Bobcats squash Hornets
TULIA – The Childress Bobcats move to 1-1 in District after scoring 48 unanswered points to quash the Tulia Hornets 48-15 on Friday, Oct. 14 at Younger Field.
“We preach every week to get off the field without allowing points,” said Defensive Coordinator Matthew Olson. “The kids created five turnovers and had quite a few three and outs.”
While Seth Taylor and Logan Oldham recovered fumbles, Lamont Nickleberry, Issac Salinas and Custer Keys each had an interception.
“With the exception of the first drive the kids played well,” Olson said. “They settled in and executed the game plan the rest of the way.”
Tulia scored first, and then they returned an interception for a touchdown. With the two-point conversation good, Tulia was up 15-0 with 5:23 left in the first quarter. But the Bobcats would shut them out for the rest of the game.
While Olson was proud of the defensive’s effort, it was the same for Offensive Coordinator Reid Ware and the offensive’s effort.
“We have had some hit or miss weeks offensively and haven’t run the ball as well as we would have liked,” Ware said. “I was very proud of the rushing attack our guys were able to put together.”
Dareon Mathis rushed for 114 yards and scored one touchdown. Nick McMinn was right behind him with 83 yards and one TD.
Nickleberry got the first touchdown of the night on a 36-yard pass from Scout Smith. With Alejandro Romero’s extra point good, the Cats cut the Tulia lead to 15-7 to end the first quarter.
Seth Taylor caught a 60-yard TD pass from Smith in the second quarter. With another good extra point from Romero, it was 15-14 Hornets. The Bobcats would take the lead with 36 seconds left in the first half when Isaiah Jalomo scored on a 20-yard pass from Smith.
It was 21-15 Childress at halftime. “It is always good when you can spread the ball around offensively and show balance between run and pass,” Ware said.
In the second half, it was all Bobcats. Mathis returned the kickoff for a touchdown, extending the lead to 28-15. Next up was a McMinn 60-yard TD. At the end of the third quarter, the Bobcats were ahead 34-15.
In the fourth quarter, Mathis and Nickleberry would score again. Nickleberry ended the night with 122 receiving yards and two touchdowns while Taylor had 80 receiving yards and one TD. Smith threw for 193 yards, had three touchdowns and two interceptions.
“It was overall a positive game for us and an opportunity for us to build up our confidence moving forward,” said Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bo Helm.
Childress, who improved to 3-4 overall, will take on Spearman, who is also 1-1 in District, on Friday, Oct. 21 at Fair Park Stadium.
“Spearman has a great defense, and we are excited about the opportunity to go up against them,” Ware said.
As for the Bobcat defense, Olson said, “Spearman has some explosive players on offense. We need to be great tacklers and continue to get the ball back to our offense.”
Helm said the Bobcats understand the mentality that is needed for this game. “We are in must win situations now with district and playoffs on the horizon,” Helm said.
