Fast start carries Cisco past New Deal in Region I-2A Division I quarterfinal playoff game
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COLORADO CITY – Since a 31-17 loss to Coleman on Oct. 22, a defeat that kept Cisco from winning another District 4-2A Division I title, the Loboes have been on a mission.
They were burning for a rematch with the Bluecats, and they took care of their end of the bargain – beating New Deal 34-13 in a Region I-2A Division I quarterfinal playoff game Friday at Wolf Stadium.
“It lit a fire, and after we got home from the Coleman loss, that’s all we’ve been talking about is a rematch,” Cisco coach Kevin Stennett said. “But we need to take care of business and get to that point. So, far we have, and we’ve become a better team in the process.”
The rematch won't happen, but Cisco held up its end of the deal.
Cisco (12-2), which has won five consecutive games since that loss, advances to play Hawley (13-0) in the state quarterfinals next week. Hawley beat Coleman 21-7 on Friday night in Abilene to deny the Loboes another shot at the Bluecats.
Instead, Cisco will play a Hawley team it beat 54-20 in the third round last year.
New Deal (12-2) played the game without starting quarterback Harley Patterson, a 6-foot-3 senior who sustained a high ankle sprain in the first half of last week’s 28-24 win over Forsan.
“Anytime you lose a quarterback at our level, it does put you in a hole,” New Deal coach Matt Hill said. “But our other kid, (Ethan) Brown, went in there and did a great job. Ran the offense well. We just ran into a very strong Cisco team. I was very proud of the way our kids played. You put the ones (you have) out there and let them go play.”
And to make matters worse for the Lions, Cisco jumped on them for a 13-0 lead before they even had a first down.
Cisco scored on its first two possessions – getting 1-yard TD runs by Trenton Huston and Hunter Long. Huston’s score capped an eight-play, 69-yard drive, and Long’s came after a seven-play, 65-yard drive.
New Deal had 11 total yards in its two drives up to that point.
“We talked to them all week about having a fast start, a hot start, especially in a playoff game,” Stennett said. “That’s what you have to have. But you add several defensive stops behind that, we were in good shape there at the beginning of the game.”
The fast start put even more pressure on a New Deal team playing with its No. 2 quarterback.
“That’s probably on the defense a little bit,” Hill said about the big hole to start the game. “Against a good team like them, you’ve got to be sound on what you’re doing and you’ve got to get a few stops. If you can keep the game close maybe you have a chance.”
Cisco added a 30-yard TD run by Huston on the Loboes' third possession of the game for a 20-0 lead with 9:26 left in the first half.
Huston finished with a game-high 163 yards on 15 carries, while Long, the team’s quarterback, added 95 yards on 18 carries. He finished with three rushing TDs to go with 4 of 8 passes for 64 yards.
Long threw the ball just well enough to compliment a run game that rolled up 262 total yards.
“We were just punching it down their throat,” Cisco offensive lineman Trent Bailey said. “They couldn’t stop our run game. They couldn’t stop anything in that first quarter.”
Stennett believes his offense stalled out after that third TD, but his defense was spectacular – holding New Deal scoreless until Leric Eaton’s 1-yard TD run with 54 seconds left in the first half.
The Lions managed 262 total yards, much of that coming in the final quarter. They had just 99 yards rushing.
“Our defense is what it is,” Stennett said. “It’s not the same crew we started the year with. We’ve had so many injuries. We’re throwing kids in there who are getting a lot of reps, and they’ve become good football players. They proved that tonight.”
Long had a 6-yard TD run in the third quarter and a 15-yard TD run in the fourth quarter – the latter two plays after a 61-yard interception return by Kasen Conring to the New Deal 30.
The Lions got their final score on a Slade Martin’s 6-yard TD pass to Clyde Johnson with 11 seconds left in the game. Martin took over at quarterback after starter Ethan Brown was hurt with 5:22 to play in the game.
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Game summary
► Turning point: Cisco the second half with a 9-play, 75-yard scoring drive for a commanding 27-7 lead. With the way the defense was playing, that was more than enough for the Loboes.
► Player of the game: Trenton Huston, running back, Cisco – The junior ran for 163 yards on 15 carries, including TDs of 1 and 30 yards. That’s 10.8 yards per carry, and many of those were him simply running over defenders.
► Key stat: Cisco had a 13-0 lead before New Deal even had a first down, and the Loboes scored on their first three possessions – rolling up 188 yards. New Deal had 22 yards in that span and one first down – that coming on a penalty.
► Coach Stennett said: After building a 20-0 lead, Cisco went into a lull offensively. Stennett said it wasn’t because his team was playing conservatively either.
“When you’re playing a good team like New Deal, and you’re playing anybody in the third round, especially New Deal, you don’t go into a conservative mode. You always know those good teams can come back. We were still trying to get in the end zone.”
► Coach Hill said: “I’m so proud of these guys. These seniors, they’ve had a great run. Like I told them today, the climb’s not over. The ball just changes and moved onto the next thing. New Deal football has a good tradition not because of the coaches or anything we do, it’s the way the kids go out and perform.”
► Impact: Cisco advances to the state quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Post, an eventual state finalist, beat the Loboes 33-0. Cisco hasn’t advanced past the state quarterfinals since winning a state title in 2013.
► Up next: Cisco 11-2) plays Hawley (13-0) in state quarterfinals next week. Hawley beat Coleman 21-7.
REGION I-2A DIV. I SEMIFINALS
Cisco 34, New Deal 14
New Deal … 0 … 7 … 0 … 7 – 14
Cisco … 13 … 7 … 7 … 7 – 34
FIRST QUARTER
CIS – Trenton Huston 1 run (kick failed), 5:30
CIS – Hunter Long 1 run (Michael Cadenhead kick), 00:54
SECOND QUARTER
CIS – Huston 30 run (Cadenhead kick), 9:26
ND – Leric Eaton 1 run (Luke Joy kick), 00:59
THIRD QUARTER
CIS – Long 6 run (Cadenhead kick), 8:04
FOURTH QUARTER
CIS – Long 15 run (Cadenhead kick), 6:20
ND – Clyde Johnson 6 pass from Slade Martin (Joy kick), 00:11
TEAM STATISTICS
……………… ND … CIS
First downs … 15 … 16
Rushes-Yards … 44-99 … 36-262
Passing … 163 … 64
Comp-Att-Int …… 13-19-1 … 4-8-0
Punts …… 4-28.5 … 3-31.3
Fumbles-Lost … 1-0 … 0-0
Penalties-Yards … 8-50 … 5-50
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: New Deal, Leric Eaton 26-83, Slade Martin 3-20, Kendrick Nelson 4-10, Jordan Aubrey 2-3, Ethan Brown 9-(-17); Cisco, Trenton Huston 15-163, Hunter Long 18-95, Tre Brackeen 2-6, TEAM 1-(-2).
PASSING: New Deal, Brown 10-16-1—138, Martin 3-3-0—25; Cisco, Long 4-8-0—64.
RECEIVING: New Deal, Eaton 2-46, Damaria Hall 1-35, Jyson Lacy 1-32, Aubrey 3-20, Clyde Johnson 2-16; Cisco, Dawson Hearne 2-31, Kasen Conring 1-23, Brackeen 1-10.
RECORDS: New Deal 11-2; Cisco 11-2.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Cisco rolls past New Deal in region quarterfinal football game
