-
Senior Douglas Deloney makes for the outside at around the Greenville 25. Deloney had a solid night, touching the ball four times for 38 yards. Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
Cantillo, Hammons notch 9 tackles each
Flags were flying Friday night as the Wildcats’ home game against the Greenville Lions turned a little rowdy at times, the Lions earning 13 penalties for 150 yards, but after being down at halftime, Greenville managed to claw their way to a 25-21 win over the home team.
The Lions were the first to strike with a touchdown to make it 7-0 about five minutes into the first quarter after a Sulphur Springs three-and-out. The next Wildcats drive started with a muffed punt recovered by Sulphur Springs at their own 21, but then a long pass from sophomore Brady Driver to senior Weston Fields moved them inside the Greenville 10. A pass to junior CJ Williams evened the score with 4:47 to go in the first.
After a failed onside kick by Sulphur Springs, it took Greenville two plays and 42 seconds to score a big rushing touchdown, but after a flag negated an initial extra point attempt, the defense came up with a huge block, bringing the score to 13-7 Greenville.
With the opportunity to take the lead, the Wildcats didn’t disappoint as Driver made solid throws and Douglas Delony made a huge run that set up a Driver rushing touchdown. Uriel Santacruz was good for the extra point, and the Wildcats took a narrow lead with 1:20 remaining in the first.
The next Greenville drive started well at midfield, but flags and the Wildcat defense denied any game-changing plays. After a turnover on downs, Sulphur Springs had a quick three-and-out and punted it back to the Greenville 26. The Lions couldn’t move the ball either as Korderrion Turner broke up a third down pass to force another punt.
The Wildcats started their next drive at midfield, and a long run started their drive. However, another flag negated the play, and Driver made use of his legs to secure a first down. Junior Luke Caton made the next play, catching and fighting his way close to the goal line. The Wildcats extended their lead 21-13 with 3:12 left in the second after a Driver-to-Williams pass.
Greenville tried to score again on their next three drives as neither team could gather enough steam for a long drive. Santacruz was close enough at one point to take a shot at goalposts, but he went wide. To the end the first half, the Wildcats entered the locker room with the lead.
When Greenville received the ball in the third quarter, they managed to convert one set of downs before they turned it back over on downs, and the Wildcats aimed to cushion their lead. However, flags again would stymie any momentum they built, and they punted on a fourthand-30.
Greenville started deep in their own territory, but they broke off a massive 76-yard touchdown to bring the game to 21-19 Wildcats. However, the Sulphur Springs defense remained stout and stopped a 2-point conversion to stay the score with 4:13 left in the third.
After a Sulphur Springs drive ended in a punt, Greenville’s running game took them down the field where they completed a wide-open touchdown pass to take the lead 25-21 with 11:41 remaining in the fourth. The Wildcat defense again managed to stop another 2-point conversion with senior Devon Franklin making the key play.
Senior Colby Albritton had a good 40-yard return on the kickoff, but the drive ended there as the Wildcats turned it back over after incomplete passes. Greenville moved worryingly deep into Sulphur Springs territory but eventually gave the ball back with 5:55 remaining in the game.
To retake the lead, Driver looked to Fields, but the senior fell just short of completing major passes. However, Greenville couldn’t spend much of the clock and punted the ball back with 4:02 left. Fields again was a favorite target, and while one big catch appeared to move the Wildcats into Greenville territory, it was ruled out amidst home crowd boos. When the drive looked dire, Driver again took the ball himself and secured another set of downs. However, an interception almost closed the game entirely with 3:26 left.
Greenville kept the clock ticking with run plays, but clock management and the defense eventually stifled the drive down to a vital fourth-and-two. With the home crowd screaming their loudest all game, the Greenville offense drew a false start flag and punted it back with 1:14 left in the game.
Now at their own 33, Driver used both his legs and arm, aiming for Fields and senior Colt Silman. Silman had a big drop deep in Greenville territory, but Sulphur Springs managed to convert a fourth down in Greenville territory with 15 seconds left. Driver narrowly avoided an end zone interception as time ticked, and after a rush by Driver to the 19, the clock glowed with 3 seconds. A final pass to Matthew Sherman was stopped short.
Driver had a solid performance with 146 rushing yards and 191 passing for 337 total. He went 14-34 on throws and averaged 8.1 yards per carry. Only Deloney, who had four carries and 38 rush yards, averaged more. Malachi Roland had four carries for nine yards, and JJ Hall had five carries for six yards.
On the receiving side, Fields posted 81 yards on four catches, and CJ had two catches, both of which were touchdowns, for 24 yards. Other standouts include Sherman with four catches for 42 yards and Silman with two catches for 25 yards.
Defensive standouts were juniors Riley Hammons and Nick Cantillo, both of whom had five solo tackles and four assisted. Korderrion Turner had a great night on defense with his one interception and six total tackles. Silman led the team in solo tackles with 6 and had a team-high three pass deflections.
This loss drops Sulphur Springs to 0-5 in their district and 0-8 overall. They are currently tied with North Forney for last in the district.
The Wildcats stay at home this week and hope to earn their first win over the Forney Jackrabbits who are 4-1 in district and 5-3 overall. The Jackrabbits have had big district wins, including a home victory over Crandall in triple overtime and a shut-out of Greenville on the road.
Next week they face North Forney on the road. North Forney is the only district team ranked lower than Sulphur Springs in the Harris Ratings at 78th. Sulphur Spring currently stands at 69th.