Ballinger started off their game last Friday strong with 14 points in the first quarter against Coleman. That 14 points would be all that they need as they eventually defeated the Bluecats 41-0. The win for Ballinger breaks an unsavory streak for Ballinger. The Bearcats had lost four straight to Coleman by an average score of 31-8. It had also been more than a decade since the Bearcats defeated Coleman since a 14-13 victory in 2007. It was also the most lopsided victory by either team since a 41-7 victory in 1997 and just the third shutout for the Bearcats against Coleman since 1993.
A short offensive possession by Coleman led to a punt to start the game. On the ensuing possession for Ballinger Edgar Nunez did what he has done all season, make defenders look like they’re running through mud, on a one play drive 56 yard rushing score. On Ballinger’s next possession JoeMarcus Guerrero got behind the defender as Nunez launched the ball deep. JoeMarcus caught the ball at the 20 yard line and ran the rest of the way for a 57 yard touchdown.
The low point for Ballinger was in the 2nd quarter when their defense could not get the Bluecats off of the field. A combination of missed tackles, poor penetration and mental errors led to multiple 3rd and 4th down conversions that resulted in Coleman possessing the ball for the entirety of the 2nd quarter. Ballinger ultimately held the Bluecats scoreless as they headed in to halftime.
Receiving the ball after the half, Ballinger gave the ball to Damian “Kumar” Willborn, who ran 50 yards for the score, giving the bearcats three touchdowns on just five offensive plays to that point. Ballinger continued to stretch their lead throughout the game.
Coleman ran 56 plays and controlled the ball for 38 minutes. Ballinger ran 21 plays and possessed the ball for 9 minutes.
On top of the big plays from the offense the Ballinger defense had several top performers. Cooper Bean and Jayden Rivera-McDuffee continued to rack up the tackles with 21 and 20 apiece. Jayden also had 2 interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. Jorian Fuentes added a sack as did Adam Winn for his fifth of the year.
Ballinger will host TLCA for Senior Night November 9th. The Seniors will be introduced at 7PM before kickoff. Ballinger has clinched and matchup information will be published as soon as it is finalized.
