|
|
 |
Tuesday
February 9, 2010 Since 1922 |
Sterling holds off South Houston for win
By Dave Rogers
Their offense took advantage of a weird play at the start of the second half to expand a halftime lead, then the Ranger defense held off a South Houston comeback bid at the end to defeat the Trojans 20-15 at Veterans Stadium.
“The kids hung in there and fought,” Sterling head coach Herb Minyard said after Andre Corley’s pass interception chilled the final Trojan threat.
“I think before all is said and done we’ll have a pretty good football team.”
Sterling and La Porte were locked up 7-7 at halftime in the Aug. 28 season opener before lightning caused the game to be ended two quarters short of regulation.
Saturday, quarterback Colton Kolaja passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third to give Sterling a 14-9 halftime lead and a 20-9 edge early in the third quarter.
The Rangers built their biggest lead when South Houston failed to field Bogar Garcia’s second-half kickoff, a short popup. Instead, Ranger junior Eric Mortensen made a sliding recovery at the Trojan 26.
After pass interference and defensive holding calls against South Houston aided the Rangers, Kolaja ran around right end for four yards and the 20-9 lead with just 1:41 gone in the second half.
“Their kid just made a poor choice on the ball,” Minyard said of the second-half kickoff. “He thought it was going to bounce up. You’ve got to hand it to Bogar Garcia.
“We were hustling and recovered it and, ultimately, it set up the game-winning score.”
South Houston outgained Sterling with 316 total yards to 241 and quarterback Dominique McCoy had 95 rushing yards and halfback Alex Rivas finished with 98 yards on 19 totes.
But Sterling’s pressuring defense limited SoHo to one scoring drive in the second half, an 11-play, 54-yard drive midway through the fourth period that ended with Rivas scoring from a yard out.
The Trojans had two more possessions, but McCoy (he was 11 of 27 for 120 yards) missed on six straight passes and failed to get another first down for his team.
Linebackers Lance Angelle and Tanner Townsend led a blitzing Ranger defense that had McCoy often running for his life and Curtis Jenkins and his line mates put the brakes on the running game in the second half.
Kolaja finished 9 of 17 for 157 yards. He didn’t throw an interception and his first-half scoring passes were to Spencer Schoor for 26 yards and Jose Herrera for 39 yards.
The Trojans shut down Sterling’s running game (33 for 84), with the exception of Chance Nelson, who gained 68 yards rushing on 11 carries, to go with a team-high three catches for 44 yards and some nice return work.
The Rangers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, going 56 yards in nine plays after Nelson returned the opening kickoff to the 44-yard line.
Sterling kept the ball on the ground for the first seven plays before Kolaja went to the air. After a play-action fake, he found Schoor for a 26-yard score. Garcia’s PAT put RSS ahead 7-0 with 7:47 left in the first quarter.
The Rangers’ second drive wasn’t as successful. South Houston punted Sterling back to its 9-yard line and the Trojans’ Darren Leaks broke through to sack Kolaja in the end zone for a safety with 5:44 left in the period.
After the safety and resulting free kick, South Houston went 59 yards in five plays to take a 9-7 lead.
McCoy scrambled out of a sack for 22 yards and Rivas ripped off a 27-yard gain before McCoy scored on an eight-yard run, hurdling Ranger DB Chris Bonin at the goal line.
Sterling retook the lead with 5:11 to go in the first half on a quick, four-play, 49-yard drive on which Kolaja hit 3 of 4 passes for all the yards.
The payoff came when Herrera won a jump ball with Trojan defender Leroy Scott and raced to the end zone to complete the 39-yard play.
Their offense took advantage of a weird play at the start of the second half to expand a halftime lead, then the Ranger defense held off a South Houston comeback bid at the end to defeat the Trojans 20-15 at Veterans Stadium.
“The kids hung in there and fought,” Sterling head coach Herb Minyard said after Andre Corley’s pass interception chilled the final Trojan threat.
“I think before all is said and done we’ll have a pretty good football team.”
Sterling and La Porte were locked up 7-7 at halftime in the Aug. 28 season opener before lightning caused the game to be ended two quarters short of regulation.
Saturday, quarterback Colton Kolaja passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third to give Sterling a 14-9 halftime lead and a 20-9 edge early in the third quarter.
The Rangers built their biggest lead when South Houston failed to field Bogar Garcia’s second-half kickoff, a short popup. Instead, Ranger junior Eric Mortensen made a sliding recovery at the Trojan 26.
After pass interference and defensive holding calls against South Houston aided the Rangers, Kolaja ran around right end for four yards and the 20-9 lead with just 1:41 gone in the second half.
“Their kid just made a poor choice on the ball,” Minyard said of the second-half kickoff. “He thought it was going to bounce up. You’ve got to hand it to Bogar Garcia.
“We were hustling and recovered it and, ultimately, it set up the game-winning score.”
South Houston outgained Sterling with 316 total yards to 241 and quarterback Dominique McCoy had 95 rushing yards and halfback Alex Rivas finished with 98 yards on 19 totes.
But Sterling’s pressuring defense limited SoHo to one scoring drive in the second half, an 11-play, 54-yard drive midway through the fourth period that ended with Rivas scoring from a yard out.
The Trojans had two more possessions, but McCoy (he was 11 of 27 for 120 yards) missed on six straight passes and failed to get another first down for his team.
Linebackers Lance Angelle and Tanner Townsend led a blitzing Ranger defense that had McCoy often running for his life and Curtis Jenkins and his line mates put the brakes on the running game in the second half.
Kolaja finished 9 of 17 for 157 yards. He didn’t throw an interception and his first-half scoring passes were to Spencer Schoor for 26 yards and Jose Herrera for 39 yards.
The Trojans shut down Sterling’s running game (33 for 84), with the exception of Chance Nelson, who gained 68 yards rushing on 11 carries, to go with a team-high three catches for 44 yards and some nice return work.
The Rangers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, going 56 yards in nine plays after Nelson returned the opening kickoff to the 44-yard line.
Sterling kept the ball on the ground for the first seven plays before Kolaja went to the air. After a play-action fake, he found Schoor for a 26-yard score. Garcia’s PAT put RSS ahead 7-0 with 7:47 left in the first quarter.
The Rangers’ second drive wasn’t as successful. South Houston punted Sterling back to its 9-yard line and the Trojans’ Darren Leaks broke through to sack Kolaja in the end zone for a safety with 5:44 left in the period.
After the safety and resulting free kick, South Houston went 59 yards in five plays to take a 9-7 lead.
McCoy scrambled out of a sack for 22 yards and Rivas ripped off a 27-yard gain before McCoy scored on an eight-yard run, hurdling Ranger DB Chris Bonin at the goal line.
Sterling retook the lead with 5:11 to go in the first half on a quick, four-play, 49-yard drive on which Kolaja hit 3 of 4 passes for all the yards.
The payoff came when Herrera won a jump ball with Trojan defender Leroy Scott and raced to the end zone to complete the 39-yard play.