Wildcats zip past Comets for win in Homecoming game

Wildcat football brought the homecoming excitement on Friday, September 24, at Blake Smiley stadium. The Dickson Comets came to town where Madill won the last three consecutive games against the Comets. Madill won the toss and chose to receive the ball. The Comets kicked off where the Wildcats took over for first and ten on the 33-yard line.

Senior Kendall Robertson (188 passing yards; 44 rushing yards) kept the snap and tried to run but the Comets defense wrapped him up for a loss, bringing two and eleven. Robertson handed off to Sophomore Rey Gomez (6 receiving yards) for third and long. Robertson threw an incomplete pass to Senior Nick Northcutt (53 receiving yards) to force Senior Stephen Sisco (33 receiving yards) to punt to the Comets.

Comets took over on the 32-yard line for first and ten. Senior Johnny Smith for the Comets got inside the fiveyard line, stopped by Junior Yovanny Robles (8 receiving yards). Smith tried to run for the Comets but gained zero yards. Junior Comet Jzavionn Bennett stopped by Rey Gomez brought third and six with a loss of two yards on the play.

Senior Tito Gomez stopped Smith on the run to bring the fourth down for Dickson. The Comets went for it but threw an incomplete pass, Wildcats took over first and ten on the five-yard line. Wildcats were charged with dead ball foul, and ball moved to three-yard line.

Junior Holden McGahey (49 rushing yards) on the carry for no gained bringing second and eight. McGahey on the carry again for a first and ten. McGahey tried to break through the tackles but got a second and eight from the 27-yard line.

McGahey grabbed three yards for a third and fourth. Robertson threw a complete pass for Northcutt for first and ten. Sisco attempted a catch thrown from Robertson, but Dickson called for pass interference.

Robertson ran the ball on the next play for five yards gained. Wildcats were called for a false start.

Robertson then connected with Northcutt for pass to bring third and one. Robertson handed off to Rey Gomez to bring the ball to fourth and four.

Sisco punted to the Comets with the Comets being called for a penalty. The Comets gained only five yards on the next play being stopped by Northcutt, Robles, and Junior Josh Schneider. Madill was called for offside taking the Comets to a first and ten. Dickson gained three yards but was stopped by Northcutt and Junior River Shaw (18 receiving yards) to make second and seven. The Comets ran to a first and ten in Wildcat territory.

Head Coach Chad Speer said Dickson tried to pull a few tricks from under their sleeve, but the Wildcats reciprocated quickly.

“Offensively, Dickson did some things they hadn’t shown on film,” Speer said. “It took us a few series to get things corrected. We struggled executing.”

Only one yard was gained on the next play with the Comets stopped by Tito Gomez and Senior Jorge Martinez, second and nine from the 45-yard line. Dickson was unable to get past Tito Gomez to make it third and nine. Comets tried to get a run to bring the ball to fourth and sixth with that ending the first quarter.

Madill was called for offside taking it a fourth and one for the Comets on the 37-yard line in Wildcat terrain. The Comets jumped before the snap collecting a five-yard penalty for a fourth and sixth.

Wildcats took over on the 47-yard line for a first and ten. Robertson tried to find Northcutt but was an incomplete pass.

With a second and ten, Robertson tried to find Shaw, but the pass was incomplete tallying third and ten. Robertson threw another incomplete pass, and the Comets took over. Sisco punted.

Comets took over possession on the five-yard line insion on the five-yard line in their own territory. The Comets were quickly stopped by Shaw for a second and third on the 13-yard line. Dickson scored on the next play with a two-point conversion.

Comets were leading 8 to 0. Dickson kicked to the Wildcats with Sisco running for an 88-yard touchdown. The touchdown was called back because of holding against Madill.

Robertson maneuvered the quarterback keeper for second and six. McGahey got the ball on the next snap for a first and ten. Sisco made a complete pass but was immediately stopped by the Comet defense only gaining three yards.

Robertson handed off to McGahey who gained five yards. Robertson kept the snap and ran out of bounds for a first and ten on the 39- yard line in Dickson terrain. Robertson fumbled the snap with Dickson’s Smith recovering the ball.

The Comets took over, but Northcutt was there to make the tackle. Comets were called for illegal shift. Comets tried to run the ball but were stopped by Robertson taking a second and fifteen. Comets threw two incomplete passes for the next two plays forcing a punt to the Wildcats.

Madill took over for a first and ten inside the Comet territory at the 27-yard line. Robertson handed off to Mc-Gahey for no yards gained as he was swarmed by the Comet defense. Robertson connected with Shaw for a first and ten complete pass.

Robertson found Shaw again to reach the four-yard line. Wildcats were called for a penalty to bring first and fifteen.

“We had four pre-snap penalties that come down to lack of focus,” Speer said. “Two on offense and two on defense. It comes down to use being more disciplined.”

Sisco dropped the pass thrown by Robertson for second and fifteen. The next play brought a complete pass to Sisco for a Wildcat touchdown. Senior Jimena Guevara’s extra point kick was good.

Guevara kicked to Comets where the ball lands out of bounds. Comets started first and ten on the 43-yard line. Dickson was able to gain a couple of yards with Robles there to make the stop.

Comets fumbled the ball but was able to recover for third and nine. Senior Ezekiel Fuentes made the stop to take the Comets to fourth and five.

Comets then punted to the Wildcats for a catch on the 39- yard line in Comet territory for a first and ten. Robertson handed off to Rey Gomez for a second and six. Robertson’s pass was incomplete, and Wildcats called for holding.

