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Everman's late rally sinks Raiders, 21-19
December 9, 2007 10:36 AM

By Andy Newberry

Originally published 11:13 p.m., December 8, 2007
Updated 02:40 a.m., December 9, 2007

IRVING, Texas - Everman's game is run, run, run, but a fourth-down desperation pass on the final play of the third quarter set the stage for a fourth-quarter rally.

The Bulldogs were about to be down 13-0 without the ball with 12 minutes to go, but a fourth-and-18 conversion, one of only three completions in the game, allowed Everman to overcome that deficit with three fourth-quarter touchdowns.

The Bulldogs then stopped a two-point conversion with 50 seconds left to beat Rider, 21-19, Saturday night in a thrilling Region I-4A championship game at Texas Stadium.

Everman rode the legs of C.J. Jennings for 211 yards on 30 carries. He scored touchdowns of 1 and 15 yards in the final quarter and Ryan Smith (90 yards) added a touchdown run.

Everman (14-0) gave Rider one last chance by scoring its final touchdown. Raiders coach Scott Ponder let Jennings have his 15-yard score with 1:32 left as they were out of timeouts and down 14-13.

The strategy worked as Beaver connected with Damien Washington for 16 yards and then threw deep to Eric Ward for 39 yards. The next play was all Ward, who broke a seemingly harmless 4-yard catch for a 32-yard touchdown with 50 seconds remaining.

The Raiders (12-2) tried a bootleg on the two-point conversion, but Beaver came up just short in his dive for the right pylon. The onsides kick went out of bounds and Rider was left with a third disappointing Region I-4A championship loss in the last four years.

"It was a double motion-type play and we’ve done it for years," Ponder said. "It kind of broke down, but he scrambled and we thought he got there."

For the Bulldogs, it was another stunning comeback. The team has rallied to beat Aledo and Stephenville in the district season. It earned them a date with Region II-4A champion Highland Park in the Class 4A Division II semifinals.

"We talked about that at halftime," Everman coach Dale Keeling said. "We've been down before and we said the second half was our half. And our guys didn't give up."

Rider led 6-0 at halftime on a pair of Joey Neale field goals (34, 23), but the junior place-kicker came up short on a go-ahead attempt from 46 yards at the 2:34 mark of the fourth period.

The possession before that, Ward fumbled after catching a quick screen, giving Everman all the momentum.

"That was huge! Gigantic!" Ponder said of the team's lone turnover. "Everman has a great football team and they made us make mistakes.

"It's a tough pill to swallow, but they have a great team and took it to us."

Ward (five catches, 116 yards) had extended Rider's lead to 13-0 in the third quarter with a brilliant 26-yard touchdown reception, one play after a dropped pass. Beaver fired the ball between two defenders and Ward caught it clean and snuck into the end zone.

Rider controlled the first half, but had trouble close to the goal line on two good drives and settled for a 6-0 halftime lead.

"The real difference in the game was our ineffectiveness offensively in the first half," Ponder said.

Beaver connected on four of his first five passes as Rider took the opening drive from its own 38 to the Everman 12-yard line. But the Bulldogs' end Dejuan Lee stuffed Damien Washington for a 5-yard loss on first down and Beaver misfired on second and third.

Neale was perfect on a 34-yarder to give the Raiders the lead. He added a 23-yarder on the first play of the second quarter. Neale also had two field goals in the first half against Stephenville in the area round.

Neale's second kick was set up by a 24-yard punt return by Jurell Thompson followed by a 19-yard catch-and-run by Washington, who made a very skilled grab in the flat from a rushed Beaver.

The Raiders were inside the 1-yard line, but Washington was marked just short on a power play, Beaver fumbled the snap on third down and Rider had a false start when it was ready to go for six points on fourth down.

Everman didn't make a first down in the opening period but got its running game going in the second. After being held to 10 yards in the first 12 minutes, the Bulldogs racked up 128 in the second, 106 of that on the ground.

Jennings had 63 yards on 11 carries in the first half and Ryan Smith added 47 on seven carries.

The Rider defense had three stops in its territory. Everman reached the 31-yard line with its first good march and a Markelle Martin tackle had saved a Jennings touchdown on a 17-yard sprint. Raiders nose tackle Zach Shaver recovered a Chris Franklin fumble two plays later.

Everman marched from its own 23 to the Rider 24 the next time it got the ball, but a holding penalty stalled the drive along with three key plays by John Fisher.

In the final seconds of the half on Everman’s first pass completion - a 32-yarder by Marcus McAdoo - Fisher forced a fumble and Rider's Will Tolliver recovered it.

Rider had short-yardage problems on offense. Once, the Raiders turned second-and-one at the Everman 44 into a punt. Then second-and-goal inside the 1 became a field goal. And Beaver was too high on a third-and-four pass to Eric Ward late in the half, forcing a punt when a completion would have likely earned the Raiders at least another three points.

The Raiders nearly went into the half with some momentum as Beaver fired a Hail Mary pass toward Thompson, who couldn’t quite haul in the bomb. That was one play after Tolliver's recovery.

Rider defensive end Boris Matthews limped off the field in the second quarter. Mark Strange took his place and made a key play.

Beaver finished 16-of-25 passing for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Rider rushed for 125 yards, led by Beaver with 49 and Washington with 48.

Fisher, Chambers and Ryan McDonald (1 1/2 sacks) led the Rider defense.

Assistant sports editor Andy Newberry may be reached after 4 p.m. weekdays by calling (940) 720-3470 or (800) 627-1646, extension 447; or e-mail to NewberryA(at)timesrecordnews.com.