"SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T GET SCHOOLS TO PLAY YOU, " REFLECTED BRADY CARNEY, THE HEAD COACH OF THE MUENSTER HORNETS. "WE'VE GOT TO GO WHERE EVER WE CAN TO FIND GAMES. THE YEAR AFTER WE WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP, I COULDN'T FIND ANYBODY WHO WAS WILLING TO PLAY. SO WE HAD TO PLAY CACHE, OKLAHOMA. WE HAD TO PLAY CHILDRESS. IT GETS TOUGH SCHEDULING, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNTE ENOUGH TO HAVE SOME SUCCESS, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO DRIVE A COUPLE OF HOURS TO FIND A GAME ."
THIS YEAR, EARLY SEASON MATCH UPS INCLUDED 3A POWERHOUSES BELLS AND PARADISE BEFORE 2A II DISTRICT 7 FAVORITE WINDTHORST, THEMSELVES A FORMER 2A II STATE CHAMPION. THIS WEEK ITS BACK TO WORK AGAINST 3A I RECENT STATE CHAMPION POTTSBORO.
THE TOUGH SCHEDULE CAN COME AT A COST. WHILE THE WINDTHORST TROJANS, AFTER AN OPEN WEEK, WERE GEARING UP FOR A HOMETOWN VISIT FROM THE MUENSTER HORNETS. THE STINGERS WERE COUNTING THEIR CASUALTIES FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK. WR/DB SHANE HESS, A SENIOR, WAS DOUBTFUL. 190 POUND OL/DL NOLAN PEEL WAS EXPECTED TO BE CLEARED TO PLAY. STARTING DB REECE HIGHTOWER, A SENIOR, HAD SURGERY ON HIS BROKEN HAND. 185 POUND STARTER GREDAN WOLFE WAS LISTED AS DOUBTFUL FOR THE MATCHUP WITH WINDTHORST AND JUNIOR, OWEN WALTERSCHEID IS RECOVERING FROM A BROKEN COLLAR BONE.
THE FRIDAY NIGHT DRIVE TO WINDTHORST WAS A SHORT ONE. ONLY AN HOUR AND A HALF CRUISE ONE WAY TO THE CARBON COPY IMPRINT OF MUENSTER. THE WINDTHORST SCHOOL IS NESTLED BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY CEMETERY ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE PROPERTY AND THE ST MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH ON EAST. IT'S A TOWN STOKED IN HERITAGE AND SPORTS PRIDE WITH STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL IN RECENT TIMES. SOUND FAMILIAR ?
FRIDAY NIGHT THE HORNETS WON THE TOSS AND PROMPTLY DEFERRED TO RECEIVE THE KICK OFF IN THE SECOND HALF. DURING THE FIRST WINDTHORST DRIVE THE TROJANS WERE FORCED TO PUNT AFTER AN INCOMPLETE PASS AND A FIVE YARD PENALTY LEFT THE ''W'' MEN FLAT. HORNETS DEFENDERS SHAWN SICKING, KOHL TAYLER, BRADEN BERKLEY, AND COLTON DECKARD SET THE TEMPO FOR THE NIGHT SHUTTING DOWN THE GROUND ATTACK..
BEGINNING AT THEIR OWN 38 FOLLOWING A PUNT, THE HORNETS USED THREE PLAYS TO MOVE TO THE WINDTHORST 47 YARD LINE. FROM THERE SENIOR RUNNING BACK COLTON DECKARD, TEXAS FOOTBALL MAGAZINES 2A -II PRE-SEASON RUNNING BACK OF THE YEAR, WENT TO WORK. BURSTING THROUGH THE LINE BEHIND THE BLOCKING OF GABE GREWING, KOHL TAYLER AND GARRETT HESS, THE SENIOR SPEEDSTER BROKE A TACKLE IN THE SECONDARY AND DASHED INTO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE END ZONE. DEVON BINDEL BOOTED THE EXTRA POINT AND WITH 8:46 REMAINING IN THE FIRST PERIOD THE BOYS FROM MUENSTER LED IT 7-0.
THE TROJANS ARE NEVER OUT OF THE FIGHT AND THEIR GAME PLAN LIVED UP TO EXPECTATIONS WHEN SENIOR QUARTERBACK LOGAN COPE CONNECTED WITH A WIDE OPEN RECEIVER DOWN THE LEFT HASH FOR A TD. SUDDENLY WITH 3:21 REMAINING IN THE OPENING FRAME THE MUENSTER DEFENSE WAS CALLED ON TO PUT ON A SHOW. LINEBACKERS HUNTER PEEL, GRANT WARD, AND MARCUS ANDERLE HELPED FILL THE GAPS AND THE EXTRA POINT TRY FOR TWO WAS QUELLED.
