (Eddie Castro kick), :56.
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs: Floresville 17, Fox Tech 12
Rushes-yards: F 34-242, FT 17-11
Passing yards: F 71, FT 188
Passes: F 4-10-0, FT 16-22-0
Total yards: F 313, FT 199
Fumbles lost: F 2-1, FT 3-3
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Floresville, Carlton Bullard 18-159, Cole Allen 12-49, Alta Benton 2-30, Jonathan Parker 1-3, Ben Vasquez 1-3. Fox Tech, Gilbert Garza 7-15, Jesse Clark 2-13, Mark Rodriguez 1-7, Gregory Mackey 1-5, Ryan Briseno 1-3, Mark Morales 5-(-32).
PASSING: Floresville, Cole Allen 4-10-0 71. Fox Tech, Mark Morales 16-22-0 188.
RECEIVING: Floresville, Cedric Anguiano 2-38, Eric Ruiz 1-17, Neil McCutcheon 1-16. Fox Tech, Jesse Clark 8-60, Jonathan Garza 3-62, Carlos Rodriguez 1-18, Gregory Mackey 1-17, Chris Torres 1-3,.
RECORDS: Floresville 1-0, Fox Tech 0-1.
