Springtown crowned district champion after beating Decatur in double-overtime
In a second overtime against Decatur, a mud-covered Springtown quarterback Kaine Hill only needed one pass to finish the game. He walked off the 41-38 win with a 25-yard pass to receiver Braydon Butler.
It was the first time in a while the Porcupines had been challenged this season, outscoring their other five district opponents 265-0. Decatur was in a similar situation, outscoring the four district opponents they’ve played so far 267-7.
Springtown head coach Brian Hulett said there was no hesitation to get back into playing a quality opponent.
“Decatur and us are going through the same thing and we know it, so I wasn’t worried about the adjustment because it was equal,” he said. “It was fun to be in a good game again.”
Along with a challenging team, the Porcupines had to battle the conditions of Decatur’s muddy grass field that turned into a slip-n-slide toward the end of the game.
In the first half, Springtown focused on its running game. But, the offense got started because Springtown’s Darren Sweely intercepted a pass in the end zone on Decatur’s first possession.
That gave the Porcupine running back Ryan Kirk the ball, which he took for an 80-yard rushing touchdown to open the scoring. Springtown made it a 14-0 game after a short pass from Hill found receiver Karson Ferguson for a second touchdown.
But it was the running that powered the offense to its early lead. Kirk finished the half with 135 yards rushing and three other carriers combined for an extra 48 yards rushing.
“I failed a little bit on my script because of the conditions,” said Hulett. “But I didn’t know what we’d be able to do. I knew lateral stuff would be iffy, so I just played through it and had to find a good mix between running and passing.”
In the second half, Springtown turned up the passing rate with 90 yards compared to its 44 in the first. Then, in the first overtime, they went back to the run game with all 25 yards of offense coming on five rushing plays. In the second overtime, it was back to the pass play with the walk-off passing play.
Decatur tied the game in the first overtime with an extremely impressive reception from receiver Chase Berg, who went up and over the defender and finally secured possession on the way down to the end zone.
Springtown’s defense was on par, as well. Sweely ended the game with two interceptions, one was in the end zone and the other he ran back over 65 yards to put the Porcupines in good field position for quarterback Hill to run in a 5-yard touchdown.
Then, in the second overtime after allowing Decatur to score at the end of the first overtime, the Porcupine defense forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal inside the 5-yard line.
It was a defense that struggled to even get out to practice this week.
“We didn’t get to practice on Tuesday and barely practiced on Wednesday... battled the flu all week so we didn’t get to do team offense,” said Hulett. “So it was a struggle and we couldn’t practice against our defense. But I told out coaches, I promise you [Sweely] and [Chase Thompson] would still be the best two on the field.”
Hulett praised their veteran leadership through their play.
One thorn in their side was Decatur’s running back Jake Milligan, who finished with 142 yards rushing, 48 yards receiving, and three total touchdowns.
Despite a hostile, rival environment, the Porcupines earned the title of district champions. Now, they can set their focus on who they’ll play in the playoffs.
Decatur falls to 5-4 while Springtown improves to 9-1. Decatur will face Fort Worth Southwest next week.
This story was originally published November 2, 2024 at 12:58 AM.
