WEST RUSK HOLDS OFF GLADEWATER | Raiders get back on track with a 28-7 home win Thursday night
NEW LONDON – Last week, West Rusk and Diboll were in a shootout until the end, with the Raiders, unfortunately for them and their fans, coming up just short.
That would not be the case Thursday night, back here at Bruce Bradshaw Stadium, where West Rusk has a shiny new scoreboard.
And that scoreboard was heavy in the Raiders’ favor.
Coach Rafe Mata’s Raiders hosted the Gladewater Bears, led by Jermaine Lewis, on Thursday night, a matchup of two schools in the ETBlitz.com coverage area. Raiders Kam Brown, Trig Pratt, Daylan Williams, and Kemontrea McGregor helped the team put up 28 points in a 28-7 win.
West Rusk (2-1) goes back to Friday night next week, a road game at Garrison, as non-district play continues. The Bears (1-2), who have uncharacteristically lost back-to-back games, will have an open date, and then go to Longview to play Spring Hill on Sept. 18.
Thursday night, both teams went three-and-out on their opening drives, until West Rusk took an early lead.
From the Gladewater 25-yard-line, after back-to-back runs by Williams, quarterback Pratt would find Gunner Harp to move it to the Bears’ 5. Williams picked up 2 yards, and then on second-and-goal, Pratt would find Brown in the end zone for the 3-yard score. Diego Martinez was good on the extra point, giving WR a 7-0 lead with 6:49 left in the first.
The Bears, at their own 22 to begin their next drive, handed off to Tray Watts and Mar ‘Shaun Stevenson, and then quarterback Achilles Hess connected with Landon King to move it to the Gladewater’s 46.
Gladewater tried to establish the run, with carries by Lucas Vasquez and Watts. But the Bears would be looking at a fourth down, and a run by Watts would come up short, giving the Raiders the ball at their own 19. Pratt would find McGregor, then Harp, to put the ball at midfield for the Raiders, ending the first quarter.
Williams got the call three straight times to open the second quarter, moving it to the Bear 20. A pass to McGregor netted 6 to the 14, and then Williams – who had five touchdowns in the loss to Diboll last week – took it to the house from 14 yards out for the TD. The Martinez kick was good, and WR had grabbed a 14-0 advantage with 9:53 left in the half.
The Bears had been able to move the ball on the Raiders’ defense, and continued to do so, but it was another turnover on downs on their next possession A QB sneak by Hess was blown up by the Raiders, who took possession at their own 44.
After a three-and-out and a punt by brown, the Bears would have it back and look to put some points up before halftime. The drive started at the Bears’ own 7.
Watts would get the call to start the drive, and then Hess would find King to jumpstart things, moving the ball to the Bears’ 32. Back-to-back runs by Watts and then a run by Vasquez left the Bears at their own 45 as the two minute time out hit.
Hess found Connor Thompson to the Raiders’ 40, but after three straight passes, the game went to the half with WR up 14-0.
Gladewater struck back in a big way on the second half’s first drive.
Watts, Hess, Stevenson and Vasquez all got touches, and after a pass from Hess to King got Gladewater to the WR 6, Vasquez took it from there, a rushing TD for the Bears.
Korbin Sergio was good on the extra point, and Gladewater had cut the West Rusk lead in half (14-7) with 5:13 left in the third quarter.
It didn’t last long. The Raiders would answer and do so fast.
After a run by Williams on first down, Pratt connected with Brown on a 76-yard bomb. That stretched the Raiders’ lead back to two touchdowns (21-7) with 4:24 left in the third.
The Bears would fumble the kickoff, and it appeared the Raiders had the opportunity to put the game away. West Rusk recovered the fumble at the Bears’ 33.
But Pratt’s pass would be picked off by King, giving the Bears the ball back at their own 3. The Bears went three-and-out, though giving WR the ball back.
The fourth would see more of the same from the Raiders, who were moving the ball but wound up punting after an incomplete pass on third down.
On Gladewater’s next possession, Hess’s pass would be picked off by West Rusk’s Alex Ponce.
West Rusk, at its own 41, got two more connections between Pratt and Harp, getting the ball to the Bears’ 27 (with help from a 15-yard flag on Gladewater).
Pratt found McGregor for what would be the final score of the night, and with the kick by Martinez, West Rusk took it to a 28-7 lead.