Canyon Eagles season ended by the Steers

The Eagles’ crowd cheered on as Canyon High faced-off against Big Spring High in a battle towards 4A state honors, Friday.
Coming into the game 8-2 overall, Canyon had a commendable six-game winning streak, opposed to Big Spring receiving their second defeat from Hereford High only a week earlier.
However, games are not won by statistics and the Steers proved that, taking down the Eagles 21-13.
Both teams started out slow, but it was Canyon High that struck first. Moving 51 yards in eight plays, Boyer found the end-zone placing Eagles up 6-0.
The Steers were unable to answer back and the Eagles capitalized again. Canyon steadily traversed the field in 11 plays, with Boyer making an athletic 9-yard battle into the end-zone and moving the score to 13-0.
With time ticking into the second-quarter, the Steers finally got onto the board.
They successfully moved 80 yards in a methodic 15 plays. Monte Anderson sprinted through coverage for the final six yards and brought the game within reach.
A successful drive could not be accomplished by either team through the remainder of the half, leaving the score at a close, 13-7.
Big Spring received the second-half kickoff and had fans on the edge of their seats. After six plays and 34 yards, it seemed that the Steers adjustments were going to get them into the end-zone again.
However, the seventh play resulted in Anderson fumbling the ball and allowing the Eagles defense to pounce on it.
Canyon resumed the field and looked to score on the recovery. They moved 33-yards to Big Spring’s 11 yard-line, but were forced to attempt a field-goal after suffering a flag and a sack, which moved them to the 21 yard-line.
Aaron Rowe’s field-goal was blocked and recovered by the Steers on their 35 yard-line.
Even with the momentum shifting their way, Big Spring could not shake the Eagles defense and was stuffed on Canyon’s 15 yard-line, turning the ball over.
Canyon likewise found little success getting past the opposing defense and kicked the ball away after six plays.
The next drive displayed Anderson’s ability to find holes and shed tacklers. His first run racked up 20-yards and was directly followed by a 10-yard rush.
Anderson was stuffed on the next play, but his yardage allowed for another short rush and a 21 yard connection with Thaddeus Straughter in the end-zone, giving the Steers the lead, 14-13.
Canyon struggled on their next possession and went four-and-out. Big Spring saw their opportunity and seized it.
Eight plays covering 44-yards and a final 15-yard pass found Straughter open on the same route as the previous touch-down and gave the Steers the winning touchdown, 21-13.
Canyon totaled 208 yards on the night, with 59 yards rushing and 149 passing. Connor Moore completed 17-30 attempts. Boyer racked up 61 yards rushing on 15 attempts, and 46 yards on four receptions.
Braden Kimsey also contributed big pulling down eight passes for 81 yards. Christ Rhoten also earned 11 yards on three receptions and Derek Odell earned another 11 yards on two receptions.
“I thought we played great the whole game,” said Head Coach Blake Bryant.
“I guarantee that we weren’t the most talented football team out there, but- I have nothing but pride for how hard we played.
“This was the first out-right district championship that Canyon has ever won in 4A. Everybody told us that when we were moving up to 4A that we just weren’t going to be able to compete, so I am really proud of what the kids were able to achieve.”
Going into the locker room Coach Bryant ended the season by instilling a sense of pride in his players for accomplishing something that had not been done before, but will definitely be remembered for years to come.

