| Sports
Highlights Eustace stomps Quitman,
56-27
Bulldogs remain unbeaten
By Sam Epps
Sports Editor
EUSTACE–The Eustace Bulldogs defeated the visiting Quitman
Bulldogs, 56-27, Friday night to remain undefeated for the
season.
Again, as is the typical game plan for the Bulldogs, Eustace
gained the majority of their yards on the ground, racking up 335
yards of rushing.
And for a team that doesn’t pass the ball much, Eustace went
2-for-2 with 42 yards passing.
The first pass was just three plays into the game and was a
37-yarder from quarterback Jordan Foote to receiver Tyler
McWilliams for a touchdown.
Kyle Purselley’s PAT was good, giving Eustace a quick, 7-0,
lead.
Eustace scored again in the first quarter on an 85-yard run by
running back Jacob McCarter.
Quitman scored once in the first quarter and once in the second
quarter.
However, the Bulldogs added 28 points in the second quarter to
take a 42-14 lead into halftime.
The Quitman offense was shut down completely in the third
quarter, while Eustace added eight points.
In the fourth quarter, Quitman got their offensive act together
and scored 14 points, while Eustace added another eight points
to the board to secure the win.
Quitman had 189 yards of passing and 103 yards rushing. However,
Quitman threw three interceptions, including one returned 37
yards by McCarter to score.
“Our defense did some great things,” Eustace head coach Brian
Herman said.
McCarter led the Eustace running game with 139 yards on eight
carries and a touchdown.
Tyler Folsom added 93 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, and
Blake Ward rushed 12 times for 61 yards, including two
touchdowns.
Adam Carson ran twice for 16 yards, Nathan Denson gained 13
yards and a touchdown on four carries and Tyson Oliver added
eight yards on one carry.
Josh Dunn picked up a touchdown for Eustace on a 1-yard run.
Eustace will host the District 13-3A Ferris Yellowjackets this
week.
Ferris is currently 0-4 for the season, and Herman isn’t exactly
sure why. “They are a very physical team,” he said.
Ferris has an almost entirely new coaching staff and a small
number of returning starters.
Herman knows his Bulldogs can’t let their guard down, even
against a team with no wins.
“They’re going to be hungry for a win,” Herman commented. And
several of the Yellowjackets’ players may well remember the
47-29 win they got over Eustace last year.
Herman expects Ferris to be a strong running team with a spread
offense.
“They like to give their runners plenty of space to run in,” he
explained.
Eustace, however, typically runs straight ahead into a gap
created by a very talented offensive line.
“We don’t have the speed and finesse to run around as much, we
take it right up the middle.”
Palestine gets past Panthers
By Sam Epps
Sports Editor
MABANK–The Mabank Panthers seemed to have the game all but won
Friday night. But a last-minute surge by the Palestine Wildcats,
along with some calls that went against the Panthers, put an end
to the Panthers’ night, 35-31.
After Palestine took an early, 21-7, lead in the first quarter,
Mabank settled in shut down the Wildcat offense and tied the
game, 21-21, by halftime.
Mabank scored again in the third quarter, giving themselves a
28-21 lead going into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Mabank added three points, and had a
31-27 lead with less than two minutes remaining.
Palestine took possession of the ball and drove more than 75
yards. After a hard-fought stand near the goal line, Palestine
scored a touchdown to take a 34-31, and the good PAT gave the
Wildcats 35 points on the board.
Mabank took the ensuing kickoff, but ran out of time, ending the
game.
The Panthers had 154 yards rushing and 256 yards passing in the
game, including four touchdowns.
Korey Givens led the Panthers with 111 yards on the ground,
while quarterback Austin Craig added 31 yards rushing. Tanner
Marler also gained 19 yards for the Panthers.
Receiver Robert Erskine gained 98 yards on one reception, while
Ryan Walker had two receptions for 88 yards. Chans Hall gained
70 yards on one catch.
“We’ve got to come out faster – get going quicker defensively,”
Mabank head coach Jimmy Cantrell said, noting Palestine’s quick
start and early lead. “After we settled in, it was a tight
game.”
“This was quite possibly our best game of the season, things are
starting to click,” he added.
Mabank will host the Brownsboro Bears this week, which will also
be Mabank’s homecoming.
Brownsboro hasn’t won a game this season, but have played a
tough schedule so far.
“They (Brownsboro) will be a good test for us, their offense is
a lot like Canton’s” Cantrell said.
“They may be struggling a little on defense.”
Eustace XC takes first place in Van
Monitor Staff Reports
VAN–The Eustace Bulldogs cross country teams took first place at
the Sky Ranch Christian Camp cross country meet in Van Sept. 16.
The varsity girls team finished first out of 13 teams and 110
individuals. They were lead by sophomore Meagan Gunter, who took
second and ran a 13:24.
Tarah Herrera placed third with a time of 13:40, Samantha
Crocker placed sixth, Emily Morton placed 15th, Kara Zimmerer
placed 21st, Crystal Garza placed 26th, Grace Holcombe placed
45th, Shelby Stegent placed 46th and Madi Allen finished 98th.
The varsity boys team also finished first out of 12 teams and 87
individuals.
They were lead by junior Evan Arambula, who took third place
with a time of 16:33. Michael Yates finished eighth with a time
of 17:40, while Ben Huddleston placed ninth with a time of
17:41. Jason Ballenger placed 11th with a time of 17:58, and
Trey Russell placed 21st.
The junior varsity boys finished seventh out of 19 teams and 185
individuals. They were lead by Ryan Brown, who finished 26th
with a time of 19:56.
Hunter Norris took 28th with a time of 19:59 and Brandon Hall
finished 31st with a time of 20:04. |
