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Matthew Mitchell (11) gets ready to release a pass for the Wildcats while a teammate blocks a Greenville defender during Thursday night home football action. The Wildcats won the ninth grade game 40-28. Photo by Don Wallace
Sulphur Springs | Football
Sulphur Springs went 1-1 in two sub-varsity football games on Thursday, Oct. 24 played against Greenville squads at two locations.
SULPHUR SPRINGS 9TH 40, GREENVILLE 9TH 28
Offense in a driving rain?
It happened for Sulphur Springs in a game that started out slightly damp but finished in a moderate cold rain at Gerald Prim Stadium.
The diehard fans who stayed for the complete contest were not disappointed by the home team as they scored early and often, taking a 40-28 win in the freshman district game.
Sulphur Springs racked up over 440 yards of offense. The Wildcats were picking up yardage in chunks; they had 16 plays of 10 yards or more on the wet turf. Quarterback Matthew Mitchell directed the offense with pinpoint passing.
Unofficially for the game, Mitchell completed 16-of-22 passes for 347 yards and three scores. Mitchell threw one touchdown pass each to Jamar Rose, Landon Fields and C.J. Williams. Williams for the night had six receptions for 172 yards, Fields pulled in five passes for a 68 yards, and Rose was held to two catches for 54 yards. Mitchell also played well on defense, making several touchdown-saving tackles against speedy Greenville athletes.
Greenville started the game in impressive fashion when quarterback Micah Simpson called his own number. The slick speedster cut through the line, and then turned on the jets, scoring on a 53-yard run to begin the contest. The try for a point after failed, but the Lions were up 6-0 with 8:49 still to play in the opening period.
Sulphur Springs quickly responded with a touchdown of their own. The Wildcats capped the game with a 64-yard drive with a Mitchell-to-Rose scoring toss. The touchdown completion covered 33 yards. The extra point kick by Uriel Santa Cruz was good, giving the home team a 7-6 edge with more than 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
Simpson got Greenville on the scoreboard again. This time, he threw a scoring pass from 12 yards out to speed Joel Luna. Simpson converted the 2-point play with a run. Now Greenville was up 14-7 with 4:57 to play in the first frame. Sulphur Springs went to the wet skies, scoring on a touchdown pass. Mitchell threw to Fields on the short connection which came following a Greenville turnover. The kick by Santa Cruz allowed the home team to deadlock the game at 14-all.
Following a short Greenville punt, the Wildcat offense was back rolling again. Sulphur Springs strung together a 68-yard drive. The capping play was a Ma’Kaylon Rush 4-yard scoring run. The kick was again perfect, and the Wildcats were up 21-14.
The Wildcat defense forced another punt by Greenville, giving them time for another scoring opportunity before the half. With 18 seconds left in the first half, Mitchell threw to Williams for a score to pad the half time advantage for the home team to 28-14.
As the rain got harder and temperature fell, the Wildcats continued to put pressure on the Lions by adding points to their total. Rose scored on a 2-yard run to conclude a 65-yard scoring drive to open the third quarter. The extra point kick was blocked, but Sulphur Springs edged ahead now by a 20-point lead, 34-14.
When Greenville got the ball back, Sulphur Springs sacked Simpson for a 3-yard loss with Brayden Morris slipping through the Lions’ line. Simpson regrouped and scored on the next play, a nifty 41-yard run to make it a 34-20 game with 4:27 to play in the third quarter.
Sulphur Springs answered with a short scoring drive. The touchdown coming on a 6-yard run by Rush. Now the Wildcats were up 40-20 as action shifted to the final quarter.
Greenville was able to manufacture another scoring drive. This time, the Lions went 57-yards in 13 plays. The Lions made it a 40-28 score with less than 4 minutes remaining.
The Wildcats got the ball back and ran out the clock. Mitchell kneeled twice on the wet green turf as the final seconds clicked off.
Sulphur Springs claiming the 40-28 victory.
GREENVILLE JV 14, SULPHUR SPRINGS JV 0
In other Thursday action, despite a weather delay, the junior varsity got in a game at Greenville.
Defensive standouts were Chase Mitchell on the line, Bryan Osornio at inside linebacker and defensive back Jacob Semler with a pass break up to prevent a touchdown reception, Wildcat coach Kurt Mc-Cain pointed out.
"We moved the ball a little, but could not get in the end zone. Rain shortened the game," said Wildcat coach Mike Meador.