Eagles travel to Lubbock

Canyon High football continues their season this weekend in Lubbock as they take on Big Spring High.
Canyon High has proven their dominance and desire to win, taking down all of their conference competitors over the past five weeks. Coming into tomorrow’s contest the Eagles are 8-2 overall and 5-0 in district.
The Big Spring Steers are also 8-2 overall, but 3-2 in district after falling to Abilene Cooper and Hereford.
This season, the Steers have run a seemingly balanced offense much like the Eagles. They have posted 1800 rushing yards and 2134 passing yards, averaging 5.2 yards per rush and 9.3 yards per pass.
Relying heavily on their starting quarterback, Tyler Tannehill, the 65 percent passing average will force the Eagles secondary to have to come out strong and read through the offensive plays.
Also the Steer’s primary running back, Monte Anderson, must be contained. He has racked up 1694 yards on the season and averages 7.2 yards per carry. Stopping this running attack will consume the Eagle’s line and possibly limit the linebackers’ opportunities to place pressure on Tannehill.
Comparatively, the Eagles have posted multiple games with their running and passing attack posting virtually similar numbers. Their defense has come out strong placing pressure on teams that constantly have been able to post big numbers offensively.
This deciding match will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lowry Field in Lubbock. You can purchase discounted pre-sale tickets at Canyon High School this week. Adults are $6.00 and Students $3.00. All tickets at the gate will be $8.00.

Lady Eagles season closes

Spirits were high and the stands filled at the First United Bank Center as Canyon’s Lady Eagles took on Hereford High in a Regional 4A Quarterfinal match, Tuesday.
While the Lady Eagles saying of “Accept the Challenge” carried them through a tough two game win over Pampa high, followed by defeating El Paso High last weekend; it was not enough to overcome the defending 4A champions.
The game opened with Canyon appearing shaky. They allowed Hereford to get a commanding 12-5 lead before a timeout was called to regroup. It seemed like nothing would allow the Eagles to get on the same page and the first match quickly expired 11-25.
“We haven’t played a game of this magnitude,” said Canyon Head Coach Lorrie Hammit. “A very crowded facility, young players; we just had a lot of jitters and we haven’t played this type of team in the play-offs.
“We did not do what we talked about in practice and again I think that was just nerves. I think we got out there and got a little bit nervous and didn’t get the job done.”
In the second match Hereford relied heavily on their serving to get a quick score and achieved five aces as a team.
The Canyon Eagles, worked to block-out the powerful hitting force of Hereford, but struggled through much of the match and allowed eight kills. The Lady Eagles did, however, find more success as the match went on forcing errors and achieving a few blocks.The match ended with Canyon down, 18-25.
“We played them twice during the season and we prepared a lot better than we played tonight.” Hammit said.
“They served very well, which was their game-plan; they did a great job of that.”
The third, and final match, was the closest match with the first four sets going an even 2-2. Hereford then went on a strong streak, earning four straight kills before Canyon let one float behind the back-line.
The Lady Eagles were not about to let this one get away and fought back with their own kill and blocking attack, eventually evening up the score at 10-10.
However, Hereford once again continued to set the ball to the right players who pounded away at Canyon’s defense.
The Lady Eagles kept the remainder of the match close, but never could gain the lead. Hereford took the last match and the game, 25-22.
Seniors Taryn Schenk, Nikki Luetkahans and Andi Rose, proved that they are full-court playmakers Tuesday.
Schenk posted three sets, two blocks, three kills, four digs and an ace; while Luetkahans and Rose made their presence known with two blocks, two kills and a set.
Candice Phelps kept the ball in play with 75 sets, as well as 17 assists.
Offensively, Courtney Erwin and Jayla Lackey also contributed with three and two kills, respectively. Erwin and Lackey also posted three assists each. Cailee Stark posted one ace in addition to her two sets.
Defensively, Erwin posted the most team-wide blocks with five, but Lackey added 3 herself and one set.
While this game ended the season for the Lady Eagles, their determination to fight through this past season is laudable.
“I am very proud of our girls for this whole season”, Hammit said. “I think they had a great season and exceeded a lot of people’s expectations.”

Eagles fifth at Regionals

The Canyon High Boy’s Cross Country team ran hard but fell eight points short in fifth place Saturday.
The Eagles were two points from fourth and eight points from third, in a hard fought race that came down to the very end.
Canyon’s Will Welling led the team, finishing in fifth place with a time of 15:55. 
He will advance to State as an individual, with the other top-10 individuals who qualified. 
Welling was followed by teammates Josh Backus in 20th place, Jared Beatty in 40th, Mesa Allison in 51st and final scoring runner, Jason Ray in 57th place. 
Rounding out the team was Lee Alexander in 68th and Keevyn Anderson in 92nd, who finished strong out of the 185 runners. 
“I am proud of these boys’ season and know they will come away from this season stronger and better young men,” said Head Coach Wes Kirton.
The top three teams qualified for State competition and will race Saturday at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, near Austin.

