The 2-2A DII district opener between the district favorite Wellington Skyrockets (5-1, 0-1) and the Memphis Cyclones (4-1, 1-0) was one of the Texas Panhandle’s most highly anticipated games last week. Fierce rivals, the Cyclones and Skyrockets found themselves in the same district once again after the UIL’s biennial realignment in February.
The Skyrockets and Cyclones are no stranger to competition as they have been fierce rivals since their first meeting in 1922 when Wellington began the series with a 6-0 win. A little over 30 miles separates the two communities, with no love lost between the two teams when it’s time to battle on the gridiron.
On Friday night, Wellington walked into the opener with a 5-0 record, while the Cyclones were 4-1. Picked earlier in the season to win the district, Wellington’s high powered offense, met up with a high powered Cyclone offense, led by one of the area’s top rushers, David Dickson.
Defense was the name of the game in the first quarter, as both teams kept the opposing offense off the board. Memphis struck first in the second quarter with a touchdown pass from Nick Adame to Jatavion Newsome.
Wellington’s dual threat quarterback Luke Williams, wasted no time in getting the Skyrockets on the board when he scampered into the end-zone with :23 remaining in the first half.
The biggest momentum boost of the night came in the third quarter when Cyclone Fernando Adame recovered a blocked punt and took it to the house for the Memphis touchdown. Leading 14-7, the Cyclones looked to take the win on the Skyrockets’ home turf.
Momentum shifted in the fourth when Wellington’s go-to-back Jose Tellez picked up the touchdown and conversion for the Rockets.
Clinging to a 15-14 lead with 8:30 remaining in the game, the Rockets were faced with stopping the Cyclone offense, who were looking to prove themselves in front of a packed house at Powell Field. After a failed drive, Memphis knew their defense had to have their biggest fourth quarter of the year and were able to force the Rockets to punt. Cyclone Clifford Byrd caught the punt and muscled his way downfield for the touchdown punt return. Up 20-15, the Cyclones broke through the Skyrocket defense for the two-point conversion, which ended up sealing the huge win for the Cyclones.
This was the first win for the Cyclones over Wellington since 2007, when Memphis defeated Wellington 20-7. Memphis special teams had a huge night, picking up two scores in the contest. Although Wellington led in total yards with 307, the Cyclones got the win behind 267 total yards. Dickson added 73 yards on 15 carries to his season total, which now stands at 114 carries for 1,041 yards and 13 touchdowns. Wellington was led by Jose Tellez, who rushed 24 times for 135 yards.
In 2-2A DII, Memphis and Clarendon now both stand at 1-0 in district, with the Broncos still holding on to an unbeaten season record. The Cyclones will face the Broncos at home on Friday, October 28 with the district championship on the line.
