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TOUCHDOWN- Keaton Muxworthy (10) pulled in this pass from John Galindo in the end zone with a little more than five minutes left in the game last Friday in Hamilton to cut McGregor’s lead to a touchdown. However, the local Dogs were unable to come up with the come-from-behind victory and suffered their first district loss 14-20. Hamilton faces to huge games in the next two weeks. This Friday they travel to Crawford and next week they will play in Clifton.
Staff Photo |
Hamilton dominated the first half of action, limiting the quick-strike McGregor squad to only 23 yards of offense during the first 30 minutes, and going to the lockers at intermission with a 7-0 lead.
But in the final two stanzas McGregor found its offensive bearings and converted one long run and two long-distance passes into three touchdowns. A late game Hamilton rally fell short leaving the two teams tied with 1-1 ledgers in a topsy-turvy league race. Clifton’s 13-6 upset of Crawford leaves the long-shot Cubs in the driver’s seat with a 2-0 mark, while Crawford, McGregor, Hamilton and Bruceville-Eddy are all tied for second at 1-1. Moody brings up the rear with an 0-2 mark.
In the first half, Hamilton used a blitzing, fly-to-the ball defense and a grind-it-out offense to control action. In fact, McGregor could manage only two first downs and 23 yards rushing while Hamilton rolled up nine first downs and 124 yards of offense. Eight times the Hamilton defenders threw McGregor rushers or passers for losses and the red and black Dogs did not allow a single yard passing by McGregor’s high-powered spread offense.
Hamilton threatened on its first possession of the game, moving all the way from its own 49-yard line to the McGregor 12 before Truman Baize had the ball stripped from his arms on a first down rush, ending the threat.
McGregor posed the second scoring threat of the opening half following Hamilton’s second turn-over of the game. This time quarterback John Galindo lost the grip on the ball when he was sacked for a six-yard loss on Hamilton’s 28- yard line.
Following a five-yard loss on first down, the visitors moved into point-blank range thanks to their only double digit gain of the first half on a 24-yard carry by Deshun Pierson, giving McGregor a first down at the nine-yard line. However, two running plays, a five-yard penalty and two incomplete passes resulted in a net loss of six yards, and Hamilton took over at its own 20-yard line.
This time the home team mounted an 80-yard, 11-play drive that culminated with a one-yard touchdown plunge by Baize. The big play in the drive was a 39-yard gainer by Seth LeBlanc on a counter play that also drew a 15-yard face mask penalty on the tackle, setting Hamilton up at the McGregor 23. Abby Lozano toed the extra point to give Hamilton a 7-0 lead with less than four minutes to go in the half.
That score held steady until the seven-minute mark of the third quarter when McGregor took advantage of a 75-yard dash by Qualin Brown to score its first touchdown. James Ratliff ran Brown down at the nine-yard line after his long run, but on fourth and goal from the one-yard line, Hector Rodriguez squeezed over for the McGregor touchdown. The extra point kick went wide left, leaving Hamilton with a tenuous 7-6 advantage.
Hamilton mounted one short drive late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, fueled by a 10-yard sweep by Jorden Lowe. But the drive fizzled and a 32-yard punt by Keith Gardner gave McGregor the ball at its own 28-yard line.
Two plays later McGregor owned the lead for the first time in the game. Following a one-yard gain on a running play, McGregor quarterback Joe Seward found wide receiver Kyle Reineke wide open behind the Hamilton secondary and connected with him for a 71-yard pass and run score. Seward then tacked on two extra points on a run over right tackle and McGregor was in front 14-7.
After Hamilton failed on a fourth down gamble near midfield, McGregor was back in business at the Hamilton 44 yard line. The visiting Dogs needed only one play to capitalize on the break, and it was nearly a mirror image of the scoring play moments earlier. Once again Seward found Reineke open across the middle and hit him with a 44-yard touchdown aerial. Garet Box intercepted an attempted two-point conversion pass, but McGregor was safely out front by a 20-7 margin with six and a half minutes left in the contest.
The home-standing Bulldogs showed some heart and some character by making things interesting in the final moments.
After an errant McGregor kickoff sailed out of bounds near midfield, Hamilton covered the distance in four quick plays. Key plays included an eight-yard pass from Galindo to James Ratliff, a 13-yard burst up the middle by fullback Jackson Beshears and an 18-yard pass from Galindo to Keaton Muxworthy that the sophomore wide receiver outfought a defender for in the end zone for the touchdown. Lozano, who has not missed an extra point kick in his two games as the Bulldog kicker, got this one through the uprights to cut the lead to 20-14 with five minutes remaining in the game.
McGregor just about iced the game on its next possession, moving from its own 34-yard line steadily downfield, eating up the clock and chewing up yards. In fact, it looked like the visitors were about to score again when Brown found running room around right end and sped toward the goal line. But Lowe caught the speedster from behind inside the one-yard line and alertly knocked the ball out of his hands and into the end zone where Hamilton recovered for a touchback.
Getting the ball at the 20-yard line, Hamilton had 29 seconds and no time outs. Three pass attempts netted no gain and on fourth down a desperation heave by Galindo was picked off near mid-field by Brown to seal the win for McGregor.
Seth LeBlanc led Hamilton in rushing with 83 yards gained on 10 carries. Galindo finished the evening with five completions in 10 attempts for 31 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
On defense, LeBlanc was also on top of the tackle chart from his linebacker’s spot with 10 tackles, including eight primary hits and two assists and one sack. Baize was close behind with nine stops including a sack.
Also high on the tackle chart were James Ratliff with six tackles and a sack and Cole Wells, Garet Box and Mason Burke each had five tackles.