Redskins Muzzle Bulldogs, Seize District Lead

Last week was Fall Break, and with Fall Break comes high school football on Thursday nights. This past Thursday, a cold front gave the Kingston faithful great football weather, as the Redskins traveled to Sulphur to face off against the Bulldogs. This midseason bout looked to be important in deciding the District 3A-2 championship, as Kingston and Sulphur both came into the game as the only remaining undefeated teams in district play, and the winner would take sole possession of the lead. The Bulldogs gave the Redskins their toughest test of the season, but ultimately Kingston pulled out a 30-26 victory.

Kingston’s first drive started inauspiciously, as senior quarterback Jase Hayes was sacked on the very first play at his own 19-yard line. From there, Hayes guided the Redskins in a steady march down the field. Hayes used his arm on a 42-yard catch-and-run on fourth-and-three to junior running back Brandon Watson, and his legs on two third-down scrambles that kept drives alive. Hayes finished off the drive with a 7-yard scramble into the end zone, and Kingston led 7-0 halfway into the first quarter.

Sulphur came back with a nice drive, with junior quarterback Reese Ratchford running out of a spread formation, or handing off to senior running back Logan Smith, on a drive that covered 39 yards to the Kingston 25. However, on third down, Ratchford’s pass attempt was tipped by senior defensive lineman Jesse Rose, and senior defensive back Connor Short snagged the fluttering ball for an interception to end the Bulldogs’ initial threat.

On the ensuing drive, Kingston went three-and-out, and Sulphur took the punt at its own 30 and went back to work. The Redskins’ defense held, and six plays into the drive Sulphur was forced to punt. Kingston senior Jarron “Boomer” Morgan, mishandled the punt, and the Bulldogs recovered the loose football at the Kingston 14. Ratchford wasted no time connecting with senior Ko Withdrow for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Kingston senior Matthew Hawkins blocked the extra point attempt, keeping the Redskins in the lead 7-6. Another three-and-out for

the Redskins offense followed, but then it was Sulphur’s turn to make a mistake. On secondand-eleven on the Kingston 27, Hawkins strip-sacked Ratchford, and senior Matthew Flesher scooped up the loose ball and ran to the Sulphur 31, where a combination of a Sulphur facemask penalty and a Kingston sideline interference penalty gave Kingston the football at the Sulphur 21. Three plays later, on third-and-eleven from the Sulphur 22, Hayes’ pass was tipped but caught by Watson, who scooted into the end zone for Kingston’s second touchdown. A missed extra point left Kingston with a 13-6 lead.

The defenses clamped down for the rest of the second quarter, with neither team able to move the ball effectively. Sulphur’s offense had one last chance with 90 seconds left in the half, but the Bulldogs’ drive ended on the Kingston 12 as the clock ran out, and the Redskins took their 13-6 lead into halftime.

The Bulldogs came out for the third quarter ready to play. Seven plays into the first drive of the second half, Sulphur senior running back Logan Smith finally broke loose and shot 45 yards up the middle for a Bulldogs touchdown, evening the score at 13. After Kingston’s offense went three-and-out, Sulphur’s offense went back to work. After Ratchford opened the drive with a 20-yard pass to junior Brandon Lloyd, he and Smith did the rest of the damage on the ground, helped out by two untimely personal fouls by Kingston. Smith finished off the drive with a two-yard run for a touchdown, and Sulphur had its first lead of the game 20-13 with nearly 6 minutes left in the third quarter.

Kingston’s offense responded with a punishing drive with runs by Watson and Flesher pounding the Bulldogs. After Hayes stepped out of bounds on third down before he could make a throw, he redeemed himself on fourth-and-nine, hitting Hawkins for 31 yards to the Sulphur 7. Hayes took it in himself from there, and Kingston and Sulphur were tied at 20 near the end of the third quarter.

