Mythic game against mythical beasts

Center’s Roughriders took on the Louisiana state powerhouse North Desoto Griffins Friday night in Stonewall. The ‘Riders came away with a narrow defeat, 52-57.

A Griffin is a half-lion/half eagle from the Greek mythological past. Most of the night, the Roughrider Broadcast team struggled to describe groups of Griffins. Flocks? Herds?

Through the game chat feature, Roughrider fan Susan Penick sent word to the press box in the third quarter that a group of Griffins is referred to as a “drift.”

After the game, I decided that Roughriders ride horses, but they travel in trucks; therefore, they should be referred to a group as a “dually of Roughriders.” The brutal war raged by that drift, and this dually reached nearly mythic proportions. And though a “non-district game” in Louisiana—this game was important.

Despite the excellent North Desoto offense and the hyperactivity of the officials, the Roughriders got noticeably better.

The Griffins took the opening kick-off 70 yards on six running plays to go ahead 7-0 with 10:33 to go in the first quarter.

On Center’s third snap, Cash Cross’s 70-yard TD pass found a streaking Lance Wilburn who caught the ball at the 30 and outran the whole drift. It took 50 game seconds. Two plays later, Griffin RB Kenny Thomas ran 63 yards around left end to the seven-yard line. The next play, senior Trystan Hopper scored, then completed the 2-point conversion.

15-7.

Even though it came in the first quarter, the next play was one of the game’s most important. Struggling to field the ball, the Rider returner was hit at the two and the ball shot into the air. A Griffin caught it and ran six feet for the score. The PAT made it 22-7 using six game seconds.

On their second possession and already down by 15, Center was in an early bind.

The Riderswent 70 yards, 61 of them by Kaden Dixon. Then with a field-goal out of the question, Center went for it on 4th down.

Four times. Dixon scored on a 7-yard run on 4th and 4. But a sideline infraction nullified the score: 4th down and 9 from the 12.

On the next snap, North Desoto jumped offsides: 4th and four from the seven.

Then Dixon carried it to the 3-yard line for a first down, but a holding call canceled it: 4th and 22 from the 25-yard line.

On the fourth 4th down snap, Cross’ pass was intercepted and returned to the 15-yard line.

“That’s where most teams would start to fold,” announcer Keaton Watlington would say after the game. “We give up a cheap TD, then on back-to-back 4th downs, we score and make a first down, both nullified? It would’ve been easy to just shrug and sit.”

But Center didn’t. The defense stopped the Griffins with a 3-and-out and a punt. Cross capped a five-play drive (assisted by a couple of penalties against North Desoto) with his second touchdown to Lance Wilburn, still with 2:30 left in the first quarter.

It took the Griffins exactly two minutes to answer with a 70-yard touchdown drive featuring a 40-yard run from Kenny Thomas during which he outran the whole dually, making it 29-14 and bringing the long first quarter to a close.

The second quarter belonged to Center. On the Rider’s second play, Cross threw a 2nd down pass to Travis Belen for a 40yard score. The PAT made it 29-21.

North Desoto converted one 4th down and long. But on its second fourth down, Cash Cross intercepted a pass and returned it to the 40 for the second stop in a row. A Cross 35-yard scramble and a Dixon 10yard TD brought Center to within one.

Center held North Desoto for the third possession in a row, forcing a North Desoto punt after just three plays. Cross then completed two passes for 43 yards to junior Jeremiah Ratcliff. Dixon dragged the whole drift of Griffins the remaining 27 yards in three carries. The PAT gave Center a 35-29 lead.

For the fourth time in a row, Center stopped the Griffin offense, this time holding them on 4th and five with 2:33 to go. Center drove the ball for two of those minutes, overcoming two penalty calls. Dixon carried the ball to the ten, then with five seconds on the clock, Carlos Hernandez kicked a 23-yard field goal to close the half with 24 unanswered points; the halftime score was 38-29.

Half time was odd. Whereas in Texas halftime is 28 minutes long, in many states including Louisiana it lasts only 15 minutes. As a result, high school bands and dance lines in those states rarely travel during non-playoff away games.

“I couldn’t believe it when we saw yall’s band drive up,” said the North Desoto band booster vice-president. “That first bus drove up and the buses just kept coming. We never seen anything like that.”

Though the band and chaparrals made the trip, neither group would perform.

“We don’t have time,” band director Chris Smith said. “Our twirlers will perform on the track after their band, but that’s all we’ll be able to do.”

Through the third quarter, both teams would “hold serve” with the Riders preserving their 9-point lead. But the Griffins’ halftime adjustments were key.

“Kaden Dixon and the offensive line whipped the Griffins all first half,” analyst Tyler Herndon said. “But they’ve figured something out at halftime. Dixon can’t seem to get going.”

The two teams traded scores in the third quarter. Center’s TD came on a 60-yard Cash Cross sprint. The quarter ended with Center holding their 9-point halftime lead, 45-36.

But the 4th quarter belonged to North Desoto. The Griffins started the final quarter facing 3rd down at the Center 18-yard line. On the quarter’s 2nd play, Center foiled a 4th down halfback pass back to the Griffin QB. But again, enter the officials. Center was called for holding and North Desoto for a personal foul--after the play. The result: the Griffins lost six yards for a first down.

“We stop them on 4th down and the offense has a penalty,” one Center coach said in the booth. “Still, they get the first down.”

Three plays later, North Desoto scored making it 45-43 with 10:28 to go. On the next drive, the Riders drove to the 40 but failed to convert on 4th down. Then the Center defense forced the Griffins to run ten plays over five minutes to cover 60 yards, but with 6:14 left, they scored on a two-yard run.

Then they lined up for the PAT but threw a quick pass instead for the 2-point conversion to lead 51-45.

Then the big moment: Center took two minutes to drive 40 yards to the Griffin 20. But on third down, Cross was hit as he threw resulting in an interception returned to the 50.

North Desoto geared their offense down and milked three minutes off the clock for a TD drive ending with 2:28 and making it 57-45.

Center responded just three plays later with a 44-yard TD pass from Cross to Wilburn. Hernandez’ PAT made it 57-52. But the onside kick failed, and North Desoto ended the game with the ball.

At 2-1 (but with exactly 200 points so far), Center concludes the pre-district season next Friday as the Daingerfield Tigers pay a visit to Roughrider Field.

“We gave up 57 points,” analyst Zach Jebsen said. “But our defense came up big in crucial moments. This team is better now than it was on the bus driving over.”

Agreed—the whole dually got better against the drift in Stonewall, Louisiana.