Herbstreit Series Texas: Georgia Power Rolls

By Mitch Stephens

MaxPreps.com

IRVING, Texas – Another audition to the national stage, another complete success for the Buford (Ga.) football team.

The Wolves got three touchdowns each from running backs Cody Getz and Storm Johnson and contributions in all three phases of the game in an impressive 42-21 victory over talented and host Timberview (Mansfield, Texas) at Texas Stadium Saturday morning.

In the initial contest of the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series in the Lone Star State, Buford showed no signs of slowing down following one of the most dominating seasons in Georgia football history.

The Wolves went 15-0 and outscored foes 681-66 en route to a state 2A title, but returned just five starters and lost six Division I players to graduation.

Coach Jess Simpson simply re-loaded his squad and despite catching the penalty bug in the third quarter, the well-conditioned and coached Braves were impressive in all facets, putting away a legitimate Texas 4A state title contender with the game’s final 14 points in the last 8:35.

“I couldn’t be prouder of a group of guys from an intangible point,” Simpson said. “Toughness. Effort. Just playing through the heat. … I felt like the kids sucked their guts up. They really finished strong.”

It’s the second time Buford has ever played out of state, winning 34-7 over Grove City (Ohio) in the Kirk Herbreit event in Cincinnati last season. The Wolves are now 111-6 since 2000 and have won four state titles in six tries during that time.

A scintillating 74-yard touchdown run by Johnson with 8:35 remaining put the Braves back in command after Timberview had clawed back in.

A 1-yard TD sneak by senior Donte Parker (18 of 27, 228 yards) had brought the Wolves back to 28-21 with 9:28 left, the closest they had been in the game since a 21-point Buford outburst early in the second quarter.

But Johnson, a big, strong, fleet 6-foot-1, 202-pound junior, broke through the left side of the line, broke a couple tackles at the 40, busted outside to the left and went untouched the final 60 yards.

“Mostly it was my linemen,” Johnson said. “They made the holes, they blocked perfectly and I just went.”

Said Simpson: “Storm is up and coming. He’s blessed with all the tools and potential and he’s only going to get better.”

After Getz’ second interception of the game, Johnson put the game away with a 15-yard TD jaunt with 3:28 to play. It sure didn’t look that way in the third quarter when Buford recorded eight of its 15 penalties, the only real blemish on an otherwise splendid effort.

“We had a chance to let it all fall apart in the third quarter,” Simpson said. “But our kids took a deep breath and re-grouped. I’m proud of how they finished.”

Johnson finished with 15 carries for 147 yards, while Getz, a small (5-7, 157-pound), tough jitterbug of a back, added 13 carries and 66 yards and TD runs of 5 and 4 yards, and a 35-yard punt return for a score, all in the second quarter.

Getz, much like the rest of the team, has just been waiting for his time to shine. Last year he played behind two Division I tailbacks. He starred on special teams and saw spot running back and defensive time.

He did a little bit of everything on Saturday.

“Cody is a playmaker and he always has been,” Simpson said. “He’s just been waiting in the wings. He’s an unselfish, team first guy. He could have carried just once today and he would have been happy.”

The Buford defense did a pretty good job of bottling up Minnesota-bound running back Eric Stephens (11 carries, 58 yards, 1 touchdown), who last year piled up 1,906 yards and 23 TDs last year.

Timberview, a rising fifth-year school that went 9-4 last year at the 5A level, also got a big game from 6-2, 180-pound senior receiver Sharman Brown, who had four catches for 110 yards, including a tremendous 86-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.

In the end, Buford, which was outgained 317 to 307, just executed best when it needed to most.

Timberview coach Terry Cron thinks his team needs to get physically stronger to compete against a school like Buford, which in the late 90s built a $3 football facility that included an 8,000 square foot weight room.

“I’m proud of our kids and how well they executed at times,” Cron said. “We were going against a very good football team. There were two very good teams out there today. But they did what they needed to do. They are where we want to be – a state champion.”

Timberview, with just one returning starter on offense, sure showed no signs of nerves or inexperience, taking the game’s first possession 80 yards on 14 plays capped by a “fortunate” 3-yard touchdown run by Stephens.

