Live Updates: Monahans vs. Graham

FINAL -- GRAHAM 44, MONAHANS 28

4TH QUARTER

-- 1:07 -- Roark gets sacked for a 7-yard loss to seal the game effectively.

-- 1:29 -- A bad snap on a Graham field goal attempt gives the Loboes the ball back on downs, but time is running out.

-- 4:14 -- Facing a third-and-1, Cameron Bailey carries for 3 yards and a Steers first down.

-- 7:11 -- Two straight fumbled snaps leave the Loboes without a chance to pick up the first down, and Graham takes over on downs at its own 42.

-- 8:11 -- On the second play of the drive, Scharf carries over the left side for 13 yards and a first down across midfield.

-- 8:49 -- Roark's first pass of the drive is incomplete, but Graham is flagged for roughing the passer for the second time, giving Monahans a first down.

-- 8:53 -- After a block-in-the back on second down forces Graham into a second-and-17, McCoy hits Conner Higgins on a crossing route, Higgins cuts up the field past the Loboes secondary and scores from 37 yards out.

-- 9:45 -- Tyler Ryan and Jordan Dies combine to crush Wade Roark for a 10-yard loss to the Monahans two, and a third-and-30 pass falls incomplete. Monahans will have to punt from its own 2.

-- 11:07 -- On the very next play, McCoy hits Dylan Fulford for a 14-yard touchdown pass to stretch the lead back out.

-- 11:14 -- Faking a missed snap by having Case McCoy leap into the air, Cameron Bailey takes a direct snap and rolls 16 yards to the Monahans 14.

-- 11:42 -- Forced to punt after a three-and-out, Monahans allows Brian Sides to return the ball 12 yards to the Loboes 30, where he takes over.

3RD QUARTER

End of quarter -- Two straight runs leave the Loboes with a third-and-7 at their own 5.

-- 1:06 -- Floating a ball on third-and-6 at the Monahans 26, McCoy gets picked off by a diving Rex Rose, and the Loboes take over at their own 2.

-- 3:03 -- McCoy hits two short passes to pick up a first down at the Monahans 41.

-- 4:16 -- Graham forces a missed extra point, but after a penalty for encroachment, Scharf dives over the pile for the 2-point conversion.

-- 4:43 -- After Scharf picks up 5 yards on third-and-1 at the Graham 16, Andrew Gaona takes a handoff to the left, hesitates long enough to freeze the defense, then bursts into the open for 11 yards and a touchdown.

-- 5:52 -- On the second play of the ensuing drive, McCoy tries to find a receiver down the left sideline, and Scharf picks off the pass to give the Loboes the ball at the Graham 26.

-- 6:44 -- Byron Scharf takes the ball over the right side for 9 yards and a score for Monahans.

-- 6:53 -- Coming in to replace Roark, Rex Rose hits Trevor Owens for 17 yards and a first down at the Graham 9.

-- 7:08 -- After a 1-yard carry, Wade Roark is forced to leave the game with an injury.

-- 7:48 -- Tailback Byron Scharf bounces back to pick up 28 yards on two straight carries and give the Loboes a first-and-10 at the Graham 27.

-- 8:43 -- Roark opens the Monahans drive with a 9-yard keeper, and then Scharf carries for 2 yards and a first down at the Loboes 45.

-- 9:01 -- Trevor Owens bats down a McCoy throw on fourth-and-4 to give the Loboes the ball back at the 34.

-- 10:57 -- After a 7-yard carry by Bailey, McCoy hits Conner Higgins for 7 yards and a first down to start the drive.

HALFTIME -- GRAHAM 30, MONAHANS 13

2ND QUARTER

End of half -- Case McCoy hits Garrett Spears on a 6-yard throw at the back of the end zone to put Graham up 30-13.

-- 0:08 -- Two plays later, Case McCoy goes deep down the right sideline, and Conner Higgins makes the catch over a leaping Monahans corner for a 46-yard gain.

-- 0:16 -- A 7-yard pass to Garrett Spears on the sideline gives Graham a first down at its own 48.

-- 0:38 -- Graham blocks the extra point, Brian Sides picks it up and returns it 87 yards for a two-point score.

-- 0:38 -- After Roark hits Ricky Robledo for 15 yards and a first down, he follows that with a 10-yard strike to Rex Rose for a touchdown that cuts the Graham lead.

-- 1:05 -- Trying to get another fourth-down conversion, Roark misses Ricky Robledo high, but Graham roughs the passer, and Monahans picks up a first down at the Steers 25.

-- 1:35 -- Facing a fourth-and-11 at his own 37, Roark drops back, tosses it over the middle and hits a leaping Byron Scharf for 17 yards and a first down across midfield.

