Tolar knocked out by Crawford during low-scoring affair in Class 2A regional final

He had spearheaded the offense and was its guiding force throughout the evening.

But in the end Luke Torbert’s biggest play came on defense.

The Crawford quarterback intercepted a pass with 23 seconds remaining and thwarted Tolar’s last-ditch effort to tie the game in a match up of unbeaten 13-0 teams, 14-7, Friday night at Burleson ISD Stadium in the Class 2A Division 1 Region 2 final.

As result, Crawford (14-0) advances to the state semifinal to face Hawley tentatively scheduled in Mineral Wells Thursday at 7 p.m. Hawley (14-0) defeated Cisco 40-7 on Friday.

“Our coach put me in a great position to make a play on the ball. I knew they didn’t have much time left on the clock and they probably wanted to get out-of-bounds,” said Torbert. “So I just read the play, read the receiver, and made the play.”

Tolar began the desperation drive at its 2-yard line with 1:23 left after making a goal line stand. Torbert’s pick came near the left sideline about 10 yards downfield seven plays later when the Rattlers had reached the Crawford 42.

Though it had scored only one touchdown, a long scoring drive by Tolar was not inconceivable in the waning moments. Its previous scoring drive began at the Tolar 10 and ended in the opposite end zone eight plays later with 9:29 left.

Workhorse Peyton Brown scored from 42 yards out breaking tackles along the way in a meandering touchdown run to pull within seven.

Brown rushed 28 times for a game-high 176 yards in a losing cause.

Brown would finish the season with over 2,600 yards rushing and 49 touchdowns. He entered the day tied for the most rushing touchdowns in the country, according to Max Preps.

Crawford went up 14-0 midway in third quarter on its first possession after forcing a three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half. Camron Walker scored from 5 yards out to end a 10-play, 60-yard drive. Key was a 14-yard run by Torbert on third-and-9 the previous play to set up the touchdown.

Coach Greg Jacobs said that was the idea coming out in the second half – to score quickly in the third quarter under such circumstances. After a missed extra point on the first touchdown, Torbert threw to Cash Bolgiano for the two-point conversion to make it 14-0.

Earlier, Crawford scored on the game’s second play from scrimmage for a 6-0 lead less than a minute into the contest. Torbert faked a hand-off then found a hole between his right guard and tackle. He took off between them and outran the secondary to the right pylon for a 71-yard touchdown run.

But the notion that the game would turn into a high-scoring, open, and offensive showcase was premature.

It was the only score in the first half as the contest actually translated into a grind-it-out, old-fashioned, and mostly conservative style of play one might expect of two 13-0 small town schools despite their season high-scoring average.

Torbert finished with 166 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.

The game seemed to be won at the line of scrimmage. Crawford had 367 total yards and 19 first downs to 274 yards and 13 first downs by Tolar.

Crawford’s starting offensive line consists of Logan Borlowski at center, Kade Bruce and Jake Stanford at guards, and Dillon Compton and Lanie Fisher at tackles. Graham Pearson, a blocking tight end, was also key at providing interference, said Jacobs.

“It all starts up front,” said Torbert. “Without them, I couldn’t do what I need to to.”

Interceptions also played a role in halting drives. Both teams were intercepted twice including the one by Torbert.

First, Crawford was driving again on its second possession from its 22-yard line to the Tolar 23. But a pass to the right sidelines was picked off. Cade Moody stepped in front and returned it to his 46.

Tolar was unable to move the ball and was again forced to punt. In fact, the Rattlers did not get their initial first down until their third possession with 11:11 remaining in the half. The second interception was on an attempted halfback pass that did not fool Wyatt Jones who stayed with his man.

It was caught at his 12 and killed a drive that began at the Crawford 13.

Crawford returned the favor, however, on the ensuing drive when Bolgiano intercepted at his 31 with 1:22 left in the half. Finally, Bruce, who made a lot of stops for Crawford on defense, was hurt early on Tolar’s touchdown drive, but returned in time for the Rattlers’ final game-ending drive.

Tolar had reached the regional final for the first time since 2015.

The Rattlers’ 10-0 record after the regular season was the first in their 11-man history.

This story was originally published December 3, 2022 at 12:00 AM.