The powerful 5-foot-11, 180-pound tailback fumbled a pitch from quarterback Donte Parker, the ball bounced forward, off an offensive lineman’s leg, back to Stephens, who basically waltzed into the end zone giving his team a 7-0 lead with 5:45 left in the first quarter.

“That was a big lift for us, but we had to keep executing like that throughout the game,” Parker said.

Timberview had five first downs on the drive and converted three third-down situations, including a 35-yard bomb from Parker to Aaron Burks to the Buford 5. Parker was 6-for-7 for 67 yards on the drive.

“We really enjoy a team showing us their ready to play,” Getz said. “Their drive really fired us up. We knew we had to pick it up.”

And they did.

Buford was even more impressive on its first drive, rolling up six first down and going 77 yards in 12 plays capped by a 2-yard TD run by Johnson with 1:15 left in the quarter.

The Wolves used four ball carriers to run the ball 10 times for 59 yards on the drive that took 4 minutes and 30 seconds .

Defense and special teams led to two quick scores for Buford as Getz returned a short punt 36 yards for one touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, then two minutes later scored on a 5-yard run after a 26-yard interception return by linebacker Hunter Jones.

“The punt return really killed us,” Cron said. “That five-minute spell really killed us. We could never quite recover though we tried.”

Just like that, Buford was in control, up 21-7 with 9:29 left in the half. The Wolves had scored three touchdowns in 3:46.

Getz wasn’t done however, scoring his third TD of the half on a bullish 4-yard run, capping a determined 12-play, 69-yard drive that started with an offensive pass interference call.

Buford was helped by a pair of personal foul calls on Timberview and an 18-yard pass from May to Jessel Curry. The Wolves also converted 4^th-and-1 from the Timberview 46 on a 1-yard run by fullback Curry.

On the touchdown, Getz ran over a would-be tackler, who had a clear shot at the 5-7, 157-pound senior at the 3. That gave Buford a 28-7 lead with 2:03 left in the half.

“Getz is my role model,” Johnson said. “He proves that it doesn’t matter how big or small you are but how much heart you show. He’s shown me a lot.”

Brown gave Timberview plenty of life with a scintillating 86-yard catch and run just 22 seconds later.

Brown to a short out pattern from Parker at the 20, evaded several tacklers along the Timberview sideline, then cut all the way across field near midfield and then went in untouched, cutting the Buford lead to 28-14 with 1:41 left in the half.

“I told my team in the huddle that I’m going to take the ball and score a touchdown,” Brown said. “I just lined up, took my steps, got the ball, read my blocks and then I was there. It was a lot of fun.”

The score remained that way until halftime that featured 357 yards and 16 first yards. The teams combined to complete 15 of 20 passes for 216 yards.

“We started well, had a lull and then finished,” Simpson said. “We put a stake in the ground and later hopefully we’ll look back and say that a lot of kids grew up today. Those kids were in the fire today. They were out their dying.  But the kids love Buford football and what it stands for and they way they finished showed me a lot today.”

Asked if he thought this win helped put Buford on the national map, Simpson wavered.

“If it does, great, but if it doesn’t that certainly isn’t our focus,” he said. “Honestly, we focus on playing Buford football and try to be as good as we can be by the end of the year. Getting to do this is like a bowl trip to a bunch of high school coaches and players. It just blows us a way to get this chance.”

And, like they always seem to do, the Wolves made the most of it.

Buford          7 21 0 14 - 42

Timberview  7  7  0  7 - 21

First quarter

T – Eric Stephens 2 run (Bobby Crook kick), 5:45

B – Storm Johnson 2 run (D. Villafuerte kick), 1:15

Second quarter

B – Cody Getz 35 punt return (Villafuerte kick), 11:48

B – Getz 5 run (Villafuerte kick), 9:29

B – Getz 4 run (Villafuerte kick), 2:03

T – Sharman Brown 86 pass from Donte Parker (Crook kick), 1:41

Fourth quarter

T – Parker 1 run (Crook kick), 8:28

B – Johnson 74 run (Villafuerte kick), 8:35

B – Johnson 15 run (Villafuerte kick), 1:35

Team Statistics

First downs: Buford 14, Timberview 17

Rushes-yards (net): Buford 37-253, Timberview 32-89

Passing yards (net): Buford 54, Timberview 228

Total plays/yards: Buford 44-307, Timberview 60-317

Turnovers: Buford 0, Timberview 3

Penalties: Buford 15-98, Timberview 6-58

Possession: Buford 21:27, Tiberview 26:33

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Buford, Johnson 14-147, Getz 13-64, Curry 3-25, May 1-6. Timberview 11-51, Roundtree 1-15, Davis 1-10, Brown 2-4.