Eagles overcome Horns for final district win

Canyon High celebrated Senior Night as they closed out the regular season against Caprock High on Friday.
In a game that was too close for comfort, the Canyon Eagles came out on top, 38-35, and remained perfect in 3-4A district play.
“Thursday I told these kids that the last game you play in Kimbrough Stadium you’ll remember it forever, so make this a special memory,” said Head Coach Blake Bryant.
“I need to be a little more descriptive of what I am looking for; this was a special memory, but it really wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.”
The Eagles started fast and strong, earning two first-downs. This was followed by a pass from Connor Moore to Chris Rhoten, which turned into a 51 yard scramble to the end-zone.
Taking two minutes and three seconds off the clock, Canyon took the early lead, 7-0.
The Horns answered back in a slower methodical fashion. They ate over seven and half minutes off the clock in 14 plays, before Jamar Johnson completed a seven yard rush into the end-zone.
The score was tied at seven points, after only two series.
A long Caprock kick-off ended as a touch-back and Canyon took over at their 20 yard-line.
The Horn’s defense could barely slow down the Eagles as they alternated a pass, rush attack.
Moore worked through a quarterback option that placed the ball in Rhoten’s hands. Rhoten broke free for 58 yards and his second touch-down of the night.
After trading series, Caprock returned to the field and put together a second successful drive.
They reached the end-zone in seven plays after two minutes and 20 seconds, with a 22 yard pass from Gerardo Ruiz to Conner Hoilabaugh, ending the series and tying the score at 14-14.
With time ticking down the Eagles offense resumed the helm. They moved like a machine working their way down field.
A pass from Moore to Bill Bryant placed them on Caprock’s two yard line and the Eagles looked poised to score.
However, the Longhorns penetrated the line twice, sacking Moore and moving the Eagles back to the 21yard-line.
Canyon settled for a 38-yard field goal, which became the half-time score, 17-14.
After Senior Night festivities came to a close, the Eagles resumed their attack on the Longhorns.
The Eagles defense stuffed the Horn’s offense in their first series and allowed the offense to place more numbers on the board.
Starting from their 34 yard-line the Eagles moved down field until another pass found Blake Boyer, who broke through tackles and raced down the side-line.
The score lifted the Eagles’ spirits, as it seemed that Canyon would control this half of play.
Caprock was not ready to settle for only one district win. Relying heavily on their run-game they went to work.
Gaining yardage on nearly every carry; a final 22-yard pass from Ruiz to Gerardo Arevalo brought the score back to a three-point spread, 24-21.
With the Horn’s still nipping at their heals, Canyon prepared to return the kick-off and gain the most yardage possible.
Juan Garcia caught the ball on Canyon’s 10-yard line and progressed his way up to the 15 yard-line.
With a big hit from the Longhorn’s, the ball popped out and Caprock recovered it at the 19 yard-line.
There was little the Canyon defense could do to stop Caprock.
Two rushes by Johnson and the Longhorns were in the lead for the first time during the game, 28-24.
Canyon’s offense returned to the field with a vengeance. Moore led a passing attack, completing three of four passes and moving 41 yards.
This was followed by Boyer rushing twice, first blasting through tackles for 26 yards and finishing off the drive with an eight yard jog into the end-zone.
Once again Canyon was ahead 31-28.
With the game rolling into the fourth quarter the Longhorns continued to bring everything to the table.
Ruiz engineered a big drive, handing off to Johnson, passing to his receivers and moving deep into the Eagle’s territory.
With Canyon’s defense on their heels, Ruiz completed one more past to Tobias Milton, who took the ball 27 yards into the end-zone; score, 35-31.
After being stuffed on their next drive, Canyon was faltering as the clocked ticked on into the fourth-quarter.
But Canyon’s defense came up big. The Caprock offense moved all the way down to Canyon’s 13 yard-line, only to suffer an 11-yard sack on a third-down.
This forced a 42-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide-right.
The Eagles labored to seize the opportunity.
The series started with a failed pass to Derek Odell, followed by a four-yard loss by Boyer and another missed catch by Odell.
After a timeout the Eagles risked it all and attempted a fourth-and-14 conversion from their 20 yard-line.
Odell ran a perfect sideline slant-and-go catching the ball and racing 80-yards to the end-zone.
The Canyon Eagles moved themselves into the lead once again, 38-35. But with over five minutes left on the clock it was still anybodys game.
As they had done all night long, the Longhorns relied on their rushing game to move them down the field.
Johnson was picking up big yardage, gaining 39-yards on four plays, with Kaleen Jones also picking up 11-yards on one carry.
With the Longhorns on Canyon’s three yard-line, Johnson took the next hand-off.
The Canyon defense swarmed, knocking the ball loose and recovering the fumble on their seven yard-line.
With only two minutes remaining on the clock, the Eagles offense secured the victory, letting the clock run out.
“Caprock played good and we were flat,” Bryant said.
“When you’re a championship team, sometimes you win ugly and we won ugly tonight.”
Over all Canyon posted big numbers.
Odell was the leading receiver with 155 yards; followed by Braden Kimsey with 62 yards and Rhoten with 60.
Rhoten also earned 58 yards rushing through the quarterback option.
Boyer took hand-offs from the backfield, gaining 64 yards overall.
The Eagles will prepare for their post-season this coming week, with the final time and location to be announced next week.

