On Friday night, Monterey, who was hoping to bounce back after a heartbreaking 4OT loss to Frenship 54-52, traveled to Midland to take on the Bulldogs, who were looking to continue their dominance after beating Amarillo 32-27.
Monterey
Quarterback Luke Arrington was trying to get the offense going all night as he completed 9 of 18 passes for 65 yards. Arrington would connect with receiver Kash Lewis, who caught 4 passes for 47 yards and got himself a 37-yard receiving touchdown. Arrington also connected with Jamarcus Smith, who had 2 catches for 14 yards, and Sebastian Alvarez, who caught 1 pass for 7 yards.
The Plainsmen running game tried to get more effective than the passing game, but they couldn’t find the endzone all night. Running back Darron Moore would rush for 45 yards on 10 touches, Dezmond Williams would carry 6 times for 35 yards, and Christian Williams would also rush for 35 yards touching the ball 8 times. Jamarcus Smith, who gained the most yards, carried the rock for 68 yards on 16 touches. The Plainsmen defense was trying to keep their team in the game, but they couldn’t answer Midland’s dominant run game. Even though the Plainsmen were only able to stop Midland a few times, they were able to force a fumble that was recovered by Avery Davis. The only other bright spot for the Plainsmen was a safety in the second quarter.
Midland
After last week’s game against Amarillo, the Bulldogs stuck to the ground as running back Elijah Mccoy had another successful night, rushing for 134 yards on 16 touches and 3 touchdowns. Cornell Hunt rushed for 24 yards on 3 touches, and Anthony Kolb rushed for 26 yards on 1 touch. Quarterback Tristan Love had lots of success on the ground as well, rushing for 67 yards on 8 touches and a touchdown.
Love would have rough night in the air as he only had 2 completions on 5 attempts, throwing for 16 yards. He was only able to connect with Alex Gonzalez who caught both of Love’s passes. Midland’s defense came out strong and ended strong, as Athen Dominguez, Julian Williams, Ryder Miller, and Turner Squire were making plays all night, combining for 56 tackles. Junior cornerback Blade Brandon had himself a night as he had a 76 yard pick 6 and 7 tackles. With these five defensive players making big plays all night, the Bulldogs stuffed the Plainsmen and held them to 8 points for the night.
Midland won 36-8.
The Monterey Plainsmen will be at home next week against Abilene, who is coming off 2 straight losses and looking to bounce back. Midland will look to continue their dominance as they travel to play a 1-3 Andress team, who is coming off their first win of the season against Horizon 30-21.
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