-- 2:02 -- Roark gets dropped for a 1-yard loss on first down.

-- 2:40 -- After an 11-yard carry by Ty Horton on the first play of the drive, Roark hits Trevor Owens for 14 yards to the Monahans 38.

-- 3:47 -- A Ricky Robledo sack knocks McCoy back to his own 18, but a 16-yard pass to Fulford and a 2-yard touchdown by Bailey put Graham in the end zone again.

-- 4:48 -- On the first play of the drive, Fulford takes a reverse and heaves it to Ethan Hiser on a trick play that gives the Steers first-and-goal at the 6.

-- 5:06 -- With Scharf busting up the middle on the first play of the drive, the ball gets stripped, and Graham defensive end Kyler Scheriger recovers to give Graham the ball back at the Monahans 31.

-- 5:17 -- Rolling left, McCoy finds Dylan Fulford open deep for a 69-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to give Graham a single-touchdown lead.

-- 6:14 -- A holding penalty kills Monahans, forces a three-and-out, and the Loboes punt it away to give the Steers back the ball on their own 29.

-- 7:20 -- Case McCoy keeps the ball on a sneak to score a 1-yard touchdown and tie the game.

-- 8:01 -- Monahans forces a fumble on first-and-goal, but Graham recovers to escape without a turnover.

-- 8:29 -- After McCoy hits Fulford for 14 on third-and-12, McCoy gets tattooed by a late hit, and Graham picks up 7 yards on the penalty.

-- 9:43 -- Running out of the power-I, Cameron Bailey picks up 5 yards and a first down at the Monahans 25.

-- 10:05 -- McCoy hits Corey Groves for 14 yards, but the ball is short on the measurement, and Graham faces a third-and-short.

-- 11:10 -- Staying focused on a tipped ball from McCoy, Dylan Fulford catches the pass while falling out of bounds for a 16-yard gain and a first down at the Monahans 39.

-- 11:52 -- Roark punts it away, and a 13-yard reurn by Brian Sides gives Graham first-and-10 at its own 41.

1ST QUARTER

End of quarter -- Byron Scharf is dragged down after a 1-yard reception to set up fourth-and-3 at the Monahans 40.

-- 1:49 -- Facing second-and-15 at his own 18 after a holding penalty, Roark scrambles around the right side for 15 yards and a first down.

-- 2:16 -- After Kevin Coldewey stays home on a double reverse to halt Conner Higgins for just a 2-yard gain, another McCoy pass falls incomplete, and Graham punts it away.

-- 3:19 -- A 9-yard scramble by McCoy and a 13-yard pass to Corey Groves get the Graham drive started.

-- 3:55 -- Putting 12 men on the field on third down halts the Monahans drive after a three-and-out, but a 52-yard punt by Wade Roark stops on the 1 to trap Graham in the shadow of its own end zone.

-- 5:53 -- Looking for a wheel route down the left sideline, Case McCoy's pass slides through the hands of his intended receiver, and an 11-yard punt return by Byron Scharf puts Monahans on its own 46 to start another drive.

-- 6:27 -- On second-and-6, Trevor Owens blows past his man and crushes Cameron Bailey for a 2-yard loss to set up third down.

-- 6:55 -- Scharf caps a 12-play opening drive with a 3-yard touchdown run over the right side on first-and-goal to give the Loboes the early lead.

-- 8:08 -- On third-and-2, Byron Scharf takes the ball up the middle from the fullback position for 4 more yards and a first down.

-- 9:45 -- Right off the bat, Monahans head coach Mickey Owens decides to go for it on fourth-and-four at the Graham 41, and Roark hits Robledo for 14 more yards and a first down at the 27.

-- 11:05 -- Roark drops back to pass on the second play from scrimmage and hits Ricky Robledo for 13 yards to the Graham 47.

-- 11:44 -- On the first play from scrimmage, Loboes quarterback Wade Roark takes a keeper around the right side for 17 yards and a first down.

COIN TOSS

Monahans won the toss and will receive.

PREGAME

Placing tomorrow's Permian playoff matchup in Abilene has its advantages.

For the OA reporting team of OA photographer Kevin Buehler and your friendly neighborhood sportswriter, the Abilene date meant we could pull a little Texas two-step by covering Monahans-Graham on Friday night and Permian-Arlington Martin Saturday.

So that's how we ended up at the Mustang Bowl in Sweetwater. For those of you who haven't been to the Mustang Bowl, it's one heck of a venue, complete with concrete on both sides and dipped into the ground.

Like a smaller version of San Angelo Stadium.

Three Quick Slants...

1. Any Monahans fans out there better have brought more than a T-shirt to tonight's game. Temperatures are supposed to dip down toward the 30s tonight, making this playoff tilt a little chilly. Other than that, the flags are quiet, meaning that the Loboes and Steers won't have to worry about any wind.

