By: Mike Forman
Dalton Brooks didn’t need any extra incentive before Shiner’s Class 2A, Division I regional final game against Refugio.
All he had to do was look at his phone to get himself ready.
“I was getting texts from coaches and they were like, ‘Big players make plays in big games,’” Brooks said. “So that just motivated me a little more to do what I do in games.”
Brooks rushed for 384 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Comanches to a 55-14 win over the Bobcats before a standing-room-only crowd Thursday night at Victoria’s Memorial Stadium.
Shiner improved to 14-0 and moved into the semifinals against the winner of Friday night’s Timpson-Centerville game.
“The offensive line told me they were going to make holes,” Brooks said. “I told them I was going to break it and that’s what we did.”
Coach Sark Was Watching
With Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian watching from the sideline, Brooks carried 22 times and scored on runs of 2, 2, 71 and 83 yards in the first half, and 12 and 87 yards in the second half.
Brooks, a junior, got help from his older brother, Doug, who carried eight times for 179 yards and scored on runs of 41 and 3 yards.
“This was very exceptional,” said Shiner coach Daniel Boedeker. “Dalton and Doug played really well and we had a lot of guys contribute tonight. Dalton had a great night. The bigger the game, the bigger he plays. He stays humble and we’re happy to have him on our team and he’s a great kid and a super athlete.”
The Comanches threw only two passes, but rushed for 583 yards, while averaging over 13 yards per carry.
“Our offensive line blocked their a..es off,” Doug Brooks said. “They do what they do every game. They had a helluva game, but that’s what they do every game.”
Neither of the Brooks brothers had a run for negative yards and they combined for 10 runs of 10 yards or more.
“We’ve really come together throughout the whole year,” said Shiner offensive lineman A.J. Patek. “It’s been great. We’re starting to move people more and more and we’re playing as one and it feels great.”
Shiner handed Refugio (13-1) its worst defeat since Canadian beat the Bobcats 61-20 in the 2015 state final.
“We tried running the football, we tried throwing the football, we tried both quarterbacks, we tried everything,” said Refugio coach Jason Herring. “They do a great job. They’re very athletic and they’re very well coached and their offensive line may be as good as last year and doesn’t get enough credit. But there’s no doubt those two brothers may be the best players from 6A on down. Nos. 1 and 2, we had no answer.”
Shiner’s first touchdown came after Tyler Bishop intercepted a Kelan Brown screen pass and returned it 12 yards to the Refugio 8-yard line to set up Dalton Brooks’ 2-yard run.
“Momentum’s huge,” Boedeker said. “That was a big play right there and we were able to score and gain some confidence in what we’re doing and it slowed the game down a little bit for us and our kids were able to adjust to some of the things they were doing without having to panic. We knew they were one play away from scoring and our kids were able to focus the whole game.”
Refugio missed an opportunity to score first when Brown had a potential touchdown pass dropped.
Brown, a freshman, and Caleb Hesseltine, a junior who was recovering from an ankle injury, were under constant pressure and were sacked five times.
“We came into this game knowing they were a really good football team,” said Refugio senior Jordan Kelley.” We had a good defensive plan and a good offensive plan and we really didn’t execute the way we needed to tonight.”
Refugio had not scored less than 54 points in any game this season, but was limited to 212 total yards. The Bobcats’ touchdowns came on runs of 4 and 5 yards by Eziyah Bland.
“I thought our defense played outstanding tonight,” Boedeker said. “That’s one of the best offenses in the state and our kids stepped up and met the challenge. I thought our guys were able to get pressure on the quarterback and they missed a few plays that could have gone their way and we caught a few breaks there. But I thought the overall effort on defense was really good tonight.”
Shiner hopes to turn the effort and performance into a second consecutive state championship.
“I’m going to try and take it all the way,” Dalton Brooks said. “My team, my friends, my family and all the supporters. Everybody is a part of it.”
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