WHS offense lacks lightning in loss

Healdon takes 21-7 win, as Eagles go 34 minutes without scoring in A-4 opener

Jeff Kaley

HEALDTON — By the time Waurika and Healdton kicked off Friday night, a rain storm had long since passed through Carter County. However, that thunder-boomer did leave something it’s wake — a power outage in the Eagles’ offense.

While Waurika struggled to gain yardage in the second half, thanks in part to Healdton’s defense, the Bulldogs got a pair of touchdowns from quarterback JJ Montaie and tipped the Eagles, 21-7, in the District A-4 opener for both clubs.

Although he felt the Eagles had improved in several areas since dropping a 54-21 decision at Snyder a week before, WHS coach Larry VanBeber was discouraged about an offense that was slow to unwind in the first half and almost completely short of wattage in the final 24 minutes.

“One of the things about offense is that sometimes the plays work and sometimes they don’t, but either way, you still have to block, and if you don’t, it’s definitely not going to work,” VanBeber said.

Waurika’s defense pulled its weight by stopping the Bulldogs (1-1, 1-0) on three drives inside the WHS 10 in the second half. But the Eagles’ offense generated just one first down and 41 yards total yards in the half.

Ironically, Waurika (0-2, 0-1) had a slim 135-119 edge in total yards at halftime. But in the second half, the Eagles’ first three possessions resulted in “drives” of 8, 5 and 1 yards, and a six-play, 30-yard “surge” late in the fourth quarter ended when a desperation pass by quarterback Tyler Fuller became a second interception by Bulldogs’ safety Blake Hollinsworth.

“We were a lot better in some things,” VanBeber noted. “Our defense actually did a pretty good job, and you can give some credit to (defensive) Coach (Glenn) Howard — except for the long run by the quarterback, our defense made some real strides.

“Our conditioning was a lot better than at Snyder and so was our intensity was better. But we just got ‘out-horsed’ on offense.”

In a matchup that could have playoff implications as the A-4 season unfolds, a pattern was set when the Eagles’ first possession ended on a failed fourth-and-1 play at the WHS 41-yard line. It was the first of three times the offense failed on key fourth-down plays before the intermission.

Healdton responded to good field position by using 11 plays to cover 41 yards, the final 5 yards on a touchdown pass from Montaie to fullback Garrett Powell. With 4:04 remaining in the first stanza, an extra-point kick by Dustin Roper gave the ’Dogs a 7-0 edge.

Waurika came right back, getting one of its few electric moments when Fuller returned the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to the HHS 21. Gil Griffin contributed a 10-yard run to a four-play drive that ended on Levi Henderson’s tackle-busting, 6-yard run.

Fuller added a PAT kick at 2:03 that knotted the score at 7-all, but the Bulldogs replied with a lightning strike. On second-and-10 at the HHS 39, Montaie kept on an option outside right tackle, then cut back against the flow and scooted 61 yards for a TD.

Trailing, 13-7, Waurika’s defense dug in. The Bulldogs managed just 2 total yards and had no first downs in the second period.

And the Eagles’ offense seemed to gather some momentum — it just wasn’t sustained.

In the first minute of the second stanza, they faced fourth-and-2 at the HHS 36, but Henderson had the ball striped going off right tackle. Although he recovered the bobble, the drive stalled.

After the Bulldogs went three-and-out and a 31-yard punt by Montaie set up Waurika at its own 47, the Eagles put together a 14-play possession. They converted two fourth-down situations, once on a 6-yard run by Fuller at the HHS 29 and again on fourth-and-1 at the HHS 20, when Henderson picked up a first down.

But the Bulldogs’ 18 was as close as the Eagles would come to scoring for the rest of the night. A procedure penalty set them back to the HHS 23, and after a 2-yard run by wingback Jace Dunn, Fuller threw three incomplete passes, two of which were batted down by Hollinsworth.

In the third quarter, the Eagles stopped the Bulldogs on two straight possessions inside the WHS 10, but couldn’t counter with any offense.

That wasn’t the case for the ’Dogs, who opened the fourth period by going 49 yards in seven plays, capping the drive on a 7-yard run by Montaie, who finished with a game-high 126 yards on 18 carries.

With 8:24 remaining, Roper added a 2-point conversion run that gave HHS a 21-7 lead.

Griffin finished with 44 yards on nine carries to pace the Eagles, but had just two carries in the second half. Henderson added 37 yards in 12 hauls and also caught three passes that accounted for 29 yards.

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