Polk County Sports

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Damorian Hill dives into the pile and over the goal line.

By Brian Besch
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Livingston football made the district champions’ work easy Friday, with penalties and turnovers leading to a 56-21 Lumberton win.

On the first play from scrimmage, Livingston threw an interception. It took seven plays for the Raiders to score, going up 7-0. It wouldn’t get much better from there.

The Raiders had 21 points before the Lions could run their fifth offensive play. When they did, Trenden Williams got the carry for 15 yards. The next play he went for five, and a third for 33 yards and a touchdown, to cut into the lead 21-7.

Lumberton scored through the air, on the ground, on special teams, and on defense. A 42-7 lead at the half made the final result obvious. They ran for 198 yards (175 in frst half) and threw for another 193.

“They are everything that is written up about them,” Livingston coach Finis Vanover said. “They are big, fast, strong, skilled and well-coached. They are disciplined, and if you battle with them close and make a mistake, they are going to capitalize on it.”

Livingston scored its final two touchdowns on a 58-yard run by Jaren James and a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Damorian Hill after a seven-play march.

“We missed six opportunities for big plays in the first half where we wanted to go after it and take some shots,” Vanover said. “We had them there and didn’t make the catches on some throws. We had some folks open and we were going to try to get them off of us until we found the right formation that we could run the ball out of.”

Deondre Johnson and Ja’tarius Randolph were able to pressure the quarterback at times. Both Jerren James and Williams had 94 yards rushing and a touchdown. The Lions were called for 11 penalties for 95 yards in the first half, and none in the second. Hill had trouble completing passes, going 2-for-11 for 52 yards and two interceptions. Both completions were to Tristen McCue.

There was nothing special about the Lion special teams, which gave away possessions on a fumbled kickoff return and punt return. The punt team surrendered a touchdown and failed to get a second punt off when snaps were not handled.

“That is as good as a high school defense that you are going to see anywhere. Those guys are going to be playing for a long time this season and in their future. They are loaded with talent. They are fun to coach against and they should be fun to play against if you’re a competitor. They booted us around the field most of the night and at most positions.

“We were our worst enemy and most times, we just flew both feet off with mistakes at the worst possible time. That goes along with the undefeated run that they are. They have won seven in a row because of the characteristics of their talents. We were no match for them tonight, but that is life.”

The Lions will have plenty to work on before the bi-district round of the playoffs next week. The Polk County Enterprise Facebook page will have the updated information on when and where that game is to be played as it becomes available.

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Bulldog sophomore quarterback Michael Sullivan takes a bold run to the pylon for a two-point conversion.

By Albert Trevino
Enterprise Staff

The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs fought hard, but suffered a 27-22 defeat against the Leon Cougars on Friday

In the road district match in Jewett, the Bulldogs were punched early by Leon, then let some late errors stop a potential winning drive.

“They limited us and put us in a bind trying to score in a hurry,” said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “We got the ball at the end, but we kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We should have played better early.”

With each lead change, the sense of urgency to pass the ball grew for Corrigan as the Cougar defense held strong when it counted.

“At that point, our run game was out the window, and they did a great job staying disciplined in the secondary,” Ratliff said. “My hats off to Coach Thomas and their players who played really hard. I thought we played hard also.”

The Cougar offense tested Corrigan early with effective option runs and a long catch by senior wide receiver Caden Hughes. This quickly put Leon near the goal line to set up senior running back Gannen Wise to rush for the one-yard touchdown.

Corrigan started things off with a long reverse play, which allowed Bulldog senior Tony Cooper to quickly get into Leon territory. However, a couple of botched handoffs quickly forced Corrigan to punt.

Cougar sophomore Cooper Stevens helped Leon to another scoring drive later by catching it over the middle for a long touchdown pass. The score put the Cougars up 13-0 going into the second quarter.

The Bulldogs started to find new life on their next possession, with freshman Damere Arneson getting a strong run inside the red zone. This helped set up Cooper to make a highly contested catch as he was falling inside the end zone for a Bulldog touchdown. Bulldog junior quarterback Michael Sullivan followed it up on the extra try, taking a bad snap and charging to reach the pylon for two points.

Corrigan’s offense would march down the field again in the late moments of the half. Near the goal line, Sullivan would find the seam on the misdirection play to run inside the end zone for another score. With the extra point, the Bulldogs stole a 15-13 lead at halftime.

The Cougars would come out fighting to start the second half, recovering the opening onside kick to steal a crucial possession. This time, Stephens would run it in to finish Leon’s scoring drive to go back up 19-15 over the Bulldogs.

Arneson fought hard on the next Corrigan possession to get the ball into the red zone. Later, inside the 1-yard line, Bulldog senior Jarius Hood caught the short touchdown pass from Sullivan. After the extra point, Corrigan took the 22-19 lead.

Going into the fourth, Cougar sophomore receiver Landon Thomas made a deep reception to get Leon into Bulldog territory. Cougar senior back Gannen Wise finished it off with a strong effort up the middle for a rushing touchdown to put the Cougars back up 27-22 with a two-point conversion.

The Bulldogs stayed alive on their next possession on a facemask penalty, then again on a Cooper reception. Despite this, Corrigan could not convert a third-straight time and turned the ball over with just minutes left in the game.

It looked like Leon would get the game-winning first down, but fumbled the ball and the Bulldogs would get one last chance. However, a couple of late mistakes in the final seconds kept Corrigan out of enemy territory and short of a victory.