Robertson could not make a connection on the next two possessions with Shaw and Northcutt, forcing Sisco to punt. Dickson was in their own terrain with Robles getting the tackle. Comets got a first and ten on the next play placing them on the 28-yard line. A swarm of Wildcats tackle made Dickson two and seven.

“I’m very pleased with how our defense played. Created takeaways, which was huge momentum,” said Speer. “We did a good job of containing their play makers. We did let them loose a couple of times.”

The Comets received fifteen-yard penalty for a personal foul. The Comets snapped the ball for a holding penalty. Dickson tried to run the ball, but Shaw was there to stop the attempt. The Comets led 8 to 7 at halftime.

Guevara kicked off to start the third quarter. McGahey was there to make the tackle with the Comets on the 17- yard line in their own region. Robles got the next tackle bringing the ball to two and four. The Comets were able to gain a few yards for a third and nine.

An incomplete pass was broken up by Rey Gomez, but the Wildcats were called for offside. Dickson was able to get a first down and finally brought down by Shaw. Robles and Fuentes swarmed for the next tackle with no yards gained for Dickson.

Comets threw the ball where Robles made the interception. Wildcats took over for a first and ten on the 33-yard line. Robertson handed off to Rey Gomez where he gained five yards on the play for second and five. Robertson kept the ball to run up the middle for third and two from the 20-yard line.

Robertson again kept the ball to get a first and ten. Sisco was powerless for a pass thrown from Robertson taking Madill to two and ten. McGahey got nowhere for a third and eight. Robertson and Northcutt connected for a first and ten on the 47- yard line in Comets’ terrain. Robertson threw a connection to Sisco for another first and ten. Robertson kept the ball to run for another first and ten.

Robertson was shaken up on the play and Northcutt comes in as quarterback. Northcutt handed off to Rey Gomez for a two and nine on the 27-yard line. Wildcats suffered a false start penalty. Sisco dropped the pass thrown by Northcutt taking Madill to a third and fourteen position.

Madill dropped the snap and was recovered by the Comets taking over for a first and ten in Wildcat territory. Comets only gained a yard with Shaw’s immediate tackle. Dickson found a hole and got a good run for a first and ten.

Dickson lost yardage on the next play with Schneider and Shaw swarming the runner. Schneider and Shaw were once again in the Comets face for another tackle up the middle. Madill’s defense allowed the Comets to get a first and ten, but the next play find Robles and Shaw for the quick tackle, taking Dickson to second and ten.

Dickson got away with a fake and got a first and ten. With the Comets gaining eight yards, Tito Gomez made the stop. The Comets kept pushing towards the end zone but were met quickly on each play by Robles and Shaw.

“We need to make sure we do our job and fill our specific gaps,” Speer stated. “I thought the coaches made some good adjustments.”

The fourth quarter started with the Comets taking the ball to the goal line and score. The two-point conversion was no good thanks to Shaw for making the tackle. Dickson was leading 14 to 7 with 11:08 left in the game.

Dickson kicked with Robles on the return for a first and ten on the 40-yard line in Comet land. Robertson had a loss on the play for two and ten on the 38-yard line. McGahey gained a few yards to bring it to third and eleven.

Sisco has an incomplete pass and forces the Wildcats to punt. The Comets started on the one-yard line in Wildcat territory thanks to Schneider and Robles. Dickson fumbled but was able to recover. Comets broke a few tackles but then was swarmed by a force of Wildcats to bring fourth and four allowing Dickson to punt.

Madill took over for a first and ten on the 48-yard line in Comet terrain. Robertson threw an incomplete pass to Shaw making second and ten. Robertson kept the ball to run but gained no yards.

Northcutt caught the pass thrown by Robertson. The Wildcats’ snap was fumbled with a loss of yards, but the Wildcats come back with a complete pass to Northcutt for a touchdown. Guevara’s extra point was good bringing 14 all.

“We have to protect the football and not turn it over,” Speer warned. “We made plays when we had to have them so that was good. But we’ve got to be a lot better everywhere offensively with coaches and players.”

Madill kicked to Dickson with Dickson making a good run but was stopped by Rey Gomez, freshman Leo Martinez and Schneider. Robles got the next stop bringing second and four from the 28- yard line. The Comets fumble the ball, and the Wildcats recovered.

Robertson handed off to McGahey to make it second and ten. Robertson threw an incomplete pass then was able to find Rey Gomez to gain a few yards. Robles punted and the Comets were unable to move through the Madill defense.

The Wildcats again put the pressure on the Comet offense and forced the team to punt. The air shifted and when the Comets punted, Shaw was there to block it. The Wildcats took over for a first and ten on the 13-yard line in Comet territory.

Robertson and Sisco couldn’t connect, bringing second and ten. Robertson tried unsuccessfully to connect with Sisco twice more. With 30 seconds left in the game, Robles ran on the field to attempt a field goal from the 20-yard line and the attempt was successful.

Madill took over the lead 17 to 14 with just a few seconds left. Wildcats kicked to the Comets, the Comets fumbled, Wildcats recovered and took a knee. Game ends with a Wildcat win. Speer noted that even though they had a good win, this was not the time to slow down.

“River Shaw and Rey Gomez played extremely hard tonight. We have a big game this week against the Sulphur Bulldogs,” Speer said. “We need to have a good week of practice. Will need to play disciplined football in all three phases. The guys need to play with relentless effort and energy, execute at a high level and make plays.”

The Wildcats will travel to Sulphur on Friday, October 1, with a 7:00 p.m. start time.