Passing

Buford, May 6-7-0-57; Timberview, Parker 18-27-2-228, Davis 0-1-1-0.

Receiving

Buford, Rudnick 3-24, Curry 2-25, Reed 1-5; Timberview, Stephens 5-42, Brown 4-110, Rountree 4-25, Marin-Walls 2-9.

Tackles

Buford, Vaverka 5, Car 4.5, Gazaway 4, Lee 4; Timberview, Stokes 9.5, Nyainda 5.5, Stokes 4.0.

CEDAR HILL (Texas) 38, LA SALLE CATHOLIC (Ohio) 14

Cedar Hill took La Salle’s best shot – and what a missile it was – then scored 18 straight points to roll to a convincing victory over its Ohio rival.

After Cameron Cole returned the second half kickoff 103 yards (100 officially) for a touchdown, La Salle (0-2) closed to 20-14.

But the legitimate Texas 5A title contender wore down the Lancers with a massive offensive line, led by Texas-bound Thomas Ashcraft (6-5, 290) and Adam Shead (6-5, 310), and the terrific running tandem of Ben Melena and Keenan Walker.

Melena, a swift 5-10, 185-pound junior who missed the majority of 2007 with leg and shoulder injuries, carried 19 times for 183 yards and two scores, while Walker added 97 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown.

Junior placekicker Eduardo Camara added three fields, including a 47-yarder to seal it, as the Longhorns helped erase the memory of their last game here, a season-ending loss to Southlake Carroll in the second round of the state playoffs last year.

"It was one of those deals where we got to find out about our kids to see how they would respond," Cedar Hill coach Joey McGuire said. "Our body language was good. I thought they kept up the enthusiasm and there was a lot of encouraging and we really turned it up."

La Salle, which fought from behind only to lose 26-20 to Winton Woods last week, fell behind 20-0 midway through the second quarter on touchdown runs by Melena and Brandon Davis and two field goals from Camara.

But just before halftime, La Salle’s Tim Edmond (12 carries, 57 yards) scored on a 25-yard run and then to start the second half, Cole took the ball three yards deep into the end zone, raced through a big gap, made a tremendous move near midfield and went the distance, to cut the lead to 20-14.

(Texas allows players to return the ball out of the end zone, but no matter how deep is credited with a 100-yard return).

Melena fumbled on Cedar Hill’s next possession after a nice hit by Patrick Bachman and La Salle’s Keenan Gibbs recovered at the Cedar 46.

La Salle got one first down, but the drive then stalled and the Longhorns took control with a 64-yard scoring drive capped by a 2-yard run by Melena, who keyed the march with a 29-yard scamper. It was his third TD of the game of answered any questions about his injury bug. Melena also had his freshman season stopped short because of a knee injury, he said.

"I worked real hard in the offseason with my conditioning coach to get stronger and it really paid off," Melena said. "I didn't even think (about the injuries) and just went out hard. When I got that first touchdown I thought to myself, 'I'm back.' I really felt in the groove."

Melena added another 29-yard run on the next Cedar Hills drive, that was capped with an 8-yard TD run by Keenan Walker and the Longhorns led 35-14 with 4:18 left in the third quarter.

Like Melena, Cedar Hill had answered its own question about how it would respond to being challenged.

"You're always going to have jitters the first game," Longhorns' sophomore quarterback Driphus Jackson said. "With all respect to (La Salle) I think we got a little laxed after taking the 20-0 lead. Our coaches warned us they would come back and when they did we just re-grouped and focused."