The Bulldogs will play back at home this Friday at 7 p.m. against the West Hardin Oilers.

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The team runs onto the field for the second half. Photo by Donnie Gokey

By Brian Besch
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It was close on so many occasions and there for the taking. Yet, Livingston football made the long trip back from Little Cypress-Mauriceville without the win Friday, falling 18-13.

Defense and missed opportunities on the offensive end were the stories of the night, especially for Livingston. Little Cypress-Mauriceville went into the half with a 12-0 lead on a 59-yard touchdown pass, and a four-play drive from good field position at the Lion 41.

Livingston (1-1, 1-6) missed the chance to put points on the board in the first half after fumbling on the LC-M 7-yard line. Later, driving down the field in less than two minutes, they would complete a pass to the Bear 5-yard line as time ran out for the band break.

After forcing a turnover on downs on the first drive of the second half, the Lion offense marched seven plays and 73 yards in just over four minutes. The drive was capped by a Copeland Bush run from his fullback position, cutting the lead to 12-7.

“Physical, we played fast, and we blew our chances in the first half – where we left 18 points on the field minimum. We knew they had some very simple flaws in their defense that we were going to try to take advantage of,” Livingston coach Finis Vanover said. “We held them to 12 points at halftime, and with that talent and those weapons and the big offensive line, (it was an accomplishment).

“We had to figure them out on defense. Their defensive front was winning the battles about 70% of the time on us in the first half. We knew we had to simplify it, and we moved the tight end out a little bit to make them change, and we started hitting it and gashing them and running like we have been doing. Some of the long runs we had were pass plays that were called and they were bailing out trying to help cover. Money (Lion quarterback Damorian Hill) finally found the switch and got to running a little bit.”

Little Cypress-Mauriceville (4-3, 2-0) would answer five plays later, as Bear signal caller Dylan Payne tossed another touchdown strike, this time 21 yards, extending the advantage out to 18-7.

On their final possession, Livingston drove 91 yards in just seven plays. Trenden Williams (17-120, TD) broke loose for 42 yards, outrunning the defense to the end zone. A two-point conversion was not successful, and the Bears clung to an 18-13 advantage.

On the final drive of the game, Livingston backed Little Cypress up to a third-and-17, where Payne again delivered. A 20-yard completion down the sideline gave the team a first down. Two plays later on second-and-19, a swing pass to tailback Jonah Fuller converted another long down and distance to seal it.

“They hit a couple of huge plays on our nemesis – the third-and-17 and third-and-27 and fourth-and-10 and second-and-19,” Vanover said. “We gave up too many big plays and made too many of our own that didn’t count and were called back. The effort was total and complete, and we never stopped. At three minutes left, we have a chance to win, five points down and playing for undefeated. We didn’t make it and they did.”

Perhaps lost in the game was the play of the Lion defense. They held Little Cypress-Mauriceville to 150 total yards at the half and 280 for the game. A few long down-and-distance conversions marred what was otherwise their best performance of the year.

Missed opportunities for the offense limited the team to just 13 points when more was available. The fumble near the goal line, as well as seven turnovers on downs will bring regret during film sessions. Williams eclipsed the century mark again and Hill ran for over 70 yards. The team collected 282 yards on the ground. Livingston was much better throwing the football than they have been all season. The 153 yards passing between Hill and Tyler Soza were all from the first half.

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Kalli Saucier gets to the ball as Coach Danna Mitschke looks on.

By Brian Besch
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Needing a district win, Onalaska volleyball did so in three sets over Shepherd Tuesday by the lake.

Tied at 6-6 in the opening set, Onalaska rolled off five straight points on their way to a 25-14 win. The second set was never in doubt, as Onalaska took a 23-4 lead before winning 25-12.

In the final game, the Lady Cats looked like they were on their way for the easy sweep, up 9-3. However, Shepherd came back to tie the game at 20. After several ties and lead changes, Onalaska would take the match in three with a 26-24 final.

“We are 3-5 in district right now. Realistically, we should be 5-3,” Onalaska head coach Danna Mitschke said. “We went five sets with Trinity, and we should have beaten them in four. We went four sets with New Waverly and we should have beat them. We beat them in the first set and then we just fell off. We have great moments, and then the wheels come off every now and then. We get comfortable and then we kind of sit back. Then, the urgency hits and sometimes we can dig our way out of the hole, but sometimes we can’t.”

The 3-5 record puts Onalaska tied for fifth place in District 23-3A. They are not out of the playoff picture, but will need a strong second half of district play to obtain one of the four coveted spots.

Every player on the Lady Cat varsity roster gets time on the floor, something Mitschke feels is important.

“I try to do it whenever I can, and I’ve really been successful every game this season,” she said. “I tried to do that because I am trying to grow the younger ones. They need an opportunity to see the ball moving at that speed, because it is completely different than anything they’ve seen before. They need an opportunity to make some mistakes and to grow. I am all about trying to grow everyone as much as we can.”

Mitschke says the team has made tremendous strides from just the beginning of the year.

“I think we are steadily getting better. We are adding more skills and more things that we are asking them to do, and they are able to take them and put them in play. We’ve been working a lot on blocking and cover block, and things like that, because we don’t have a gigantic, tall power hitter. Defense is where we are going to cover ourselves quite a bit. I can’t ask them to work any harder than what they are working.”

Friday the team will be in Crockett, then returns home for a Tuesday match with Trinity.