GRAHAM, Texas — The Stephenville Yellow Jackets looked to continue their redepmtion tour with a true test, traveling to Graham to take on the also undefeated Steers (a team they defeated last season to end an 0-4 skid at the time). However it was home team taking the win for their fans at Newton Field 30-14.
“Stephenville was an undefeated team, we were an undefeated team, it was a big game,” said Graham head coach Kenny Davidson. “I’m just proud of us, especially defensively, shutting down their offense especially in the second half. Our offense struggled a little bit, but we found a way to win, and that’s what these guys have been doing.”
Photo: Blake Wood/TexasHSFootball.com
Stephenville took it to the Steers early on, denying them a score on the game’s first drive, and following up with a touchdown of their own with star quarterback Easton Jones tossing a 31 yard pass to Clay Krause at the 8:06 mark in the opening quarter. As it turns out, the Steers needed just one drive to get warmed up, as Graham responded with a 28 yard run by Chase Gilmore to tie. Graham then quickly took the lead on a 27 yard pass from Tucker Horn to Ben Taylor, leading 14-7 at the end of the first.
The lead didn’t last long however: The Jackets, already within the red zone to start the second, tied the game at 14 with Jones’ second touchdown toss of the game, an eight yard throw to Kade Averhoff. Both defenses became more stout however, as neither team gained much yardage for the remainder of the first half.
Photo: Blake Wood/TexasHSFootball.com
Most of the third quarter remained the same, apart from a couple dropped passes in the endzone by Graham, but a wild few seconds ultimately changed the course of the game. After a discussion by the officials kept fans waiting with bated breath, Stephenville was called for holding in the endzone, leading to a Graham safety. A two point lead quickly turned into a nine point lead as the Steers Wes Martin ran the safety kickoff 65 yards for the touchdown. The scoring would end on a one yard scamper by Gilmore, as the Graham defense stifled the Jackets remaining efforts.
Stephenville’s normally high flying offense finished the game with 221 yards of total offense and a pair of touchdowns, with the Graham defense pitching a second half shutout. One of Graham’s goals entering the contest was to stifle Jones, who had dominated in last season’s contest. They did just that, as Jones only completed 13 of 31 passes for 133 yards and both of the Jackets touchdowns.
Gilmore led the way for the Steers, adding 130 yards to his pair of touchdowns. Horn didn’t complete many passes, but several Graham receivers tallied dropped passes, including a couple in the endzone.
“You can take something from every game,” said Davidson. “And we’re going to take things from this game and learn from it, like we’ve been doing every week. Fortunate thing is, we’ve been winning and still correcting mistakes.”
Stephenville (4-1) returns home next week to take on Lubbock Monterey, while Graham (5-0) hits the road for a contest against the Big Spring Steers.
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