Cedar’s defense, led by two sacks from Division I defensive end Tyler Washington, allowed just 204 yards and held La Salle in check despite three Longhorn turnovers. The Lancers didn’t turn the ball over.

La Salle coach Tom Grippa was proud of his team's effort and comeback, but just felt his team was a little overmatched.

"I think part of it was that we started to wilt in the heat and then we had to sub and against an exceptional team like that the result was understandable," he said. "They were 3-4 touchdowns better than us. I was confident we'd come back because we're La Salle and we're a tough blue collar team that is never going to quit. But with the heat and their size we were going to wear down.

"We're a young team and we're going to get better. Especially when we get back to playing some regular football teams and not powerhouses (like Cedar Hills)."

Walker, a terrific 5-9, 190-pound senior, said his team was equally gassed. They just didn't show it.

"Our coaches all season preached 'tempo, tempo, tempo,' - to get back in the huddle quickly and to the line of scrimmage no matter how tired you are," Walker said. "Man, we were tired and hot. We just can't ever let our opponents see it. We just kept going and it all worked out."

Having two backs like Melena and Walker help. The Longhorns rushed for 426 yards at almost eight yards per carry.

"Those two guys are the best I've ever played with," Jackson said. "It's an honor to hand the ball to them."

Cedar Hill 38, La Salle 14

La Salle      0  7   7  0  - 14

Cedar Hill  14 6 15 3 – 38

First quarter

CH – Ben Melena 3 run (Eduardo Camara kick), 9:19

CH – Brandon Davis 10 run (Camara kick), 5:34

Second quarter

CH – FG, Camara 28, 10:39

CH – FG, Camara 38, 2:17

LS – Tim Edmonds 25 run (Alex Schuster kick), 1:18

Third quarter

LS – Cameron Cole 100 kickoff return (Schuster kick), 11:47

CH – Melena 2 run (Melena run), 7:33

CH – Keenan Walker 8 run (Camara kick), 4:18

Fourth quarter

CH – FG, Camara 47, 11:12

Team Statistics

First downs: La Salle 10, Cedar 22

Rushes-yards: La Salle 33-136, Cedar 58-426

Passing: La Salle 8-18-0-68, Cedar 5-10-0-44

Total plays-yards: La Salle 51-204, Cedar 68-470

Turnovers: La Salle 0, Cedar 3

Possession: La Salle 26:27, Cedar 21:33

Individual Statistics

Rushing

La Salle, Tim Edmond 12-57, Matt Farrell 3-36, Joe Andrews 3-33, Ryan Voltz 1-5; Cedar, Melena 19-183, Walker 12-97, Brandon Davis 8-71, Driphus Jackson 8-46.

Passing

La Salle, Rickey Steele 7-15-0-59, Shane Boschert 1-3-0-9. Cedar, Jackson 4-7-0-37, L. Cockrane 1-3-0-7.

Receiving

La Salle, Zach Abbatiello 2-41, Eric Watson 2-14, Matt Woeste 1-9, Ryan Votz 1-4; Cedar, Darrius Smith 2-33, John Coleman 1-7, Josh Brown 1-4, Melena 1-0.

Tackles

La Salle, Matt Trotta 9.5, Tony Appairius 5.5, Nick Baute 5.5; Cedar, Aaron Benson 4.5, T. Washington 4, Tyler Smith 4.

A remarkable, gritty 90-yard drive for Woodland Hills ended with a remarkably painful missed extra point kick with 56 seconds remaining as Northwest held on for an emotional, defensive victory in a battle of 3-7 teams from a year ago.

Starting from its own 10 with 6:38 left, Woodland Hills overcame a penalty, a sack and converted a clutch 3-and-27 play on a leaping 27-yard grab by Ronnel Loyd to climb to within a point, 13-12, following a 19-yard TD pass over the middle from John Yezovich to tight end Cameron Contreras.

But freshman Sam Scifo’s extra point try had plenty of leg, however glanced off the left upright and caromed to the left, sending the Northwest faithful into a frenzy.

Lee Taylor recovered the ensuing onside kick and the Texans had defeated the traditional Ohio power that has produced five players drafted in the NFL since 1997, including Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor.