Eagles claim rivalry honors routing Raiders

The Raiders lined up across the south goal-line and paced the length of the field in a symbolic gesture, but their best efforts were not enough against the dominate Canyon team who beat them in the end, 48-24.
Only a year ago Canyon and Randall high schools found themselves in opposite positions.
The Raiders led the 3-4A district with a perfect record, while the Eagles struggled to find a second district win.
This year Randall has been held to one win, while the Eagles have won three consecutive district games.
With the stakes high, Randall showed up early at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium in an attempt to mentally prepare for the Canyon Independent School District rivalry against the Eagles.
The game started out fast with Randall remaining on the field for only four short plays.
Canyon was on the field for only one play as quarterback Connor Moore completed a 52-yard pass to Chris Rhoten giving the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.
Randall shook off the attack and put together a successful 11 plays for 80 yards and tied the score.
The Eagles’ offense appeared ready to repeat their first drive success and covered 74 yards in 10 plays. A pass from Moore to Derek Odell for 31 yards placed the Eagles in the end-zone. However, a failed extra-point kick kept the score at 13-7.
The Raiders seized the opportunity to get ahead and moved 80 yards in 11 plays for a second time.
Their next touchdown came after a successful one yard rush by Bryce Ballard which gave the Raiders a one point lead.
However, the Eagles found the end-zone once again on a third successful drive. Two big rushes by Moore and Boyer moved the ball 18 and 12 yards, respectively, and placed the Eagles deep in Raider territory.
After three short gains, the Eagles moved back into the lead with Boyer converting on a fake point-after-touchdown attempt, Canyon was up by seven.
A long kick-off was received by the Raiders’ Bret Scheve on their four yard-line.
Scheve weaved through traffic for 43 yards, giving Randall great field position on their 47 yard-line. Unlike the two previous drives, the Raiders were not able to shake the Eagles defense and went off the field after six plays.
The Eagles offense could not be stopped.
A quarterback keeper started out the series for seven yards, followed by a 23-yard pass from Moore to Braden Kimsey, and the drive ended when Boyer broke loose for 46 yards straight up the middle of the field into the end-zone.
Another missed point-after-touchdown limited the score to 27-14.
Feeling the game slipping away, the Raiders knew they had to put points on the board before half-time. Eight plays took them to Canyon’s 20 yard-line and with the clock expiring; the Raiders had to settle for a field-goal.
The half-time score, 27-17.
With a ten point spread, Head Coach Bryan Wood said that he felt like Randall was still in the game, and was proud that his team was not ready to quit.
Meanwhile the Canyon team came back in the third quarter to prove that they are a second-half team.
After trading series in the top of the third, it was the Eagles who scored first. Moore kept the ball for 10 yards and pushed the Eagles into a comfortable 34-17 lead.
“We were playing kind of tight defensively,” said Eagles Head Coach Blake Bryant.
“When we got up by two scores – we kind of cut loose and let go.”
The Eagles defense indeed found the Raiders’ number, returning to the field to force two fumbles on consecutive drives and allow Canyon’s offense to score two more times and increase their lead.
Though the Raiders scored one more time, the game was out of reach and ended with Canyon ahead, 48 to 24.
“I thought that Randall played really hard tonight,” Bryant said.
“But we made a commitment this night last year that we wanted to come back and win.”
The Canyon Eagles posted 519 all-purpose yards, with Boyer earning nearly half, rushing 242 yards.
“I said a couple of weeks ago; I thought we were playing the best running back, but I was wrong, we played him tonight,” said Wood about Blake Boyer.
The Randall Raiders ended up with a respectable 390 total yards, gaining 207 through rushing and 183 yards passing.
Both teams will finish their regular district games Friday.
Randall will travel to Pampa High.
Canyon will remain at home against Caprock High.
Both games are scheduled to kick-off at 7:30 p.m.

