A key defensive stand sewed up a huge playoff win for Bowie last Friday night against Smithson Valley at Texas State’s Bobcat Stadium.
Playing in the area round of the Class 6A Division I postseason, the Bulldogs (10-2) held on for a thrilling 28-21 victory after forcing a turnover on downs in their own territory with 1:56 left to play.
Head coach Jeff Ables’ squad salted away the win moments later thanks to a first down on the ground by senior Max Barnes in the Wildcat formation. Bowie rushed for 289 yards in the game and was led by senior running back Noah Camacho’s 198 yards and two scores.
Smithson Valley (9-3) answered Camacho’s first touchdown run of the night with an 8-yard run on a reverse by Kyler Clarke that helped knot the score at 7-7 late in the first period.
The Bulldogs continued to feed Camacho, and the senior rewarded his team by breaking loose for a 42-yard TD run in which he shed several Ranger tacklers along the way. Bowie’s next drive reached Smithson Valley’s 3-yard line before senior Grason Foradory scored on a short run from the Wildcat look.
The Second Half
The Bulldogs had an opportunity to take a 17-point lead in the third quarter, but a field goal try sailed wide and opened the door for the Rangers.
Smithson Valley turned near disaster into a huge momentum shift when a fumble by quarterback Derek Mata was recovered in the end zone by center Britt Stolle for a Ranger TD. The PAT sliced Bowie’s lead to 21-14.
The Bulldogs didn’t take long to fire back. Barnes found a seam up the gut and jetted forward for a 38-yard TD to give Bowie another two-score advantage at 28-14.
The Rangers rallied once more with a Travis McCracken scoring run and a defensive stop, but the Bulldogs’ own defense stood tall as Smithson Valley reached Bowie’s 43 with two minutes left to play. Senior linebacker Saul Garcia diagnosed a fourth-and-2 run perfectly and submarined McCracken in the backfield for no gain to extinguish the Rangers’ threat.
Bowie quarterback Conner Kenyon went 13 of 19 through the air for 127 yards during the win, and Barnes made six catches for 47 yards in addition to his 71 yards and a score on the ground. Senior receiver Cash Peters hauled in five passes for 46 yards.
Senior linebacker Jack Kimbrough recorded 18 tackles for the Bulldogs, and senior linebacker John Straw added 10 total stops. Kimbrough also forced a fumble that was recovered by junior Aaron Gall.
Bowie is now slated to battle District 29-6A champion in the regional round of the 6A DI playoffs.
CLICK HERE to see all final scores.
Brought to you by:
