TATUM COMES FROM BEHIND | Eagles wind up in front of Gladewater in our ETBlitz Game of the Week
TATUM – In a District 8-3A, Division I battle that lived up to its ETBlitz.com Game of the Week name, Tatum quarterback Jacorie Bradley scored on a 45-yard run with just under 4 ½ minutes left, giving his Eagles the final say in their Thursday night game against Gladewater.
Tatum would hold on through Gladewater’s final possession, as Tatum’s defense forced a turnover on downs, and Bradley knelt out what was left of the clock for a 33-28 win here at Tatum ISD Eagle Stadium.
Both teams were needing a win in the tough race for the playoffs in 8-3A; remember, only the top four teams make the UIL Class 3A playoffs.
Gladewater drops to 3-5 overall with the loss, and 1-3 in district play – currently fifth, but the season is nowhere near over.
Coach Jonny Louvier’s Bears have an open date next Friday, and then finish the regular season with a home game against Atlanta (Nov. 1) and a road trip to White Oak (Nov. 8).
Tatum (5-2) is 2-1 in district and actually has three games left: a trip to Atlanta next Friday, Oct. 25; a home game against White Oak on Nov. 1; and then the regular season finale at Jefferson Nov. 8.
The Eagles are currently third in the district, behind Jefferson and L-E– neither L-E nor Jefferson has lost a district game. They play each other on Nov. 1.
Gladewater and Tatum had a physical, intense battle here Thursday that almost had a playoff feel to it.
The Eagles got off to a bit of a slow start, but they would pick it up and get back to their old selves as the law firm of Bradley, Gipson, & Tatum would come alive and help the Eagles get the win. A new name, Issac Macallister, would let us know he is a factor, as well.
The Bears had a good showing from quarterback Luke Brown and a solid running game from Carsin Cooper, Trayvion Watts and Mason Burdo. Brown had some impressive throws, but couldn’t find enough points to outlast the Eagles.
Tatum had the game’s first possession, and would move it well on the ground, with Cayden Tatum and Jamarri Gipson reeling off a pair of big runs. Bradley hit Macallister for a gain threw the air, but disaster struck on the next play, as the Eagles coughed up the ball, a fumble on a run, and the Bears recovered.
Gladewater came out immediately with Cooper, a pair of nice runs that put the Bears at the Tatum 38-yard-line.
After a run by Trayvion Watts, Brown would hit his man, Brayson Woods, for a 34-yard touchdown pass.
Grafton Morgan’s kick gave Gladewater a 7-0 advantage with 5:58 remaining left the first quarter.
But the Eagles would get on track, moving the ball on the ground with Gipson and Bradley. Bradley found Dustin Henigan on a pass to the Gladewater 12. A nice run by Gipson moved it to the 8, and McAllister would take it the remainder for the Eagles, their first score of the game.
Their two-point try would fail and leave the Eagles trailing, 7-6, with 2:20 remaining in the quarter.
But the Bears would have a miscue on the kickoff: a fumble, and Tatum would recover at the Gladewater 41.
It would only take one play for the Eagles to find paydirt, as Cayden Tatum would take it 41 yards for the score.
The conversion try failed once again, although now Tatum had a 12-7 lead with 2:04 left in the first.
Gladewater answered with a long drive, keeping it on the ground for the most part.
The running of Cooper, Burdo and then Brown would allow the Bears to the Eagles’ 12 and Copper would take it for the 12-yard score.
Morgan was money on the point after kick, and the Bears would be back on top, 14-12, with 6:25 remaining in the half.
The teams would exchange the ball, with Tatum’s next drive ending in a punt, Gladewater’s in a fumble, and then Gladewater’s defense forcing a turnover on downs to get the ball back. Neither team would score again in the half, and the Bears’ 14-12 lead held up.
They would extend it, in fact, in the third quarter.
Most of their first possession of the second half was on the ground, but the big play was a 26-yard pass from Brown to Zakevion Watson, down to the Eagles’ 29.
Cooper would eventually score on a 10-yard run, and combined with Morgan’s point after, Gladewater held a 21-12 lead.
But Tatum punched back again, a 55-yard drive, kept solely on the ground, that put Tatum in the end zone on a 2-yard run by Gipson.
This time, no two-point try; Dekarlo Garza hit the extra point to get Tatum within two, 21-19, with 1:58 left in the third.
The back-and-forth continued, as they instituted a drive with Kayson Harris, Budro, Cooper, Watts and Brown – Brown would be the one to find the end zone, a 4-yard run (Gladewater, 28-19).
Anyone who left the game then missed a good fourth quarter.
Gipson and Tatum toted the load on the ground, and Gipson would fit into the end zone for a 1-yard score that got the Eagles within two (28-26).
That’s when things got a little crazy.
On Gladewater’s next possession, the Bears fumbled the ball back to Tatum at midfield.
That proved to be what Tatum needed. It led to Bradley’s go-ahead, 45-yard run with 4:24 left, putting Tatum in the lead in the game for the first time.
Gladewater got another opportunity with the football, and were trying to move the ball quickly. But another fumble, recovered once again by the Eagles, would allow Tatum to run it once and then take a knee to run the clock for the win.