Making the defeat more bitter was that the Wolverines also had trouble after their first touchdown – a 10-yard run by Edgar Folks with 3:33 left in the first half – as a bad snap from center sailed over the head of the holder.

“These are high school kids and those things are going to happen,” Woodland Hills coach George Novak said. “We had a ninth grade snapper and a ninth grade kicker out there playing their very first high school football game at Texas Stadium. That's a lot to ask but they are the best kids for the job. We thought about going for two but opted for the tie. It didn't work out.

"We never gave up on that last drive and showed a lot. Overall, it was two good football teams playing in a great atmostphere and environment here in Texas. Both teams put it on the line but we made more mistakes in the fourth quarter. They are a good football team and well coached. All the kids played hard."

Both teams were extremely stout on defense as the game featured just 18 first downs and 311 yards of offense.

A big defensive play by junior linebacker Anthony Chiafalo proved to be the game’s biggest as he forced a fumble at the Woodland Hills 9 with 8:02 remaining.

Senior linebacker Dylan Pounds recovered and three plays later, senior quarterback Brysen Curb, one of just two returning starters on offense for the Texans, scored a 1-yard sneak to give the Texans a 13-6 lead with 6:38 remaining. It was their first lead of the game.

“My line just made a big push to the right and I went over,” Curb said. “This was a huge win for our program. It’s something we can definitely build on.”

After Curb's TD, Yezovich saw some long faces on the sideline: "I just tried to pick them up and tell them we could get this done. We did a good job of getting down the field and never giving up. We'll bounce back from this. We'll be stronger."

Northwest had just tied the game at 6-6 with 8:02 left on a 19-yard field goal from Cameron Langer, who earlier drilled a 35-yarder midway through the third quarter.

"I'd never played here before so I was really nervous," Langer said. "But I was confident I could make (the 35-yarder) and I did."

Pounds led all tacklers with eight while senior defensive back Hausaan Burton led Woodland Hills with 7.5 tackles. Fernando Arroyo and Bo Nix had sacks for Northwest, which returned seven starters on defense.

Northwest coach Leonard McAngus was elated his team pulled a close one out at the end.

"We just did a great job of hanging in there and finishing the game," he said. "In the past we've struggled to finish and that was our focus during the offseason. We're probably going to have to depend on our defense early because we're so young on offense. .. This is going to be a real confidence booster for us because that's a quality program we just beat with some great athletes and coaches."

Northwest 13, Woodland Hills 12

Woodland Hills 0 6 0   6 – 12

Northwest          0 0 3 10 – 13

Second quarter

W – Edgar Folks 10 run (run failed), 3:33

Third quarter

J – FG, Cameron Langer 35, 4:49

Fourth quarter

J – FG, Langer, 19, 8:02

J – Brysen Curb 1 run (Langer kick), 6:38

W – C. Contreras 19 pass from John Yezovich (kick failed), :56

Team Statistics

First downs: Woodland 9, Northwest 9

Rushes-yards: Woodland 31-104, Northwest 28-73

Passing: Woodland 4-15-0-64, Northwest 11-26-0-74.

Total plays/yards: Woodland 46-168, Northwest 54-147

Turnovers: Woodland 2, Northwest 0

Penalties: Woodland 9-65, Northwest 7-50

Possession: 23:57, Northwest 24:03

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Woodland Hills, Edgar Folks 19-79, Lafayette Pitts 5-27, C. Thompkins 1-7; Northwest, Tyler Collins 15-37, Brysen Curb 8-29, Chris Bain 2-25.

Passing

Woodland Hills, John Yezovich 4-15-0-64; Northwest, Curb 11-26-0-74.

Receiving

Woodland Hills, Rontrel Lloyd 1-27, Contreras 1-19, Mike Lee 1-11, Thompkins 1-7; Northwest, Kevin Meek 4-35, Eric Clinton 4-23, Tyler Collins 1-11, Cole Edwards 1-8.

Tackles

Woodland Hills, Hausaan Burton 7.5, Ron DeVaughn 4.5, Davon Dixon 4; Northwest, Dylan Pounds 8, J. Knickerbocker 4.5, Lars Hutzenga 4.