Eagles hand Palo Duro second district loss

The Canyon High Eagles shut down the Palo Duro Dons Friday, with a score of 35-21.

As district competition continues, every win counts and both teams knew it.

However, it was Canyon’s attack through the air and on the ground that once again led them to claim a perfect 3-0 record.

A pass by Connor Moore to running back Blake Boyer for eight yards, followed by a bombardment of rushes hit the Don’s defense early on.

In four attempts, Boyer moved the ball 44 yards until a final pass to Derek Odell for 18 yards put the Eagles in the end-zone for the first time.

The Dons did not wait long to answer back.

They brought the running game full-force and moved 80 yards in seven plays with running backs Ty Hicks and Denzel Everhart receiving the touches.

With the scored tied through the first quarter, the two teams traded series until the Don’s offense was able to capitalize a second time.

The Dons moved 86 yards, primarily through a 21 yard rush by Hicks, a 32 yard completion from Jaren Grayson to Chris Acosta and another 23 yard sprint by Hicks into the end-zone.

The following Don kick-off was returned by Michael Stigler for 20 yards and gave the Eagles a great starting position on their 37 yard-line.

The Eagles covered the needed 63 yards in five plays, featuring two long passes by Moore, one for 19 yards to Odell and the other to Christ Rhoten for 26 yards.

The score was even at 14-14.

The Don’s failed to convert on their next drive and turned the ball over with just enough time for the Eagles to move the ball 65 more yards in six plays to make the first-half score 21-14.

The game picked-up with the Don’s receiving the ball and utilizing their rush attack.

A series of short, pounding runs by Hicks and Everhart wearied the Eagles defense and eventually the Don’s reached the end-zone for another 80 yard touchdown.

While the Eagles defense needed a break, the offense was ready to pick up where it left off last quarter.

Moore and Boyer came on the attack, taking cues from the sideline coaches. After only seven plays the Eagles returned the game to a one score lead, 28-21.

As Canyon’s scoring ability seemed unstoppable, the Don’s offense began to falter.

The Don running back duo moved their team all the way down to the Canyon 30, but turned the ball over when Grayson’s pass fell incomplete.

This was the only opportunity that the Eagles needed.

