For the first time in nine years, the Hobbton Wildcats football team is off to a 3-0 start on the season after getting a 34-6 win over East Columbus in a Monday night game delayed by Hurricane Dorian.
The Wildcats and the East Columbus Gators had their problems in the first quarter, with neither team generating much offense. Hobbton had first choice after the coin toss and elected to receive to get the game underway. They picked up a first down only to have it brought back on a penalty and the drive died on an incomplete fourth down pass.
The Gators turned the ball around on the Wildcats 30-yard line but they suffered the same fate – failing to get a first down on a fourth down pass attempt.
Hobbton took back control and turned the ball around on their own 29-yard line but lost a fumble, ending that drive at the 39-yard line.
Another empty possession awaiting East Columbus when they came up short once again on a fourth and 12. The punt was a short kick straight up into the air from the 44-yard line and yielded the Wildcats possession with the ball at the Gators 49-yard line.
Grayson Rogers was intercepted on that drive, giving the Gators the ball on the Wildcat 49-yard line to start their drive. With 1:16 left in the first quarter, Dacorris Morrison picked off a Gators pass and the quarter ended with the score tied at 0-0.
That possession also went for nil, but Hobbton stood tall and stopped the Gators’ first possession to take over at their own 27-yard line. They finally found their offense as the Wildcats marched 73 yards for a score on a 25-yard pass from Rogers to Daniel Britt. Jesus Gomez hit the PAT kick for a 7-0 Wildcats lead with 10:13 left in the second quarter.
East Columbus turned the ball around and was threatening when Morrison snagged his second pick, giving the Wildcats the ball on the Gator 1-yard line with 4:47 left in the half. They capped a steady 91-yard scoring drive on a 3-yard Rogers run up the middle with 28.6 seconds left on the clock. With Gomez’s kick, the Wildcats had a 14-0 lead.
With 7.2 seconds left in the half, Morrison would get another pickoff, ending the Gators drive at the Wildcat 5-yard line. With that, the half ended with the score still at 14-0 in favor of Hobbton.
After some defensive adjustments during the break, the Wildcats came out putting pressure on the Gators. Early in the third quarter, East Columbus would lay the ball on the ground with the Hobbton recovering. The offense stalled, though, giving up the ball on a fourth and 11 with 9:39 left in the third quarter.
East Columbus took over on their 19-yard line but gave the ball away on downs with 6:36 left in the third quarter. The Wildcats took back over and hit the ground, pounding out an 84-yard drive for a 7-yard TD pass from Rogers to Morrison. Gomez’s kick went wide leaving the Wildcats with a 20-0 lead.
The Gators finally put together a solid series after hitting their stride on a 55-yard drive to score on a 2-yard pass play with 1:19 left in the third quarter. The PAT failed on a run and the score was left at 20-6.
On the ensuing kickoff, Morrison got a long return giving Hobbton the ball on the East Columbus 37-yard line. Moments later, Rogers found Morrison on a 32-yard pass play to give the Wildcats a 26-6 lead with 28.3 seconds left in the third quarter. Gomez’s PAT kick made it 27-6 with the fourth quarter looming.
On their next possession, the Gators laid the ball on the ground once more with the Wildcats recovering yet again on their own 40-yard line. That drive stalled, forcing a punt with 7:58 left. East Columbus took over on their 25-yard line but the Wildcats stopped that drive taking over on the Gator 45-yard line.
The Wildcats put one final set of points up on the board with 2:52 left in the game on a 2-yard run by Morrison. With Gomez’s PAT kick, the Wildcats held the 34-6 lead.
To ice the game, East Columbus fumbled the kickoff return with Hobbton recovering near midfield. Hobbton’s coaching staff put the subs in and were able to run out the clock to persevere the win.
“The defense grew up tonight,” commented Hobbton coach Joe Salas. “We have been playing all those young kids. We have been patient and they have been getting better in practice every day. They showed tonight. That East Columbus team is an athletic bunch and they went toe-to-toe and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
“Carlos Aguilar had a fantastic night. They just grew up and played physical football. I’m just proud of them. We tried to shoot ourselves in the foot in the first half and it almost got us. Luckily the defense was playing so good or we would have really been in a jam,” Salas finished.
With the win, Hobbton remains unbeaten on the season. The Wildcats will now have a short week of practice to get ready to travel to Spring Creek Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
