Fossil Ridge wins thriller against Trophy Club Nelson
Keller Fossil Ridge grounded out a 14-9 victory over Trophy Club Byron Nelson on Friday at Northwest ISD Stadium. Despite an emphasis on running the ball, the Panthers won on the strength of two touchdown passes from quarterback Scottie Colis.
Colis completed 13 of his 17 passes for 183 yards. He also carried the ball 11 times as part of the Panthers’ ball-control offense.
The game was the District 5-6A opener for both teams, with Fossil Ridge moving to 3-1 for the season while Nelson dropped to 0-4. The Panthers dominated the game until the last five minutes, when the Bobcats fell short in a frantic comeback.
Fossil Ridge held Nelson to just 148 yards, with 71 coming in the last five minutes of the game.
The Bobcats scored their only touchdown of the game with 3:10 left in the game, a five-yard run by Dylan Bell. The score was set up by the previous play, a 32-yard diving catch made by Noe Diawaku from Parker Turley.
In the first 15 minutes of the game, Nelson had two TD plays of more than 40 yards called back by penalties – a long run by holding and a nice throw-and-catch by ineligible receiver down field. At halftime, the Bobcats had just 51 total yards of offense, completing just one of eight passes for four yards.
Fossil Ridge also missed some opportunities. Late in the first half, the Bobcats had the ball first-and-10 on the Nelson 24. An incomplete pass, a penalty and a sack led to a missed 43-yard field-goal attempt on the first play of the second quarter.
Then the first-half clock ran out with the Panthers facing a second-and-goal from the 4. And on their first drive of the second half, they marched 50 yards in eight plays before fumbling the ball over at Nelson’s nine-yard line.
Game was over when: With 30 seconds left in the game and the Bobcats just 31 yards away from the winning touchdown, Nelson quarterback Parker Turley threw an incomplete pass on fourth down. Before a flurry of Nelson offense in the last five minutes of the game, the game had seemed to be over when Fossil Ridge WR Tara Sharif slanted across the middle from the left, working his way for a 14-yard, wide-open TD. The score was just 14-3 and there was still 1:11 left in the third quarter, but the Panthers were controlling the game with their defense.
Play of the game: Fossil Ridge’s first touchdown was a thing of beauty. QB Solis and WR Hearst made it look easy, hooking up for a 34-yard TD. Halfway through the second quarter, it gave the Panthers their first lead at 7-3. Fossil Ridge never trailed again.
Offensive player of the game: Fossil Ridge running back Colione Evans wasn’t fancy, but he was a workhorse. He carried the ball 25 times, gaining 67 yards and helping the Panthers control the clock. Evans also caught two passes for 29 yards, receiving yardage that topped the entire team output of Nelson until the last five minutes of the game.
Defensive player of the game: The nod goes to the Panthers defensive backs, who had more interceptions in the first half than receptions allowed. Wyatt Rohmer shut down a Nelson drive with 2:38 left in the first half with a diving interception to give the Panthers to the ball at their own 10-yard line. In addition to Rohmer’s acrobatic turnover, Tim Benson intercepted a pass. Meanwhile, the Bobcats caught just one pass for four yards in the first half. Daniel Sabadra knocked down a pass in the second half as the Bobcats gained just 71 yards passing for the entire game. Before Nelson’s Noe Diawaku caught five passes for 58 yards in the last five minutes of the game, the Bobcats had completed just 6 of 15 passes for 13 yards.
Unsung hero of the game: Fossil Ridge’s ability to control time of possession. The game wasn’t as close as the score indicated, with the Panthers dominating the stats and controlling the clock. Not only did they have more yards (323 to 148) and first downs (18-10), but they also ran more plays, 62-52. Almost 30 percent of Byron Nelson’s offense came in the last five minutes.
What’s next? Fossil Ridge travels back to Justin and Northwest ISD Stadium, this time to play Haslet Eaton at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4. Byron Nelson will also play a District 5-6A game on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. The Panthers will go on the road to Keller ISD Athletic Complex to play Keller Central.