Saginaw Boswell rallies in second half to earn state quarterfinals
Neither Lubbock Cooper nor Boswell won a district championship this season. But the Pirates and Pioneers knew one of them was playing for a regional title.
And that was decided by whoever played the best defense. Early on it was Cooper with five first-half stops in Pirates territory for a 10-3 lead, but the Pioneers stormed back with two interceptions and a shutout in the second half to win 20-10 in a Class 5A Division II region-round playoff at Memorial Stadium.
Despite making just one first down in the opening half — getting just a 30-yard field goal out of five possessions that began in Cooper territory — the Pioneers stayed with senior Damon Williams and the ground game in the second half. It paid off as Williams broke a 15-yard touchdown to cap a crisp seven-play, 65-yard drive following the second-half kickoff that tied it at 10.
All we had to do was stick with what we were doing, we were just one dude away from breaking a long one.
Saginaw Boswell running back Damon Williams
crediting his offensive line for eventually getting “that one dude.”And eventually Williams broke down a Cooper defense that won many battles up front. He carried 37 times for 182 yards, accounting for 81.6 percent of the Boswell offense. The Pioneers took the lead with 4:10 to play on a 23-yard field goal by Jackson Counts and clinched it on a 2-yard TD run by freshman quarterback Brayden Thomas with 1:28 left.
“All we had to do was stick with what we were doing, we were just one dude away from breaking a long one,” Williams said of sticking with game plan after being held to 41 first-half yards personally and one first down as a team. “We stayed patient and my O-line got to the blocks. They got that dude. We get stronger every quarter, I knew in the fourth quarter we find a way to team up together and we’ll find a way to win.”
They did as second-half interceptions by Hunter Harp (50-yard return) and Caleb Genberg combined with a first-half pick by Gabriel Kurtzhals and constant pressure from Malik Hubbard helped the Pioneers (9-4) earn a second chance at District 6-5A champion and regional favorite Aledo (13-0). The state quarterfinal is set for 9 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
“It’s been something to watch what these kids have overcome this season, it’s awesome and I get emotional,” Boswell coach John Abendschan said. “We made history [going to the fourth round] and to coach them is a blessing.”
We made history [going to the fourth round] and to coach them is a blessing.
Saginaw Boswell coach John Abendschan
Abendschan said that “we try to go as fast as we can” and the pace wasn’t there early. “We got to get a first down and we came out and said no matter what they’re in [in the second half] just go, and Damon hit another gear.”
Lubbock Cooper gained 53 yards on its first pass of the night but in the end averaged just 6.4 yards per attempt on its 41 passes and three ended up with the Pioneers. The Pirates couldn’t run — 32 yards on 31 attempts — and in addition to the turnovers they twice couldn’t get punts off.
Cooper’s Jake Kirkpatrick had two interceptions. On offense, Jarret Doege passed for 266 yards and Mitchell Brown caught nine passes for 104 yards.
Boswell allowed only 64 yards after halftime and no points. Those signs pointed the Pioneers to a history-making state quarterfinal.
“After we lost to Aledo that was our focus to get back to playing them; everyone loves payback; we’re pretty confident we’ll have a chance, and we’re ready for a good game,” Williams said.
This story was originally published November 26, 2016 at 8:32 PM with the headline "Saginaw Boswell rallies in second half to earn state quarterfinals."