This one was a mismatch from the get-go as Texas’ fourth-ranked team manhandled an undermanned and reeling Madison squad.

In a game that lasted almost to midnight, Bowie scored 28 points in the second quarter to win going away.

The Volunteers, not long ago a winless program until coach Kenny Perry got a hold of them, gained 423 yards almost evenly split between rushing (202) and passing (221). The squad’s defense was superb, giving up just 88 yards on 50 plays.

Duel-threat Kansas-bound quarterback Christian Matthews threw for 155 yards and one score and ran six times for 43 yards. Ronnie Thomas rushed for two touchdowns, Travis Evans added 79 yards on 10 carries and backup quarterback Deric Davis completed two of three passes including a 31-yard strike to Jordan Selexman with 3:53 left in the half.

Chris Hank capped a great defensive effort by recovering a Madison fumble in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.

Not bad for a team that lost 18 starters from a 12-2 team last year and lost just 21-14 to eventual state champion Euless Trinity in the state quarterfinals.

"For a bunch of young kids coming in here against a quality team like that I am very proud," he said. "We made a lot of mistakes but otherwise we played very well. We were slow to start, but we were not a first half team last year either. We didn't panic and once we got our offense going we were OK. We're going to get our points."

Madison went 8-4 last year and traditionally has churned out top talent, but coach Maurice Douglass, who spent 12 years in the NFL as a defensive back with the Bears and Giants, will now serve three-game suspension laid down by the OHSAA for recruiting violations.

Madison was also slapped with a two-year probation sentence but is still eligible for the playoffs. The Rams brought only 40 players to Dallas and was never in the game.

"They had nine Division I kids last year and three or four this year," Perry said. "Any time you got that going you're going to be tough. I think our kids just rose to the challenge."

Matthews, a 6-3, 185-pounder, said the Volunteers will need to get much better to reach their ultimate goal - to get to the state championship.

"I think we're capable of a lot," he said. "We're going to try to get back to this stadium (for the state playoffs and finals) because if you don't have the mentality to take it you probably won't."

Bowie 48, Madison 0

Madison  0  0  0  0  - 0

Bowie     0 28 6 14 – 48

Second quarter

B – Ronnie Thomas 3 run (Steve Validez kick), 9:30

B – Thomas 2 run (Validez kick), 6:18

B – Jordan Selexman 31 pass from Deric Davis (Validez kick), 3:53

B – Trae Hawkins 26 pass from Christian Matthews (Validez kick), 1:09

Third quarter

B – FG, Validez 39, 8:58

B – FG, Validez 3:25, 3:25

Fourth quarter

B – Montra Nelson 10 run (Validez kick), 11:12

B – Chris Hank recover fumble in the end zone (Dennis Mogambi kick), 6:01

Team Statistics

First downs: Madison 7, Bowie 18

Rushes-yards: Madison 26-46, Bowie 41-202

Passing: Madison 6-24-1-42, Bowie 10-22-1-221

Total plays-yards: Madison 50-88, Bowie 63-423

Turnovers: Madison 2, Bowie 1.

Penalties: Madison 7-41, Bowie 8-99

Possession: Madison 23:42, Bowie 24:18

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Madison, Antwan Gilbert 10-26, Willie Ballard 4-20, Jordan Paschal 2-16, Evan Crawley 7-16; Bowie, Travis Evans 10-79, Christian Matthews 6-43, Deric Davis 4-34, Ronnie Thomas 10-25.

Passing

Madison, Marcus Graham 6-20-0-42, Willie Ballard 0-4-1-0; Bowie: Matthews 8-18-0-155, Davis 2-3-0-66.

Receiving

Madison, Tony Graham 4-32, A.J. Jordan 1-9, Alvin Hall III 1-1; Bowie Trae Hawkins 3-91, Austin Whitaker 3-50, Jordan Selexman 2-44, Montra Nelson 1-27.

Tackles

Madison, Keyshawn Woods 5.5, Anthony Gipson 5, Mike Printup 4.5; Bowie, Chris Hank 6, Curt Copeland 5.5, Caleb Carr 4.5.

E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.