Bobcats pounce on Lynx
CHILDRESS – The Childress Bobcats get their second District win after beating Spearman 41-7 on Friday, Oct. 21 at Fair Park Stadium.
With an injured Scout Smith, Drake Rabe got the start. He threw 12-of-23 for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
“Scout injured his leg and will miss a few weeks, but we have a lot of confidence in Drake,” Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Bo Helm said. “I was proud of him stepping up and playing well for us!”
Spearman scored first, but it was all Cats after that. Rabe found Lamont Nickleberry for a 35-yard touchdown pass. After a good Alejandro Romero extra-point kick, the Cats tied the game 7-7.
The first quarter ended 7-7, but the Bobcats scored three TDs in the second quarter. First it was Dareon Mathis with a 59-yard run. With Romero’s extra point kick no good, it was 13-7 Cats.
Up next was Seth Taylor for a one-yard touchdown run. Then Isaiah Jalomo scored on a 33-yard pass from Rabe. Both of Romero’s extra-point kicks were good to make it 27-7 at half.
“Our running game has taken big steps forward the past two weeks, and I think that has been a big boost for us,” said Offensive Coordinator Reid Ware. “We take pride in trying to be balanced between run and pass, and we are a better team when both of them are having success.”
Ware said the line and backs have picked up their consistency the past few weeks, and when the defense adjusts they have to continue to take advantage of it in the passing game.
“We have put an emphasis on finishing and doing a better job blocking,” he explained. “The kids have done a great job embracing that, and they are starting to see results for their hard work.”
The Cats had 418 total yards – 187 passing yards and 231 rushing yards. Mathis lead the team with 191 rushing yards and three touchdowns while Nickleberry lead the team with 126 receiving yards and one touchdown.
“Touchdowns are hard to come by,” Ware said. “It’s always nice to score 40 plus.”
On the opposite side of the ball, the Bobcat defense held Spearman to 118 yards and one touchdown.
“I am proud of how well the kids executed the game plan,” Defensive Coordinator Matthew Olson said. “The kids were flying around and getting to the football consistently all night.”
Because of that, Nick McMinn and Custer Keys each had an interception, and Jalomo recovered a fumble.
“We want to get the ball back as many times as we can to the offense,” Olson added. “Our physicality was at a high level on Friday, and we have to continue that every week.”
Helm said things are starting to click for the Bobcats. “We still have a long way to go to be the team we want to be, but I believe we are headed in the right direction,” he said.
The Bobcats head to Dimmitt to play the Bobcats, who haven’t a won a game this year, on Friday, Oct. 28.
“We don’t look at the record of a team,” Helm said. “Anything can happen. A tough lesson learned last year.”
