Humble’s star running back X’Zavier Sidney recently commented on Twitter that he’s never been hungrier to win.
That desire certainly showed on Saturday night as he stole the show, rushing for 135 yards and two crucial second-half touchdowns as Humble took down Lamar Consolidated in a 41-34 back-and-forth showdown.
“I thought, of course, he had another great game,” said first-year Humble head coach Marcus Schulz. “X is a huge part of what we do and is a great leader as well.”
1st Quarter Scoring
Both teams came into the contest at 1-2. Lamar Consolidated won its season opener against Richmond Foster before being defeated in two consecutive games, while Humble had bounced back from two season-opening losses with a 32-0 win over MacArthur the week prior.
However, the Wildcats found themselves in an early hole as Lamar Consolidated quarterback Dylan Garrett delivered a beautiful 24-yard dime to James Robinson for a touchdown nine minutes into the game.
It only took Humble a minute to respond. A seemingly busted coverage allowed Humble quarterback Tristen Bernard to find a wide-open TJ West down the sideline for an easy pitch-and-catch 63-yard score to knot the game back up at 7.
Bernard, a freshman, had another good game at the helm for the Wildcats, finishing with 132 yards passing, a touchdown, and an interception.
2nd Quarter Scoring
After the teams traded interceptions to close the first quarter, Lamar Consolidated went back in front as Garrett threaded a pass between two Humble defenders to find Jameil Robinson for a 29-yard score that put the Mustangs up 13-7 after a missed extra point.
Yet again, Humble was undeterred. The Wildcats promptly drove 96 yards on 9 plays, a drive that was finished off by a three-yard touchdown run by Blake Harrison.
The trading of scores continued heading into halftime as Garrett connected with Rayshawn Glover for a 76-yard catch-and-run touchdown. The Humble defense came up with a huge swing of momentum right before halftime as defensive end Isaiah Quezada stripped Garrett of the football before racing 45 yards for a touchdown to give Humble a 21-20 lead at halftime.
2nd Half Scoring
In the second half, Sidney made his presence felt, ripping off a 31-yard run on the first offensive play out of the locker rooms. Just three plays later, Damarion Collins squirted through a tiny gap in the Lamar Consolidated run defense for a 26-yard touchdown scamper.
The Wildcats kept rolling from there. After forcing a punt, Sidney broke free for a 42-yard burst before finishing the drive off with a 1-yard touchdown, extending Humble’s lead to 35-20 just four minutes into the half.
Lamar Consolidated struck the next two drives later as Garrett ran for his life, escaping Humble defenders before finding a seam for a 5-yard touchdown dash, but Humble quickly responded as Sidney dragged defenders with him on a 4-yard touchdown run. A missed extra point meant Humble led 41-27 heading to the fourth.
The Mustangs had a chance to cut into the deficit after a Humble fumble, but the Wildcat defense stood strong, stuffing Garrett on a fourth-and-one attempt. Schulz was impressed with his defense that made several key plays down the stretch.
“I thought that our defense played another great game and had a big stop late to preserve the win,” Schulz said.
The Mustangs did find the end zone on their next drive to cut their deficit to seven as Garrett dumped the ball off to Glover, who outran the Humble defense to the end zone for a 5-yard score.
And even though Garrett finished with 405 yards passing and Glover reeled in 12 catches for 174 yards, there would be no offensive magic late on as Garrett came up well short while trying to scramble to convert a fourth-and-13 with a minute left.
Humble Wildcats Win
And although its offensive production was certainly there on Saturday, Lamar Consolidated will look to get back in the win column next Saturday when it hosts A&M Consolidated in its first district contest.
While for Humble, going back to Twitter, Sidney summed up the mindset needed for the Wildcats going forward. He recently tweeted out that he loves being the underdog.
It’s a role he and his Wildcats will need to continue to relish as they head into a tough District 21-6A schedule, starting with a home contest against top-five ranked Atascocita next Friday.
[adsanity align=’alignnone’ id=67800]