Though their final successful drive was riddled with both teams receiving penalties, a 19 yard breakaway run by Boyer moved the score to the final, 35-21.

The Canyon Eagles racked up 271 yards through Boyer’s passing game and an additional 132 rushing yards.

Their big performers were Blake Boyer with 126 yards rushing and 55 yards receiving.

Derek Odell was a standout receiver, gaining 122 yards in five touches.

The Palo Duro Dons also posted some big numbers with 362 all purpose yards, 300 of those from the rushing game.

The Dons also posted 21 first downs over Canyon’s 14.

“This was a big game,” said Head Coach Blake Bryant. “I don’t think that people realize the talent and speed that is out on that field. To come out with a victory against that team is really big for us.”

Next week the Canyon Eagles will face-off against another run-heavy team, their rivals, the Randall Raiders.

With Friday’s game being a test for the Eagles, the stakes will only be higher as the game kicks-off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.

Randall Raiders fall to Caprock Longhorns

A flat Randall High faced-off against a Caprock team that seemed prepared to take advantage of every opportunity and dealt Randall a 35-21 loss.

By their second possession, Caprock High was poised to score as they moved from the Randall 44 yard-line to their one yard-line in five plays.

Running back Jamar Johnson, completed the drive and put the Horns on the board.

A failed point-after-touchdown, kept the score at 0-6.

The Raiders returned to the field for their second drive and completed 11 plays for 25 yards, but could not covert on a fourth-down attempt and turned the ball over.

Caprock continued to pick apart the Raiders’ defense and found the end-zone again after 12 plays and 74 yards.

The final two yard rush gave Johnson his second touchdown. Though a failed two-point conversion left the score at, 12-0.

After Randall went three-and-out, the Longhorn offense was on the attack again.

Johnson earned his third touchdown after a two-yard punch and a third missed extra-point placed the score at 18-0.

Still unable to put together a successful drive, the Randall Raiders offense was reliant on their defense to keep the Longhorns under control.

But Caprock was relentless and a breakaway run by Johnson gave him his fourth touchdown of the night and the Horns a comfortable 28-0 lead going into half-time.

After half-time adjustments it seemed that the Raiders defense was reinvigorated.

They decisively shut-down the Longhorn offense and forced them to punt for the first time in the game during the Horn’s first series of the second-half.

The Horn’s second series led to a Raider interception by Brett Scheve, who returned the ball 57 yards and put Randall on the board, 7-28.
Unfortunately, the points were handed back at the bottom of the third quarter, when a bad snap to punter Tyler Smith rolled into the Longhorn’s end-zone and Caprock’s Damon Weaver fell on it; score, 7-35.

As the game rolled into the fourth quarter, Randall’s offense finally found their groove.

The Raiders put together their first successful drive moving 69 yards in six plays, with running back Bryce Ballard completing the last two-yard push into the end-zone.

A Randall defensive stand quickly brought the offense back onto the field and allowed the Raiders to score once again through a completed pass from quarterback Jordan Smith to Tony Chavez finished the drive and the score was 35-21.

The Raiders’ desired a repeat of last week and performed an onside-kick which fared well.

The Raiders forced a fumble and recovered the ball.

However, a fumble on their first play returned the ball to the Longhorns’ possession and the game quickly concluded.

Randall moves to 1-2 in district and now prepares for a dominate 3-0 Canyon High team next week at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.
Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday.

CHS, RHS at Buffalo Stampede

Canyon High, Randall High and other various area high schools displayed their athleticism Oct. 17, as they competed in a Boy’s 5k and Girls’s 2-mile run in the Lathrop Memorial Buffalo Stampede.

Both teams fared well with runners placing in the top 25 and leading their teams to fourth place or better.

The girls competed first with Randall’s Karlee Kleiber placing third individually posting a time of 12:00.

She was followed by Lady Raider Rachel Lusk in thirteenth and Emily Craft in twenty-second.

The Lady Eagles also had strong contenders with Caitlin Gilmore placing fourth with the time of 12:02.

