TATUM TOPS WINNSBORO! | Eagles, Raiders play just a half; Cayden Tatum electrifies with kick return on final play
TATUM – For 2 ½ hours, the Tatum Eagles and Winnsboro Red Raiders sat idle on Thursday night, looking at the locker room walls here at Tatum ISD Eagle Stadium, forced into boredom by lightning and inclement weather.
And then, a little before 9:20 p.m. – fireworks of a different kind.
In a game that might set an exciting tone for week one of the 2024 high school football season, Tatum took down Winnsboro, 29-14, only having played a half, though, due to a school night, long travel and other issues.
The finish: Winnsboro elected to try a 47-yard field goal just before the half – or really, what would be the game’s final play.
Kicker Rudy Calderon’s kick was well short, though, and came down into the Tatum end zone.
Tatum running back Cayden Tatum – who had a big effect on the game throughout – made his presence felt again, fielding the kick that far back, then taking it down the home team’s end zone, all the way back for the score, a plus-100-yard touchdown.
The extra point wasn’t kicked, and the teams met at midfield for the end-of-game handshake.
It wasn’t like Winnsboro didn’t show up.
The Red Raiders got the first possession of the game, and quarterback Nolee Carroll found his main target early, Camden Capehart. Capehart, who had a huge year of over 1,000 receiving yards in 2023, got the season started with a good half against Tatum. On that drive, Capehart hauled in a pass, then tried to spin out of tackles before falling down about the 2-yard-line.
Winnsboro was flagged for a false start, but on the play after, Carroll took the ball himself into the end zone for the first score of the game (7-0 Winnsboro), with 11:10 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles would answer fast – less than two minutes off the clock later, in fact – with a 53-yard option run by Cayden Tatum. Coach Whitney Keeling and his staff elected to go for the two-point conversion, and got it, Jamarri Gibson into the end zone for the two, giving the Eagles an 8-7 lead.
But the Carroll-Capehart connection would strike again, though, this time on the next drive, a 60-yard pass play that Capehart finished with the score.
Calderon tacked on the extra point to give the Red Raiders a 14-8 lead with 8:24 left in the first quarter.
But Tatum would get another score in the first quarter, as well. A 9-yard run by Gibson left the Eagles with good field position, at their own 41-yard-line.
Just three plays later, all on the ground, Tatum had a first-and-goal at Winnsboro’s 4, and then Gibson would score on a 2-yard play shortly after. This time, it was Cayden Tatum on the two-point conversion, and with 2:02 left in the first quarter, the Eagles had a 16-14 lead.
A personal foul on Tatum on Winnsboro’s next possession helped the Red Raiders get the ball at exactly midfield, the 50.
Back-to-back incomplete passes left Winnsboro with a fourth-and-6, but they converted, a pass from Carroll to Braxtun Espinosa.
Disaster, though, two plays later, as Carroll completed the pass, but Tatum defenders were able to rip it free from the receiver, and Tatum’s ZaQuaylon Smith wound up with the loose ball, a fumble recovery. That gave the Eagles the ball at their own 28.
Credit Tatum’s offensive line – including Brody Downs, Chris Guijosa, Harrison Freeman, Taylor Rutherford, and XaviorMoore – for just imposing their will at points during this game. It wasn’t a dominant performance, but the Red Raiders absolutely could not slow Tatum’s running game, for the most part – there was one play in his own territory where Cayden Tatum ended up ran out of bounds and into the kicker’s practice netting.
The Eagles’ defense also came up with some big stops on fourth down.
With just over six minutes left in the half, Tatum put even more pressure on Winnsboro: a 36-yard run by Gibson, and then an extra point by Abel Aguirre, that cushioned Tatum’s lead even more (23-14).
Winnsboro had its chances, but were stymied by Tatum’s defense, or their own mistakes, including a fumble back to Tatum on fourth down with about two minutes left to play.
That set up the final sequence. Winnsboro would get the ball back, fail to convert on third down, and send Calderon out for the kick.
We know what happened: Cayden Tatum and his blockers happened, all the way back, for the backbreaking score (29-14) that would finish the contest – literally. Tatum crossed the goal line, and then went to the middle of the field to shake hands with the Red Raiders.
Of note: it was a half, and at press time, we’re not sure. But if that is counted by the Eagles as a regular season win – and why wouldn’t it be? – then that was the 500th win in school history in football.
Tatum (1-0) will visit Dangerfield next Thursday night, at 7 p.m. Winnsboro (0-1) is on the road again next week, this time Friday at Redwater.