Shorthorns Stun Defending State Quarterfinalists

Schulenburg gained a stunning victory on the gridiron Friday night against the Tidehaven Tigers at home. The win guarantees the Shorthorns a spot in the playoffs. They now hold third place in district 14-3A-1.

“This was the first time we’ve put two solid games together,” Shorthorn head coach Brandon Brown said after the game. “Going into this one, we knew we had to step it up another notch. When things get down, you’ve got to turn around and gain momentum back. We did all those things in this one. The expectation is here now, and we have to play at that level every week.”

A strong cross wind last Friday probably helped the Shorthorns, who like the run the ball between the tackles. Tidehaven quarterback Blake Garcia completed only two passes all night. Despite the wind, Shorthorn quarterback Brett Janacek converted three key third down plays in the air.

The Shorthorn defense deserves much of the credit for the win. The Tigers were 3-4 coming into the game, but three of their losses were to top-10 ranked teams: East Bernard, Shiner and Refugio.

“We let them get a couple of big runs on us, be we held them in the end,” said Shorthorn defensive back Trinity Houston. “It was a big W. Now we’re fighting for second place.”

Tidehaven relied heavily on ground attack from their quarterback Garcia and running back Jose Martinez. Garcia found success running to the outside against Schulenburg, running for 144 yards and scoring twice for the Tigers.

Schulenburg responded with a ground attack of their own by running backs Braden Duarte and Temon Glover. Tidehaven appeared to have studied Schulenburg’s offense well, since Duarte, the Shorthorn’s leading rusher this season, struggled against the Tigers, rushing for just 33 yards on 20 carries. Glover had the better night, rushing for 124 yards and averaging 8.79 yards per carry.

Late in the third quarter with the Shorthorns behind 7-13, Tidehaven receiver Mason Perales got ejected from the game for a flagrant blindside block. That loss might have cost Tidehaven the game. Perales was the only receiver Garcia was able to connect with all night. And the flag came on a first down during a strong drive, when the Tigers were in position to score from the Shorthorns 20 yard line.

The penalty moved the ball back to the 34. The Shorthorn defense gave up only a yard on the following four plays, forcing a turnover on downs.

The Horns followed that up with a 10-play touchdown drive, which included a spectacular 39-yard pass from Janacek to Bobby Smith. After a good extra point, the Shorthorns took the lead 14-13.

Neither team risked a long kickoff all night due to the wind. Likewise, every possession following a touchdown started out near midfield. Tidehaven capitalized on the short field on the next possession, scoring after just four plays in under a minute. They attempted a two-point conversion and failed, leaving the score 14-19 with 7:16 left in the game.

The Horns ground out the rest of the game on the field. Temon Glover capped off an amazing night with a touchdown run with 1:10 left in the game.

“I saw some green grass and knew I had to take it in,” he said after the game. “This win means everything for us.”

Schulenburg went for two points, and Braden Duarte converted with a run, bringing the score to 22-19.

After a bumrush kickoff that Tidehaven managed to recover, the Tigers went four-and-out, leaving Schulenburg with their second district win of the season.

“It feels good, back-to-back wins,” Janacek said after the game. “We put everything together, but we had to fight for it this time. They came out with all the stops. They were physical. They did everything they could, but we kept fighting. We were the team that wanted it more.”

Janacek said he believes his team can make a deep run in the playoffs this year.

‘We can do it, we just have to keep up this momentum,” he said.

Schulenburg 22,

Tidehaven 19

Schulenburg 0 7 0 15 – 22

Tidehaven 7 6 0 6 – 19

Schul. Tidehaven

First downs 14 15

Rushes-Yds 41-146 41-248 Passing yards 79 48 Total yards 225 296 Comp-Att-Int 5-8-0 2-13-0 Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-0 Punts-Avg. 2-42.5 2-26 Penalties-yards 3-30 9-99

1ST QUARTER

Tide - Garcia 29 run (Perales kick), :33.

2ND QUARTER

Sch - Janecek 14 run (Isaias Lara kick), 8:31.

Tide - Garcia 1 run (kick failed), 2:11.

4TH QUARTER

Sch - Duarte 1 run (Lara kick), 8:05. Tide - Martinez 15 run (pass failed), 7:16.

Sch - Glover 9 run (Duarte run), 1:04.

Individual Stats

RUSHING – Schulenburg: Temon Glover 14-123, Brayden Duarte 20-33, Brett Janecek 5-18, Team 2-(-28); Tidehaven: Blake Garcia 23-144. PASSING – Schulenburg: Janecek 5 of 8 for 79 yards; Tidehaven: Garcia 2 of 13 for 48 yards.

RECEIVING – Schulenburg: Bobby Smith 5-79; Tidehaven: Perales 2-48.

District 14-3A Standings

Overall District

East Bernard 9-0 5-0 Schulenburg 6-3 4-1 Ganado 6-2 3-1 Tidehaven 3-5 2-2 Danbury 1-5 1-3 Van Vleck 2-5 0-4 Bloomington 2-6 0-4

Friday’s scores:

Schulenburg 22, Tidehaven 19 Ganado 35, Van Vleck 8

East Bernard 54, Bloomington 0

This week’s games:

Schulenburg is off

Bloomington at Van Vleck

Danbury at East Bernard

Ganado at Tidehaven