Hondo Anvil Herald

Owls’ 2nd half rally can’t overcome 1st half miscues

 

 

By Jeff Berger

Anvil Herald Publisher

 

     Three first-half turnovers and one second-half kickoff return were the big momentum swings Friday that lifted the Jourdanton Indians to a 28-26 win over Hondo at Barry Field.

     By virtue of the takeaways, the Indians led 20-0 at the half. And while the Owls played some frenetic catch-up in the second half, it wasn’t enough to avoid the team’s first loss in District 14-3A-Div. 1. 

     The loss drops Hondo back into a three-way tie for the lead in the district, and gives Crystal City the inside track to the #1 seed in the playoffs. If Hondo, CC and Jourdanton all win their final district games this week, the teams would be declared tri-champions, but Hondo would be seeded third in the playoff bracket, based on positive points within the three-way tie, and head-to-head play.

This week, the Owls (7-2 season, 3-1 district) head to Poteet for a 7 p.m. contest with the Aggies. Playoffs will begin for all teams next weekend, Nov. 13-14.

     “I told the team at halftime that the last three quarters (the fourth at Crystal City, and the first two against Jourdanton) were the worst three quarters I’ve ever witnessed,” said Hondo coach Dustin Templin. “You fear the hangover after a big win (the 38-34 win at Crystal City), and it took us awhile to get going against Jourdanton. But in this profession, the players win and the coaches lose. We’ll all learn from it, and we’ll all get better.”

     Hondo stopped Jourdanton on downs on the Indians’ first series of the night, getting consecutive defensive stops from Anthony Garza, Cade Aelvoet, Layton Pope and Mason Barr to force a turnover on downs at the Hondo 26.

     On the Owls’ first offensive play, Barr broke loose for a 65-yard run all the way to the Jourdanton 9. But a fumble on the next play gave the ball back to the Indians at the 2.

     Jourdanton responded with a 98-yard drive in 11 plays, fueled largely by a face mask penalty on the Owls, which turned a 4th-and-8 into a first down. 

     The Indians, running a wildcat offense the entire night after the starting quarterback, Keeton Burris, was knocked out of the game on the opening series, got a 10-yard touchdown pass from running back Roman Mendoza to Reid Powell for the score. Barr blocked the extra point to leave the score at 6-0.

     Hondo went three-and-out on its next series. Kye Schorsch ran for 28 yards, and on second down, Mendoza found Powell again for 40 yards and the Indians’ second TD. Mendoza kept it for the conversion, giving Jourdanton a 14-0 lead with 32 seconds still to play in the first quarter.

     Hondo began a steady drive, mixing runs and short passes, to pick up three first downs. But after reaching the Indians’ 29-yard line, a fumble in the backfield was scooped up by Indian linebacker Colton Parrish, who returned it 68 yards for a defensive score and a 20-0 lead early in the second period.

     Hondo crossed midfield again, facing a 4th-and-2 at the 37. Alvarez kept to the 35, but the officials called for a measurement, and it came up short by about the width of an index card.

     For the rest of the half, the teams traded punts, a turnover on downs, with the quarter ending on an interception, Hondo’s third turnover of the half.

     To open the second half, the Owls put together their best drive of the night, going 63 yards in 12 plays. Barr and Kolten Alvarez alternated carries, with Alvarez hitting Pope and Colton Wiemers on a pair of passes – the latter a 14-yard connection on a 4th-and-4. Alvarez scored from the 4-yard line with 7:45 left in the third. Gabriel Rodriguez added the PAT, cutting the margin to 20-7.

     Hondo benefitted from a flag against Jourdanton, when a holding call negated a 44-yard run on fourth down, which would have resulted in a 1st-and-goal. Instead Jourdanton had to punt, and the Owls were back in business.

     Alvarez passed to Nolan Graff for a first down, then kept for 17 more, then found Aelvoet for another 14. From the 32-yard line, Alvarez found Barr for a TD pass with 2:55 left in the quarter. The PAT attempt from Rodriguez was wide left – his first miss in district play, keeping the score at 20-13.

     Kickoff returns and kickoff coverage have been a strong suit for the Owls all season, but this time, Jourdanton made the big play, as Schorsch returned the kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. Mendoza’s conversion run put the Indians up 28-13, late in the third.

     Hondo was forced to punt, and the Indians nearly put the game away, as Schorsch broke 54 yards to the endzone as the third quarter ended. But an illegal block at the 5-yard line erased the score. A tackle for loss by Wiemers, followed by an offensive pass interference penalty, soon had Jourdanton facing a 4th-and-30. Mason Martinez sacked Mendoza to end the threat.

     Hondo couldn’t move and punted, and the Indians were again stopped on downs, setting up the Owls at their own 24. 

     Alvarez, who set career highs in passing with 17 completions and 217 yards, hit Barr and Graff for first downs, then had runs of 12 and 29 yards to set up his two-yard keeper for the score with 4:50 left to play. Hondo opted to go for two and was held out of the endzone, keeping the margin at two scores, 28-19. 

     Hondo executed a perfect onside kick, with Rodriguez bouncing the kick over the Indians’ front line, where Aelvoet caught it on the hop at the Jourdanton 42. Eight plays later, the Owls were back in the endzone, with Alvarez scoring from the 9. The kick made it 28-26 with 2:35 left.

     With one timeout available, plus the two-minute timeout, the Owls kicked it away. But facing a 2nd-and-5 with two minutes to play, Jourdanton got a 10-yard run from Schorsch to seal the outcome.

      Hondo had a very balanced 217 rushing yards and 217 through the air. Alvarez rushed for 120 yards and three TDs, while Barr had 92 on the ground and 55 receiving. Aelvoet had 60 yards receiving and Graff had 46. Schorsch had 196 rushing for Jourdanton.

     “It was pretty costly to be plagued by turnovers early,” said Coach Templin. “We cleaned it up later in the game, but we have to clean it up even more if we’re going to make a long run in the playoffs.”