The next to finish for Canyon was Leslie Brummett in tenth and Candace Herrera in twenty-first.

The times placed by the Lady Raiders allowed them to secure fourth place overall, with the Lady Eagles finishing fifth.

The boy’s teams also did well. The Eagles claimed second overall and the Raiders followed a couple spots back in fourth place.

Canyon was led by Will Welling who took first individually with a time of 16:36.

Josh Backus placed eighth, Mesa Allison placed sixteenth, Jason Ray in eighteenth and Keevyn Anderson took twentieth to round off the top 25.

Randall’s Todd Youngblood placed highest in sixth with a time of 16:56.
Steven Veteto followed in thirteenth to be the only other Raider to finish in the top 25.

All teams will return to the WT Horse Center to compete in a district meet on Friday.

Buffaloes football continue win streak

West Texas A&M took down a confident Angelo State in their final home game, 43-15, Saturday.

“We are the only (Lone Star Conference) team with a two game winning streak, now we are the only team with a three game winning streak,” said Head Coach Don Carthel.

The Rams’ quarterback Josh Neiswander shattered an Angelo State 41 year completion record, completing 190 career passes and V’Keon Lacy improved upon their reception record with 58 career catches. However, these highlights did not prove to be enough for Angelo to take down a hot Buffalo team.

Buff quarterback Taylor Harris appeared to be all business during the first half. He completed 15 of 20 passes that amounted to 187 yards.

The Buffs scored first in the game with a ladder pass in which Harris lateraled to Josephius Martin who then let the ball fly to Stephen Burton for a 30 yard touchdown.

But the Rams were not going to let this game slip away quickly and answered back with an 11 play, 68 yard drive that ate nearly six minutes off the clock.

As the game progressed the Buff’s defense came alive. They stuffed the remaining drives through the first half and allowed WT’s offense to work their side of the ball.

A second successful drive followed and was capped off by Keithon Flemming, rushing four yards and gaining his first touchdown of the night.

In the second quarter the Ram’s defense found a system to slow down WT’s offensive attack and stopped WT’s drive at the 23 yard-line. James Chandler salvaged the drive through a 40-yard field goal.

A second drive was again stopped at the 29 yard-line, and forced a Chandler 46 yard field goal. A failed third drive and a blocked field-goal attempt kept the half-time score at 20-7.

The second-half was not an improvement for the Rams. The Buffs struck early after a long kick placed them with a touch-back starting from the 20 yard-line. Harris spread the ball to Martin and Burton traveling most of the 80 yard drive. A final three yard pass to running back Joe Joe Jones earned the Buffs a 27-7 lead.

Angelo State struck again after the Buffs were limited to a fourth field goal attempt. The Rams completed their own 80 yard drive, with a final 16 yard pass from Neiswander to John Norcott. A two-point conversion moved the Rams back into striking distance, 15-30.

WT, looking to earn back that distance, exploited a Ram zone-coverage that left the middle of the field open all night. The pass from Harris to Tyson Williams went 79 yards and allowed for some breathing room.

The Rams were not ready to pack up and returned fired up on offense. Starting from their own 13 yard-line, they moved the length of the field all the way down to the Buff’s 11 yard-line. As Angelo tried to throw for the end-zone, Shad Baichtal made an athletic interception placing the Buffs on the four yard-line.

WT scored one more time with a break-away Flemming 16 yard run, the final score moved to 43-15.

“This season isn’t over yet,” Flemming said. “I’m so proud of this team with the character that we are showing. It’s bittersweet; we got a win, but it kinda sucks being my last colligate football game here at Kimbrough.”

Overall the Buffaloes tallied a season high 557 total yards, with 444 yards coming through the air and 113 on the ground. The Buffs move the series record to 8-14, with this year being the fourth year in a row that Buffs achieved a victory.

WTAMU will travel next week to Tahlequah, Okla. to challenge a 2-9 Northeastern State team. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised on KAMR.