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Raiders escape comeback by Yellow Jackets, 32-29
November 23, 2007 11:36 PM

Andy Newberry
Times Record News

JUSTIN, Texas - The Rider defense played almost a flawless first half as the Raiders got off to a 16-0 lead.

And when Raiders linebacker John Fisher returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the second half, it appeared the Rider defense had put the finishing touches on Stephenville's playoff hopes for a second straight year.

But the Yellow Jackets didn't become a powerhouse by giving up. They started throwing the ball all over the field, recovered an onside kick and forced three Rider turnovers.

So there in the last two minutes of the game were the Jackets, needing just 35 yards to overtake the Raiders. And then Fisher and Tyler Tackett put the finishing touches on a 32-29 victory with three sacks in the final four plays to seal spot in the Region I-4A semifinals next week.

Fisher's first-down play put the Jackets into second-and-17 from the 42-yard line. A dropped pass on second down was followed by Tackett sacks. Tackett finished with three of the team's eight sacks on the night.

Spano kept getting hit, but the Oklahoma State signee kept getting up. He was also intercepted four times, including Fisher's pick-6. But he also threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns, all in the last 25 minutes of the game.

"It just showed you that they came out here to fight," Fisher said of Stephenville's near comeback. "We gotta play. We kind of let down, but in the end we pulled it off."

Fisher's sack came at a time when the clock wasn't really Stephenville's enemy. But once he put Spano into second-and-long, the run was no longer an option.

"Coach Gar (James Garfield) called a blitz and they didn't touch me at all," Fisher said. "He (Spano) showed great composure and kept throwing. We just pulled it off.

"In the first half we were real solid. In the second half we were a little week over the top, but it's nothing we can't fix."

Stephenville coach Chad Morris didn't win the battle, but he couldn't help but be proud of the way his team fought all the way. The Jackets were down 16 at halftime, behind by 23 in the third quarter and still down 32-13 early in the fourth quarter.

"We talked at halftime, down 16 and give them another seven right away to start the second half," Morris said. "We couldn't dig ourselves too much of a big hole, but our kids never gave up, they never quit, they kept fighting, digging and clawing.

"Rider's a good football team, there's no doubt about that. It came down to the end, we had a chance to win the game and that's all we ask to have."

Morris felt Fisher's sack changed the last drive.

"The sack defnitely put us in long yardage and that was hard for us," Morris said. "It's definitely a good (rivalry), you hate for it to end like this for either team to go home tonight."

Rider led 16-0 at halftime as Joey Neale had more field goals (three) than Spano had completions (two). Neale's kicks travelled 33, 24 and 36 yards and Shavodrick Beaver added a 15-yard touchdown run.

Beaver and the Raiders had another TD called back, one of several mishaps in the red zone that kept the game reasonably close at halftime despite the domination by Rider.

When Fisher caught a deflected pass to start the second half and scored, it looked like some might be heading for the exits. But Spano found Chris Malone for a 60-yard touchdown to give Stephenville life. Malone finished with 178 yards on six catches.

Beaver finished 17-of-34 for 177 yards in the air. He rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns. He had 78 yards in the regular season and has surpassed that 10-game total in each of the two playoff wins.

Jurell Thompson rushed for 52 yards and caught three passes for 47 yards. His biggest play may have been on an extra-point attempt as he intercepted Spano and returned it 99 yards for two Raider points.

That made the score 25-13, instead of 23-15, in the third quarter.

And at the end, all the little plays added up to a big Rider win.