LEADING BY A POINT, THE MUENSTER BOYS RETALIATED WITH AN EIGHT PLAY, FIVE MINUTE DRIVE THAT WAS CAPPED OFF WITH AN ELEVEN YARD MEANDER OFF OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE OFFENSIVE LINE GOOD FOR ANOTHER SIXER. GABE GREWING, HUNTER PEEL AND ISSAC WOLFE OPENED THE WAY FOR THE CABETT BLAKE BOLT. HELP WAS ADDED BY DAWSON VOTH, BRADEN BERKLEY, AND BRODY TYLER.
WINDTHORST'S NEXT DRIVE ENDED AFTER A FUMBLE AT THE HORNETS 35 YARD LINE. TWO PLAYS LATER MUENSTER FOUND ITSELF AT THE WINDTHORST FIFTEEN BUT COULD GO NO FURTHER, SETTLING FOR A 35 YARD FIELD GOAL BY DEVON BINDEL TO RAISE THE HALFTIME SCORE TO 17 - 6.
THE THIRD QUARTER TIGHTENED UP WHEN WINDTHORST'S QUARTERBACK COPE TOSSED A THIRTEEN YARD PASS TO HIS 6'4 JUNIOR WIDE OUT, KOLBY TEAKELL. TO CLOSE OUT A FIFTY-THREE YARD DRIVE THAT STARTED WITH A MUENSTER FUMBLE AT THE HORNET 47. THE KICK CONVERSION PUSHED THE TROJANS EVEN CLOSER 17 - 13 WITH 8:44 REMAINING IN THE QUARTER, BUT THAT AS AS CLOSE AS WINDTHORST WOULD COME ON THE NIGHT.
THE REMAINDER OF THE CONTEST DEFENSIVE PLAYERS CONNER WALTERSCHEID, BRADLEY LUTKENHAUS, DAWSON VOTH, CASEN CARNEY, SETH STOFFELS, AND COMPANY TIGHTENED DOWN THE SCREWS ON OVERSIZED WIDE RECEIVERS BRAYDEN BEREND (6'3) AND TEAKELL (6'4).
WITH :39 REMAINING IN THE THIRD, MUENSTER LAUNCHED A NINE-PLAY 53 YARD DRIVE CAPPED OFF WITH A FIVE YARD TD BURST BY BRADEN BERKLEY, A 200 POUNDER, WHO PIN BALLED HIS WAY ACROSS THE SOUTH END ZONE WITH STYLE. THE EVER DEPENDABLE DEVON BINDEL TOED THE BALL THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS FOR THE POINT AFTER, MAKING THE TOLL 24-13 WITH 9:18 REMAINING IN THE GAME.
BINDEL WASN'T THROUGH FOR THE NIGHT. WITH 3:46 SHOWING IN THE FOURTH, THE 187 POUND SENIOR SHOT HIS WAY 12 YARDS UP THE GUT FOR SIX MORE AND THEN PERFORMED THE FINAL OFFENSIVE ACT OF THE GAME WITH THE POINT AFTER KICK TO MAKE IT 31-13.
FOR THOSE USED TO SEEING THE COLTON DECKARD SHOW IN THE SECOND HALF, THE PREMIERE RUNNING BACK WAS USED PRIMARILY AS A DECOY OFFENSIVELY AND A DEVASTATING DEFENSIVE END FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CONTEST. IT WAS A RUSE THAT WORKED, ULTIMATELY FOUR DIFFERENT RUNNING BACKS WOULD SCORE FOR THE HORNETS.
FOR THOSE CURIOUS ABOUT THE WISDOM OF PLAYING A FRESHMAN IN A BIG GAME COACH CARNEY MADE A GUTSY CALL AND HIS SON, CASEN CARNEY TOOK OVER AT THE HELM. WHAT THE CROWD WITNESSED WAS A POISED PERFORMANCE WORTHY OF SENIOR. A VETERAN COOLY DIRECTING HIS SQUAD TO THE END ZONE, SIDE-STEPPING EVEN A HINT OF INDECISION. A LONG SIDE LINE PASS TO TIGHT END GARRETT HESS, THE OTHER FRESHMAN IN THE STARTING LINE UP, WAS RULED AN OUT-OF-BOUNDS CATCH, BUT AN OVERHEAD ACTION SHOT SEEMS TO CALL
THE MATTER INTO QUESTION.
2022 MUENSTER 31 WINDTHORST 13
2021 MUENSTER 16 WINDTHORST 8
2020 MUENSTER 7 WINDTHORST 18
2020 MUENSTER 20 WINDTHORST 30 PLAYOFFS
2018 MUENSTER 52 WINDTHORST 21
THIS FRIDAY POTTSBORO, ANOTHER 3A I TEAM COMES TO TOWN TO TANGLE WITH THE HORNETS. THE CARDINALS WON THEIR 2019 MATCH UP 39-12 GIVING THE TWO TEAMS A 1-1 RECORD IN MATCH PLAY,
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