Veterans Memorial 49 – Flour Bluff 14
Story of the Game: This game was all Veterans Memorial from the very first kick of the ball.
Veterans Memorial return man Joseph Meador found a gap in the Flour Bluff coverage before racing for an 84-yard kick return score just 15 seconds into the game. Five minutes later, it was 14-0. Quarterback Carter Senterfitt bided his time in the pocket before finding a wide open Cameron De La Pena across the middle for the 19-yard score as the Eagles got off to a dream start.
Flour Bluff did answer after that as Nash Villegas powered in from two yards out on a quarterback power, but the Hornets failed to establish a secure foothold in the game as Veterans Memorial began to take over for good.
Two touchdowns on Senterfitt quarterback keepers from one yard out extended the Veterans Memorial lead to a more comfortable 28-7 margin with just over four minutes remaining in the half. Then with the seconds ticking down in the half, Senterfitt delivered a dagger, hitting Jeylon Beasley deep across the middle. Beasley shrugged off one tackler before outrunning another for a 51-yard touchdown with just 28 seconds left in the half to give Veterans Memorial a 35-7 lead.
Flour Bluff began to chip away at the deficit to open the second half as Villegas found his receiver Rayden Campbell, who ripped the ball away from a Veterans Memorial defender, for a 28-yard touchdown to cut the Flour Bluff deficit to 21.
However, that is as close as the Hornets would get. Late in the third quarter, Veterans Memorial turned an interception into points as Senterfitt scored on yet another one-yard touchdown run to extend the Eagle lead to 42-14.
Flour Bluff huffed and puffed in the fourth quarter, but three turnovers on downs and an interception prevented it from making any progress on the scoreboard. Veterans Memorial, on the other hand, turned its interception into another touchdown as backup quarterback Elijah Durrette sliced and diced his way past Hornet defenders for a 10-yard score, the final touchdown of the afternoon.
With this victory, Veterans Memorial is now only one win away from its first ever state title appearance in school history, just five-and-a-half years after opening, and the first by a Corpus Christi ISD school since 1963. To get there though, the Eagles will be in for a tough test as they will have to take down Cedar Park and its Black Rain defense.
Play of the Game: This one was an absolute gut punch for Flour Bluff. After a dominant first half, Senterfitt and the Veterans Memorial offense delivered a further blow with just 28 seconds left in the first half when Senterfitt found Beasley for a 51-yard score. That put Veterans Memorial up by 28, a demoralizing blow for Flour Bluff, which was unable to muster enough offense to make this a game in the second half.
Beasley’s 51-yard touchdown grab (Courtesy of Len Hayward): https://twitter.com/Caller_Len/status/1345473746807574529
Player of the Game: QB Carter Senterfitt- His dual-threat ability wreaked havoc on the Flour Bluff defense all game long. He finished 13 for 18 with 175 passing yards and two touchdowns, while adding 164 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. The Eagles will need his playmaking ability next week when they face a stifling Cedar Park defense in the state semifinals.
