-
Sulphur Springs logo
Fall 34-32
KAUFMAN- The Sulphur Springs Wildcats traveled to Kaufman Friday for their preseason finale. After a pair of losses to open their season, the Wildcats were hoping to enter district play with a win and with some momentum.
Defense was the name of the game early, as neither team allowed the other to find the end zone in the opening quarter. Senior corner Colt Silman made a great play, picking off a Kaufman touchdown pass to keep the game 0-0 with 4:27 left in the first first quarter.
With the score still tied 0-0 the Wildcats defense once again came up big, recovering a fumble in Kaufman territory to put themselves in good position to score. Continuing their strong defensive play, safety Riley Hammons came up with a big interception in the second quarter.
Both offenses finally found their footing in the second quarter. After a scoreless opening quarter, both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter to make it a tied game at the half.
The Sulphur Springs offense slowed back down a bit in the third quarter, as they were only able to score three points in the quarter. Junior kicker Uriel Santacruz knocked down a 33-yard field goal, his only attempt of the night. Santacruz was also a perfect 4-for-4 on PAT’s in the game.
Kaufman was able to pull away from the Wildcats a bit, as they added another 14 points in the quarter, taking a 28-17 lead into the fourth.
Sulphur Springs never got down, as they stepped up their play in the fourth quarter to give themselves a chance. A 60-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Mitchell to Weston Fields helped cap off a 15-point quarter, given the Wildcats a chance to win the game.
Trailing by two points, Mitchell and the Wildcats got the ball back in the final minutes, needing to get into field goal range to give Santacruz a chance to attempt a game-winner. Sulphur Springs got past the 50-yard line, before finding themselves in a fourth down situation. Mitchell scrambled, trying to pick up the first down but was stopped just short on a very close play.
With the stop, Kaufman was able to run the clock out, holding on to a 34-32 win.
Mitchell led the offense, going 14-30 for 197 yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats had a number of receivers involved in Friday’s action, but it was Weston Fields who’s 60-yard touchdown catch led the way in yardage.
Landon Fields had four catches for 54 yards, while junior CJ Williams had four catches for 32 yards. Senior tight end Carson Fenton had three catches for 33 yards and a score. Junior tight end Luke Caton had a pair of catches for 18 yards.
Sophomore Malachi Roland led the team in rushing. He averaged over eight yards per attempt, as he picked up 88 yards on 10 carries. Senior JJ Hall was next with 36 rushing yards, while Williams and Mitchell had 32 yards and 31 yards respectively. Senior Douglas Deloney had 22 yards.
Roland not only led the team in rushing, but in tackles as well, finishing the day with 10 total tackles. Senior Griffin Crawford and junior Nick Cantillo were just behind him with seven tackles each. Griffin and Cantillo also had one QB hurry each, while Matthew Clarke had the lone sack of the night.
The Wildcats defense had a very strong game as a whole, forcing a number of turnovers, as well as getting some big stops late to give the offense a chance to take the lead. Although they fell just short of getting their first win of the season, Sulphur Springs will be carrying a lot of momentum into this weeks game.
After a pair of road games, the Wildcats finally get the chance to return home Friday. They will be facing the Crandall Pirates for both their Homecoming game and their district opener. Crandall enters the game with a 2-1 record, although their one loss came at the hands of Kaufman, who they fell to by a score of 32-27.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Coverage of the game will be published in the Wednesday, Sept. 22 edition of the News-Telegram.