Sulphur Springs | Football
Football playoff hopes disappeared into the rainy Friday night sky as Sulphur Springs lost 25-13 at home to Greenville.
The Interstate 30 rivalry with the Lions saw the visitors at Gerald Prim Stadium stake their claim at a postseason berth while dimming the lights on the Wildcats’ chances.
Greenville went to 5-3 overall, 4-2 in district play. The Sulphur Springs squad dropped to 1-8 on the year, 1-5 in district with two games left.
For the Lions, it was a night of many happy returns. Twice the Greenville squads turned kickoffs into scores, and they added an “pick six” on a first-quarter interception return.
The Wildcats out-gained the visitors on yards from scrimmage.
Sulphur Springs had 44 rushes for 189 total ground yards and 49 yards passing.
Da’Korian Sims again was near the century mark in total yards. He had 82 yards on 13 carries and caught one pass for 13 yards.
Caden Davis scored the only touchdown for the Wildcats and ran for 54 yards on 19 tries.
Junior quarterback Kaden Wallace played less than a quarter in the game due to injury.
Wallace completed 5-of-7 for 29 yards and had one interception.
Top receiver was Kylan Wade with one grab for
20.
Ponce, the back-up quarterback and starting punter, was called into service. Ponce completed 1 of 7 passes for 20 yards. He also ran four times for 28 yards.
Sulphur Springs again had a spirited performance by the defense which allowed the Lions less than 150 yards of total offense.
Lester Turner ran for 90 yards for tops on the Lions. Linebacker Ryan Carrillo topped the tackle chart with 13, one stop for a loss; Wade turned in 10 total tackles; Cameron Kaufert made two stops behind the line and seven total tackles; Eleazar Brena recorded seven total tackles, one for a loss; and Chase Haney had six stops.
After the teams traded punts on the slick, green turf, Greenville got on the scoreboard in a spectacular manner.
On a third and 12 from their 46-yard-line, Tyrecus Davis stepped in front of a Wallace pass and zipped through traffic, returning the pigskin 60 yards for the first score of the game. Zach Allen tacked on the extra point, and with 2:59 to play in the opening period, the Lions were up 7-0.
Sulphur Springs then put together their only scoring drive of the night, which would result in a touchdown.
With Ponce at the controls, Sims ran on four consecutive tries, he picked up 57 yards. He came out for rest and the touchdown was scored by Davis on a 6-yard burst. The Brandon Zavala extra point tied the game at 7-all with 47 seconds left in the opening frame.
Starting near midfield, the Lions went on a scoring drive to regain the lead. The capping play was a run by Denson Miles for an 11-yard score. The point after kick was missed, but Greenville held a 13-7 lead with 9:56 still remaining before intermission.
The Wildcats cut the halftime lead to 13-10 when Zavala ended a possession with a 24-yard boot. Greenville made the most of receiving the second half kickoff as Denson picked the ball off the ground and scooted around the corner for a 70-yard score. The point after again missed the mark, and Sulphur Springs was on the short end of a 19-10 score.
The Wildcats used a mixture of plays to string together a scoring drive. Sulphur Springs got inside the 10-yard line but had to settle for another Zavala 24-yard field goal.
With the score tightened to 19-13, Greenville went to work to pad the lead. Tyrecus Davis again found the end zone on a kickoff return, this time from 50 yards out. Now the Lions were in command, 25-13 with 6:55 to play in the third quarter.
The teams went back to tough defense, as they trade punts and action went to the final frame.
Neither team scored in the fourth quarter as the rain trickled down the empty seats in the stadium. Greenville took the 25-13 win and stayed in playoff contention.
The Wildcats play their final road game in district play Nov. 1 at Kaufman. The Lions are 1-7 overall and 1-5 in district after losing 47-7 to Royse City on Oct. 25.
Other scores from Oct. 25 games include: North Forney 50, Terrell 28 and Corsicana 7, Forney 0.
Games this week: Ennis at Corsicana; Royse City at North Forney, Forney at Greenville and Terrell is open.