Greg Webb
The Richland Rebels were left wishing for a do-over Friday at Kangaroo Stadium, after deciding to try to end the District 3-5A match against the Weatherford Kangaroos with a flourish. Up by five points, on third and 20 from its own 43 with time running out, Richland opted for a pass attempt down the left sideline, which was promptly picked by Weatherford defensive back Brandon Segura. The junior crossed the field, returning the interception to the Rebels’ 18. Four plays later, with just two ticks left in the game, Weatherford’s Jaren Gentry plunged in from the 1-yard line to complete the Roos’ comeback, beating Richland on Homecoming Night, 35-34.
“You can’t ever count these guys out,” Weatherford head coach Kenny Wheaton said. “I saw a few people leaving the stadium when we were down by two scores. But with our guys, you just never know. They have found ways to win, no doubt.”
Gentry’s run capped a workhorse night for the senior fullback, finishing with 152 yards on 22 carries as the leading rusher on the night. The Kangaroos ground game rolled up 368 yards against the Rebels’ defense.
After putting 23 points on the board in the first half, Weatherford hit a dry spell in the third quarter, lasting through most of the final period, which saw a trio of three-and-out series and and five-straight possessions ending with punts.
“The third-quarter field position just killed us,” Wheaton said. “We started inside our 5-yard line three times, and you’re limited to about two plays that you can call in those situations. [The coaching staff] could sense some frustration, so we worked on getting the boys refocused.
“When they pulled back together, the defense got some stops and the offense put it in [the end zone] twice there at the end. They found a way to win.”
Weatherford won the turnover battle against the Rebels, with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Besides Segura’s late-game pick, senior Nick Gutierez snagged a throw from Richland quarterback Tyler Cotton in the Rebels’ second series of the game. Weatherford capitalized on the takeaway, when Colton Kamper’s 33-yard touchdown run gave the Roos their first lead of the game, 14-7, with 4:40 left in the opening period.
Roos’ quarterback Mitchael Rucker took advantage of the solid Weatherford offensive line play, using the option pitch on a couple of occasions past the line of scrimmage. Rucker finished as the game’s second-most proficient runner, tallying 87 yards.
“Mitchael managed the offense well,” said Wheaton. “In that first drive, pitching the ball downfield twice showed great awareness.
“It’s a difficult thing to do and we work very hard at it. My hat’s off to him, feeling when those pitch guys are there with all kinds of people running around you.”
Richland (3-1 in District 3-5A, 6-2 overall) padded its 27-23 lead in the final period on a 38-yard touchdown sprint by running back Isaac Umesi at the 4-minute mark.
On the ensuing possession, the Roos climbed out of their offensive doldrums, helped by a 32-yard Gentry run, followed by a 21-yard Rucker romp. Rucker kept the ball the next two plays, capping the scoring drive with a 1-yard sneak at 1:50.
Richland’s fateful possession came next. After being thrown for 5-yard losses on consecutive plays by the penetrating WHS line, the Rebels called a time out.
“When [Richland] called that time out, I told our guys, to be smart and play the run so we can call timeout before they punt,” Wheaton said. “I told our guys, ‘they are not going to pass.’”
Segura went airborn to snatch the ball and was off to the races.
“When you have a quarterback like [Richland’s] Tyler Cotton, you have all the confidence in the world [that he will make the play],” Wheaton said. “Segura went up and got that pass. He just elevated and has good hands. And then to return it like he did was great.
“I won’t say we wouldn’t have still come back from our own forty with 40 seconds left, but it sure helped to set up on [Richland’s] 18-yard line.”
With the win, Weatherford improves to 2-2 in district play (4-4 overall) and climbs back into the race for a playoff spot with two games left. The Roos travel to North Crowley Friday, to play the Panthers (1-7, 0-4).
Weatherford 35 Richland 34
RHS 7 14 6 7 — 34
WHS 17 6 0 12 — 35
Scoring summary:
First quarter
RHS - Isaac Umesi 22 run (Nick Hodgson kick) 9:37
WHS - Tyler Henderson 16 run (Josh Blanton kick) 7:23
WHS - Colton Kamper 33 run (Blanton kick) 4:40
WHS - Blanton 32 field goal 0:41
Second quarter
RHS - Walker Burns 34 pass from Tyler Cotton (Hodgson kick) 10:29
WHS - Jeran Gentry 7 run (kick failed) 2:46
RHS - Bryan Grant 25 pass from Cotton (Hodgson kick) 0:25
Third quarter
RHS - Burns 2 run (pass failed) 2:49
Fourth quarter
RHS - Umesi 38 run (Hodgson kick) 4:00
WHS - Mitchael Rucker 1 run (run failed) 1:50
WHS - Gentry 1 run (run failed) 0:02
Team stats: RHS WHS
First downs 17 18
Rushes-yards 25-149 56-368
Passing yards 212 0
Passes (comp-att-int) 0 14-25-2 0-3-0
Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-0
Penalties-yds 3-30 5-35
Punts-avg 3-47.6 6-29.8
Individual leaders:
Rushing - RHS: Tyler Cotton 6-61, Isaac Umesi 6-40, Walker Burns 11-35; WHS: Jaren Gentry 22-152, Mitchael Rucker 21-87, Colton Kamper 7-74, Tyler Henderson 3-44.
Passing - RHS: Cotton 14-25-2-2; WHS Rucker 0-3-0-0.
Receiving - RHS: Burns 4-77, Bryan Grant 3-62, Quade Butterfield 2-43, Lorenzo Smith 6-31.
