In a game that the Bearcats have no doubt had marked on their calendar since last season Ballinger was victorious 49-14.
For the first time this season Ballinger would receive the opening kickoff of the game. If you were wondering how this might affect the Bearcats rhythm, it didn’t. A quick five play drive that was highlighted by a 42 yard pass from Edgar Nunez to JoeMarcus Guerrero and capped off by a Nunez trot into the end zone would put the Bearcats on the board. Ballinger would miss the extra point try making the score Ballinger 6-Colorado City 0
On the Wolves first offensive play of the game Fernando Falcon made a great play in the backfield, forcing a fumble from the running back. Ballinger would recover the fumble and go back to work on offense. Some mistakes on the ensuing Ballinger drive would lead to a field goal attempt, but a bad snap lead to a scramble drill by Ballinger. An outstanding play keeping the ball alive by Nunez led to a touchdown throw to JoeMarcus Guerrero tight roping in the back of the endzone. Ballinger 13-Colorado City 0
Ballinger’s defense continued holding strong on their next possession making the Wolves go 3 and out and giving the offense the ball back. Ballinger was not able to capitalize on the drive, however, and turned the ball over on downs. The Bearcat defense would again hold C-City to a 3 and out giving the Bearcats the ball again. This drive would end in points for the Bearcats behind some strong running of Cooper Bean, Edgar Nunez and capped by a Tyler Vaughn touchdown run, where he just would not be denied. Ballinger went for the two point conversion, but were unsuccessful. Ballinger 19 – Colorado City 0
Colorado City would get the ball back for a fourth time in the, but after making no progress against a stiff Bearcat defense the Wolves would again have to punt on 4th down. This time the Ballinger special teams would make them pay as the Bearcats blocked the punt. The following possession for Ballinger was highlighted by a 31 yard Darin Hall run and capped off by another Edgar Nunez touchdown run. Ballinger 26 – Colorado City 0
Late in the 2nd quarter the Wolves were able to get their first 1st down of the game, but the Bearcats again forced a punt. Stuck deep in their own end of the field Coach Lipsey elected to run a 2 minute offense for Ballinger and see if they could drive the ball 86 yards for a score before halftime. Tyler Vaughn and Weston Rollwitz both had big 3rd down conversions on the drive, but the final play with Weston diving to catch the ball in the endzone between two defenders was a highlight. Ballinger 33 – Colorado City 0
After the half the Ballinger defense started much like they had the first half, holding the Wolves to a 3 and out. The next possession was 68 yards of Darin Hall running the ball, highlighted by a 46 yard run weaving in and out of traffic. Ballinger 40 – Colorado City 0
Ballinger would force another turnover from the Wolves on the next possession and at this point in the game it was time to start spreading out the playing time. For the second week in a row James Washington was able to come in and play some quarterback for the Bearcats and the team was able to get everyone in the game. Ballinger didn’t try to push the ball hard during their next drive, but it gave Edgar Nunez the chance to hit an impressive field goal from 44 yards out. Ballinger 43 – Colorado City 0
The Bearcat defense, without most of it’s starters was not able to continue the shutout, but with the game put away well before the 4th quarter it was nothing to be ashamed of. Cooper Bean even extended the score of the Bearcats with his longest run of the season, a 38 yard touchdown run behind some superb blocking. To help give the Bearcats the final score. Ballinger 49 – Colorado City 14
With a bye week this week Ballinger has some time to rest up before opening district play on September 27th against Cisco.
Cisco is 2-1 this season with their only loss coming against Wall. With a win the Bearcats will have a chance to run the table in district play, but the Loboes will make them fight for everything they can get. This has the makings of an outstanding game. The Bearcat defense has been suffocating to this point in the year and the offense has been able to capitalize when it needs to. The Loboes are 3A Division 2 State ranked #2 while Maxpreps has the Bearcats at #16. There will no doubt be a lot of eyes in Texas on the results of this game.
Week 3 Top Performers
Edgar Nunez
115 yards pass yards 2 touchdowns
9 carries 116 yards 2 touchdowns
Darin Hall
8 carries 110 yards 1 touchdown
Cooper Bean
8 Carries 81 yards 1 touchdown
9 tackles 1 sack 1 punt block
Adam Winn
10 tackles 2 tackles for loss
Marcus Castleberry
4 tackles 2 hurries 1 pass defensed
Week 5 Who to Watch
Bearcat backfield, whoever runs the ball for Ballinger against Cisco will have to be effective. Ballinger cannot get stuck behind the chains in long passing situations. When running the ball Ballinger has to get yards in order to win the game no matter who is running the ball.
Cooper Bean on defense. The Cisco offense will look to misdirect the defense. It is essential that Cooper keeps the Bearcat defense humming along and has everyone lined up where they need to be on the field.
Tyler Vaughn could make another game changing play. Much like Brady, Cisco does not pass the ball a lot. They will pull you in with the run and try and beat you over the top on a big play. Tyler as the deep safety will have to be disciplined in this game where one turnover could make all the difference.