2. Graham (10-1) is quarterbacked by Case McCoy, the younger brother of a certain Texas quarterback who has been starting down in Austin for a while. And although the Monahans (11-0) defense has been dominant this season, the Loboes haven't faced the kind of passing attack they're sure to face tonight.

3. Got to send a shoutout to the Monahans volleyball team, which advanced to the Class 3A state title game tomorrow by sweeping Caldwell in a state semifinal today. Now, the football team is trying to make it a perfect day for Loboes sports fans, many of whom have made it up to Sweetwater tonight.

Kevin and Joel's Meal of the Week: Allen's

Right now, the fans have already made their decision about the Permian beat team's pregame meal destination tomorrow, but tonight is an area matchup.

And that means we get to make our own pregame meal decisions.

Starving after a round of disc golf at a heck of a course in Big Spring -- next time you get a chance to hang out at Comanche Trail Park, take the kids -- Kevin and I pulled into Sweetwater just in time to catch the opening of Allen's Buffet, an offshoot of the Allen's Family Style Meals that is open every night, Monday through Friday, from 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

Now, this isn't the kind of buffet that offers 27 different entree options. Allen's Buffet served up fried chicken, Swedish meatballs and meatloaf this Friday night.

But here's the thing.

Allen's doesn't need to make any more food than they did. When you make fried chicken, Swedish meatballs and meatloaf as spectacularly as the staff at Allen's, there's no reason to worry about options.

For the record, I love fried chicken in almost any form. And Allen's has it very nearly perfected. Crispy and flavorful on the outside, juicy and tasty on the inside. Normally, I'd try to limit myself to just one plate -- gotta watch the waistline heading into the holiday season -- but for that chicken, I practically raced back up to the buffet line.

A quick note on the proper method for eating fried chicken. Halfway through my second chicken breast, Kevin came up with an observation. "You don't eat fried chicken," Kevin said. "You destroy it." To be perfectly honest, that doesn't bother me at all. Fried chicken wasn't made to be picked at nicely. It was meant to be devoured.

As for the Swedish meatballs, I offer the following statistic. In addition to chicken and meatloaf, Kevin ate 20 Swedish meatballs. That's right. Twenty. And he was justified. Soft, tender, the gravy drowning those meatballs was present throughout every bite, leaving an almost explosion of flavor and juices with every forkful. "I can't believe how good these are," Kevin said. "And they're even made so that they're a bunch of perfectly rounded little balls."

Kevin opted for some meatloaf, although I decided to hold off the meatloaf in order to save room for the chicken. Kevin didn't say much about the meatloaf. Probably because he liked it so much that he polished it off in minutes. That might have had something to do with it.

And the sides matched right up with the entrees.

Rather than serve traditional mashed potatoes, Allen's served up halves of potatoes, baked, peeled and absolutely drenched in butter. So soft. So much taste. At no point did I wish I had traditional mashed potatoes. But the cooked potatoes weren't the only starchy side available. On the other side of things, Allen's served up smooth, creamy potato salad, so creamy that you almost couldn't taste the individual potato, and the mix served up exactly the correct combination of sweet and tangy.

Even the cole slaw was top-notch. At times, cole slaw can get bogged down in sauce, making the vegetables soggy. Especially at a buffet, where the slaw sits out for a long period of time. Not at Allen's. At Allen's, the cole slaw tastes as crisp as if the vegetables had just been pulled out of the garden.

We did have one complaint.

Our table was wobbly. But when the food tastes as good as the Allen's cooks make it, a wobbly table really doesn't seem like that big of a deal. More like a funny little quirk.

Kevin's Dessert of the Week

Once again, Allen's didn't offer a whole lot of options.

Because they didn't need to. Given the choice of a brownie or peach cobbler, Kevin and I made the split. I headed straight for the brownie. Kevin hit up the peach cobbler, even though he probably would have liked a little apple in the mix.

And the cobbler was great. Despite the fact that the man had just eaten three full plates of food, Kevin polished off the entire cobbler in just a few minutes, even though I thought he was full. "I said I was full," Kevin said. "I didn't say I was finished."

For my part, the brownie was exceptional as well, with solid, thick icing, chopped nuts throughout, and a brownie mix that almost reminded me of fudge.

Final Analysis

A buffet can go two ways. Lots of food that doesn't stand out, or a buffet that makes its patrons keep coming back for seconds again and again.

Allen's Buffet is one of the better ones.

Don't know how much time you spend in Sweetwater, but the next time you're looking for a meal and in the vicinity of the Mustang Bowl, you couldn't find a better place than Allen's.

Expect to go back for seconds.