FOOTBALL: Dominant Trojans knock out Braves
SWEETWATER The game film served as a warning to Iraan coach John Fellows, who did all he could to prepare his team for Saturday’s Class 1A Division II area playoff at the Mustang Bowl.
Unfortunately for the Braves, Windthorst was even better in person.
The seventh-ranked Trojans dominated from start to finish in a 61-7 rout, moving the ball at will on offense while holding Iraan’s offense scoreless. Afterward, Fellows said he’ll be surprised if Windthorst doesn’t win it all a year after reaching the state championship game.
“That’s probably one of the best I’ve ever come across,” Fellows said. “Watching them on film, they’re the best team I’ve ever had to prepare for — by far. Their offensive and defensive lines are unbelievable.”
The Trojans (10-1), who advanced to face Bronte (10-1) in the regional round, started the game with a three-and-out defensively and then marched down the field with ease.
They continued to do that throughout the game, racking up 478 total yards and scoring on all but three of their possessions.
They took knees on two of those possessions — once to end the first half with a 41-0 lead and later to end the game — and on the third they fumbled the ball into their own end zone. Cole Banner recovered to give Iraan (9-3) its only points with 37 seconds remaining.
“We fought ’til the end and gave it all we had,” Banner said. “They’re just big, strong and fast. They’re good.”
Braydon Ingram rushed for four touchdowns for Windthorst, and Tyler Berardi scored three times and finished with 121 yards on the ground. Jose Sanchez rushed for two TDs in the second half, when starting quarterback Joe Hoegger stayed on the sideline.
Iraan’s offense, despite turning the ball over four times, moved the ball well at times. But the Braves fumbled at the Windthorst 23-yard line while trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, and at the end of the first half they were called for back-to-back false-start penalties on fourth-and-1 from the 4.
They drove all the way to the 6 late in the fourth quarter before Drew Fellows, who led Iraan with 75 rushing yards, threw an interception in the end zone.
“We shot ourselves in the foot every time,” said John Fellows, Drew’s father. “But that’s the way it goes. That’s the game of football.”
It appeared that Iraan would be shut out for the first time this season after the late interception, but it caught a break on the next snap. Windthorst had the ball at its own 3 and fumbled into the end zone, where the senior Banner fell on top of it.
It was about the only thing that went right for the Braves, who were glad to have something to celebrate.
“We needed that,” Banner said. “That boosted everybody’s confidence a little bit, even though there was only 30 seconds left. It helped a lot. That made it end a lot better.”
>> Windthorst 61, Iraan 7
CLASS 1A DIVISION II AREA PLAYOFF
At Mustang Bowl, Sweetwater
Iraan..................... 0 0 0 7 — 7
Windthorst......... 20 21 13 7 — 61
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
Windthorst: Braydon Ingram 4 run (Jordy Cruz kick), 10:30.
Windthorst: Tyler Berardi 8 run (Jordy Cruz kick), 5:37.
Windthorst: Braydon Ingram 1 run (kick failed), :47.
Second Quarter
Windthorst: Tyler Berardi 12 run (Jordy Cruz kick), 8:47.
Windthorst: Braydon Ingram 2 run (Jordy Cruz kick), 6:57.
Windthorst: Tyler Berardi 9 run (Jordy Cruz kick), 4:07.
Third Quarter
Windthorst: Braydon Ingram 2 run (kick failed), 8:13.
Windthorst: Jose Sanchez 8 run (Jordy Cruz kick), 3:52.
Fourth Quarter
Windthorst: Jose Sanchez 7 run (Jordy Cruz kick), 3:50.
Iraan: Cole Banner fumble recovery in end zone (Drew Fellows kick), :37.
TEAM STATISTICS
Yardstick Iraan Windthorst
First Downs......................... 10 23
Total Yards....................... 184 478
Rushes-Yards............. 28-111 51-361
Passing Yards.................... 73 117
Passing..................... 11-21-3 6-10-0
Punts-Avg..................... 4-33.8 0-0.0
Fumbles-Lost.................... 2-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards.............. 5-40 9-70
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Iraan: Drew Fellows 11-75, Zeth Hernandez 6-22, Kory Hartman 7-18, Chance Hernandez 1-3, Rafael Rodriguez 1-2, Austin Ramirez 1-(-2), Team 1-(-7).
Windthorst: Tyler Berardi 11-121, Chase Schreiber 9-62, Jose Sanchez 5-52, Matthew Pitman 4-41, Braydon Ingram 8-28, Kellen Green 4-28, Joe Hoegger 5-14, Cirilo Cervantes 3-14, Edgar Cervantes 1-3, Team 1-(-2).
Passing
Iraan: Drew Fellows 6-13-3—42, Zeth Hernandez 5-8-0—31.
Windthorst: Joe Hoegger 5-9-0—106, Kellen Green 1-1-0—11.
Receiving
Iraan: Kory Hartman 3-24, Cole Banner 2-17, Brady Burks 1-12, Tyler Galindo 2-8, Rafael Rodriguez 2-7, Devin Griffin 1-5.
Windthorst: Chase Schreiber 2-59, Dylan Stallcup 2-29, Jaron Hilbers 1-18, Braydon Ingram 1-11.
>> Follow Adam Zuvanich on Twitter at @OAZuvanich