Kingston continued that momentum on Sulphur’s ensuing drive, as Ratchford’s pass over the middle sailed high and into the hands of Kingston senior Colton Robinson. Robinson’s return for a touchdown was negated by offsetting facemask penalties, but the Redskins took over at the Sulphur 38, and Kingston pounded the ball down to the Sulphur 15, where Short came in as the placekicker and tacked on three points with a 32-yard field goal to give Kingston a 23-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The three points from the field goal would be important, but even more important was an injury to Ratchford, who reportedly dislocated his kneecap on the field goal attempt and had to be carted off the field. Both defenses stepped up, and forced each offense to go three-and-out. Sulphur’s offense then struck again, as Smith broke another long run, this time 80 yards, to take back the lead. After successive false starts, sophomore placekicker Daniel Amaya missed a 29- yard extra point, and Sulphur’s lead was three points, 29-26, with 6:38 remaining.

Trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time all season, the Redskins’ offense went to work to prove why they were undefeated. Hayes completed a pass to Hawkins for 11 yards early in the drive, and then “Boomer” Morgan took a reverse 19 yards into Sulphur territory. A steady diet of pounding from Watson and Flesher followed, and Watson broke into the end zone from eight yards out to give Kingston a 30-26 lead with 1:30 remaining.

Sulphur took over at its own 40 with 1:27 left, needing a touchdown. Kingston junior Brycen Ellison ruined the start of the drive with a 10-yard sack. Three plays later, Todd’s desperate fourth-down pass was caught by junior Kyler Marshall inside the Kingston 35 but well out of bounds, turning the ball over on downs. Kingston’s offense came out in the victory formation, and the Redskins left Sulphur with a hard-fought 30-26 victory.

Hayes completed five of his 11 attempts for 120 yards through the air, and a touchdown, while he added 52 yards on six carries and two more touchdowns on the ground. Watson struggled to find running room all night, but compiled 116 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown on the ground, while he also scored on one of his two receptions for 60 yards to lead the Redskins in receiving as well.

On defense, senior linebacker Bryant Watts returned to lead the team with 15 tackles, with Hawkins, Ellisor and Rose each contributing a sack. Kingston’s defense surrendered 244 rushing yards, mostly to Smith, for its worst performance against the run all season. However, the Red-skins won the critical turnover battle 3-1, which contributed heavily to the Kingston victory on the road.

Kingston Head Coach Tommy Bare was pleased with an “outstanding road win that keeps us atop the district standings.” Coach Bare was “proud of the way we continued to fight to the very end.”

Kingston (4-0 in district, 7-0 overall) brings its undefeated record and sole possession of first place in the district back home for the final regularseason home game next week, for Homecoming against Pauls Valley (2-2, 4-3). The Panthers are coming off a 35-13 victory over Madill (1-3, 2-5). The Homecoming parade should start on the usual route at 4:00 p.m., with the Homecoming King and Queen crowned at 5:45 p.m. and kickoff of the game scheduled at 7:00 at Harold “Bulldog” Henry Field.

EXTRA POINTS

One point made on the webcast of the game echoes a point made last week in this column; the Kingston fans travel well. With many fans facing a normal work day on Friday, the Redskins faithful still packed the visiting stands in Sulphur to support their boys. That community support is part of what makes Kingston a great place to live.

With this victory, the Redskins appear to have definitely answered whether they can handle competition at the 3A level. The Redskins also managed to handle some unaccustomed adversity. Coming into this game, Kingston had not trailed in the second half at all this season. Against Sulphur, Kingston overcame deficits of 20-13 in the third quarter and 26-23 in the fourth quarter. Each time they fell behind, the Redskins responded with a tough, grinding drive that ended with a touchdown. That kind of experience will serve the Redskins well in the playoffs, as the competition gets tougher.

Around the district, Sulphur fell into a tie with Lone Grove (3-1, 5-2) for second place, after the Longhorns squeaked out a 15-14 victory against Plainview (2-2, 2-5) Thursday night. Sulphur currently holds the tiebreaker over Lone Grove because of total net points, but the teams will meet on November 6 on the final week of the regular season in a game which may well decide second place in District 3A-2.

Meanwhile, Dickson (1-3, 1-6) earned its first win of the season Friday night 47-13 over hapless Little Axe (0-4, 0-6). Dickson’s 47 points nearly matched the 49 total points the Comets had scored in their preceding six games. Little Axe’s 13 points tripled the Indians’ prior season output, as the Indians had managed only a single touchdown in the five games before this contest.