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Sweeny stuffs Royal for big 26-3A win
Published October 31, 2009
SWEENY — The speedy Royal Falcons were able to move the ball plenty against Sweeny on Friday night. But when the game was on the line, the Bulldog defense came through with the biggest play.
Royal trailed by five points and faced a first-and-goal from the 8-yard line with four seconds left in the contest. On the final play of the game, Falcons’ running back Brandon Williams was stuffed 4 yards short of the goal line by a host of Sweeny players as the Bulldogs survived a hard-fought 21-16 District 26-3A win.
“The kids rose up and made the big play,” Sweeny head coach Tommy Zajicek said. “It was a heck of a stand by the defense. They played when they had to. They bent but didn’t break.”
With the win, Sweeny (4-0 district, 7-2 overall) clinched a playoff spot and at least a share of the district title. The Bulldogs can win the 26-3A crown outright and go unbeaten in league play for the second straight year with a victory next week at Wharton.
“We got it locked up, but we have one more focus in the regular season, and that’s to be outright champs,” Zajicek said. “Then we’ll set a new set of goals the next week for the playoffs.”
Royal (3-1, 4-5) totaled 324 yards from scrimmage, and Williams ran 22 times for 204 yards and a touchdown, but only put 16 points on the scoreboard. Sweeny’s power rushing attack amassed 220 yards and kept the ball away from the explosive Falcon offense.
“We’re just trying to find a way to move the ball and score,” Zajicek said. “We needed to find something in the spread or a more conventional offense to soften them up a bit.
“Our kids keep finding ways to win. I don’t care if it’s pretty, as long as we win.”
An earlier fourth-quarter goal line stand by the Bulldogs stopped a potential go-ahead Royal drive when Tre’ Lemon intercepted a pass in the end zone on a fake field goal try with 4:02 to play. But three plays later Royal got the ball back on the Sweeny 44-yard line after a fumble. That turnover set up the Falcons’ final drive that was stopped at the 4 as time expired.
“One thing I can say about this team is that it has matured,” Zajicek said. “We got a big stop, then turned it right over late on the fumble, but the kids stayed in it. They came back and made the plays.”
Bulldog quarterback Lemon ran 10 times for 57 yards in the game with a pair of touchdowns. His second trip to the end zone on a 7-yard run with 8:35 to play was the winning score. Lemon was 5-for-8 passing for 54 yards.
Sweeny senior running back Jamell Woodard carried the ball 25 times for 125 yards with a 9-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and had two catches for 19 yards. His score, the first of the game, was set up on a botched Royal punt that gave the Bulldogs possession on the Falcon 9-yard line.
Bulldog kicker Chris Wilson booted a 31-yard field goal in the third quarter. Royal quarterback Eric Matthews ran 14 times for 84 yards with a 7-yard touchdown scamper right before halftime.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: (BR) Brandon Williams 22-204 TD, Eric Matthews 14-84 TD; (SW) Jamell Woodard 25-125, TD; Tre’ Lemon 10-57, 2 TDs.
Passing: (BR) Matthews 4-12-1, 32 yards (SW) Lemon 5-8-0, 54 yards.
Receiving: (BR) Shane Alexander 2-9; (SW) Woodard 2-19.
Jim Levesque is a sports writer for The Facts. Contact him at 979-237-0161.
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