RSS Feed
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Alto survives Groveton raid, 21-13
The 25th straight win for Alto. Trudging through nearfreezing temperatures and a constant frigid rain, at Abe Martin Stadium in Lufkin, the Alto Yellowjackets defeated the Groveton Indians Saturday night 21- 13. "We were glad to get the win, I'll say that," said Alto Offensive Coordinator and front line Coach Paul Gould. "I thought we played pretty well in the first half. The weather conditions deteriorated and we started getting a little sloppy there towards the end. "Overall, we were glad to get a win and move on to the next round," he added. The Indians won the toss, accepted the kickoff and began their opening drive at their own 27 yard line. But the Jacket defense stalled out the drive forcing Groveton to punt. Benefitting from a shanked punt, Alto slipped and sloshed through an icy downpour deep into Groveton territory. With 5:28 remaining in the opening quarter, Jacket senior quarterback Tarlandus Mitchell squirted into the end zone for a score. Following a missed PAT Yellowjackets led 6-0.
The Indians came up empty on their ensuing drive and punted back to the Jackets with 3:30 remaining in the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Mitchell dashed in for another score. Mitchell passed a quick-out to junior running back Marcuse "Pee Wee" Gasaway for the two-point-conversion and the Jackets led 14-0. "Their kids had to put up with the same (conditions) as ours," Coach Gould said. "When the situation calls for it, you control the ball and do what you have to do to win the game. That is what they were trying to do and that is what we were trying to do." Groveton accepted the kick and put together a drive of their own, forcing a fourth and four at the Alto 24 yard line. The Indians opted to go for it, but the play was squashed when Alto senior defensive line backer Clayton Scott broke up a short pass, forcing Groveton to give the ball over on downs with 8:15 left in the second. But Alto went three-andout. Following a Mitchell punt that soared through rainy skies halfway to Nacogdoches, Groveton started on their own 27. In the waning seconds of the first half, Alto captured a first and goal at the Groveton 2 yard line. But four strong running plays up the middle yielding nothing for the Jackets and the ball was turned over on downs, sending both teams to the locker room for halftime. "They did a heck of a job," Coach Gould said of the stand. "We ran one of our better plays four times in a row and they stopped us. When you have 20-25 seconds to make the call, you go with the play that has proven to be the best play, and that's what we did. We used the same play six times in a row in the first quarter and scored a touchdown." The drive-stopper put the momentum temporarily back into the hands of the Indians, but only until the opening kickoff for the second half. Gasaway latched onto the rain-soaked pigskin at the Alto 16 and bested the Groveton special teams unit 84 yards into the end zone for an Alto score. The PAT was tagged on by kicker Colton Crisp held by Scott Hayden, and the Jackets took command, 21-0. "They had some momentum going into the second half, but when Pee Wee came out and returned the second half opening kickoff for a touchdown, that took some wind out of their sails," Coach Gould said. Hoping to avoid disaster on the wet field with a slippery football, the Jackets locked into conservative mode, keeping the Indians at bay most of the second half. Scores came by Groveton first in the third quarter when Groveton senior QB Lane Johnson scooted in from 4 yards out and again with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when Indian junior running back Herbert Davis vaulted in on third and goal. But a flubbed PAT would yield the night's final score of 21-13, Alto. Last week, Groveton head football Coach Keith Thomas said Alto was going to be a tough game, after defeating Hull-Daisetta 48-27. "We are going to have to play a perfect game to beat them," Coach Thomas said of Alto. "Perfect? They came pretty dang close to playing a perfect game against us," Coach Gould said. "We scouted a couple of their games. They made a lot of mistakes that gave up points to their opponents. I feel like he (Thomas) felt if he could eliminate their mistakes, they could beat us. "They did a pretty good job of following their game plan," Coach Gould said. "They kept us from having opportunities to score and they kept their mistakes to a minimum. They played an excellent game, all four quarters." Unsung hero honors go out first to Alto senior Trevor Hagerty on special teams. "He recovered both of the onside kicks and got tattooed both times," Coach Gould said. "Michael Parker did a great job on the kickoff return for a touchdown. He put in two blocks that sprung Pee Wee when he was about to get caught." Honors also go out to the iron curtain that makes up the Alto defense, including defensive tackles Demarcus Griffin and Makio Houston who spent most of Saturday night planting Indian ball carriers into the turf of Abe Martin Stadium. This week, the Jackets will square off against the Juaquin Rams in Tatum. "Everyone that's in it now definitely deserves to be here," Coach Gould said. "There are eight teams left in Division 1A. In practice right now, you work on little mistakes. The smallest mistake at this level can cost you the game."
|
for larger version       |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
)