Alvarado football loses momentum in Class 4A D1 Regional Final, falls to Celina
The Alvarado High School football program entered the Class 4A Division One Region Two final with its best season in 15 years.
In 2023, Alvarado was eliminated in the area round with a 55-14 loss to Celina. After two thrilling second-and third-round victories by a combined six points, the Indians set up a rematch with the Bobcats.
Although Alvarado started strong, the Indians lost steam, losing 55-21, on Friday, Dec. 6, at Mustang-Panther Stadium. The Indians have been resilient while facing deficits throughout the postseason, but eight-time state champion Celina held the lead with ease.
“We played Celina, but we also played ourselves a bit,” Alvarado head coach Casey Walraven said. “You can’t do that against elite teams. I think the little thing people may not see is the effort (Celina) gives on every play at every position. That has been (Celina’s) tradition, and they continue to do a great job.”
Celina (14-0) will face West Plains in the state semifinals.
“It’s a great honor,” Celina running back Harrison Williams said. “We’ve been working hard all year for this, and we should be here, so we’re excited for it.”
Alvarado had a state championship appearance in 2011 but has yet to claim a state championship. The regional final appearance, according to Walraven, brought winning tradition back to the school.
“This year with the seniors, we got a taste of (the tradition), and it feels like Alvarado football from the past,” Walraven said. “I’m extremely proud of what the seniors have led us through – they’ve bought into everything we’ve asked them to. Just a great effort all the way around, from community to team to coaches and administration.”
After eight minutes of scoreless play, Alvarado (13-1) started the scoring with a 42-yard reception from wide receiver Logan Bjork that set up a six-yard touchdown run for quarterback Cardea Collier.
The Bobcats immediately responded with an 84-yard kickoff return for a TD by Colton Rodriguez.
In the second quarter, Alvarado extended its lead with an 11-yard reception from running back Demarcus Belton. Celina’s offense took over and started to find a groove with a big play. Quarterback Bowe Bentley found Ethan Rucker down the left sideline for a 53-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14.
After another unsuccessful Alvarado sequence in the red zone, Celina (14-0) took the lead with a 14-yard rushing touchdown from Bentley. Collier then threw his third interception of the half, and the Bobcats capitalized with a 49-yard touchdown reception.
Alvarado, with the second-quarter clock draining, showed great time management skills, adding a nine-yard touchdown reception from Hunter Byerly that created a manageable 27-21 halftime deficit.
From that point on, however, Alvarado failed to score. Celina added two touchdowns from running back Logan Gutierrez and two more from Williams in the second half, creating an insurmountable lead.
“We didn’t execute well enough to play with a team like Celina,” Walraven said. “They executed really well and ran the ball well and threw the ball well. Then defensively, they made some adjustments.”
Collier completed 23 passes in the first half but only managed nine completions after the break. Collier finished 32 of 59 passing for 345 yards and carried 16 times for 39 yards against Celina’s smothering defense.
Walraven praised Collier, saying his Alvarado football offensive records may never be caught.
“He’s the reason why success happened the way we had it,” Walraven said. “He was the leader on the field.”
Logan Bjork led the Indians with 11 receptions for 141 yards and Lance Sansom caught six passes for 91 yards.
Celina rushed for 263 yards in the second half alone and finished with 39 attempts and 299 yards. Bentley was an efficient 12 of 14 passing for 260 yards with Rucker hauling in three for 104 yards.
“That all came down to coaching and just discipline,” Williams said. “We had a lot of mistakes coming into it – false starts and all that. We just locked in as a team, and my O-line, they’re some dogs and they really put it down tonight.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 10:08 PM.
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