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« Panthers lose QB, title game to Alto, 22-0 | Main | Eight Class A area players named to AP all-state team »

Moguls cruise to state final, 47-0
December 17, 2007 12:57 PM

By Daniel Youngblood, For the Times Record News

Saturday, December 15, 2007

SWEETWATER, Texas - Munday scored seven touchdowns Saturday against Sundown, but a safety would have won the game as the Moguls routed the Roughnecks 47-0 to advance to the Class A Division II state championship game.

Sundown entered the game unbeaten, thanks in large part to an offense that came in averaging more than 38 points per game.

But the Munday defense shut the Roughnecks' run-based offense down completely.

"We definitely respected their offense coming in and we were a little afraid of that running game," Munday coach Patrick Corcoran said. "I really didn't expect to shut them out."

It was clear from the onset that Sundown's game plan was to get running back John Heffley the ball early and often.

But Heffley, who came into the game with more than 1,300 yards, was never able to get untracked. After gaining 11 yards on his first carry, Heffley was held to just 26 on his last 15 touches, and had just two runs longer than three yards in that span.

Munday, meanwhile, had its zone read and option-based offense working to perfection.

Led by senior running back B.J. Dockins, who ran for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, the Moguls rushed for more than 400 yards.

"Everything starts with the work of our offensive line," Corcoran said. "Those guys did an outstanding job of creating holes for the backs, and our backs had the vision to turn those holes into long gains."

When the game was still in doubt in the first half, quarterback Steven Urbanczyk was effective throwing the ball downfield, completing four of six passes for 103 yards.

With a heavy wind at his back, Urbanczyk helped set up Munday's first touchdown when he found standout running back Anason Jones deep for a 44-yard completion to the 1-yard line.

Later in the quarter, Urbanczyk hit split end Jonathon Key in stride on a 41-yard bomb to the Sundown 31.

But while Munday dominated the stat book in the first half, outgaining the Roughnecks 207-53, the Moguls led by just two scores heading into the break.

That changed early in the third quarter, when the work the Munday backs did in the first half finally began to pay off.

After seeing their first drive of the second half stall, the Moguls used their power running game to wear down an overworked Sundown defense.

Munday scored on five of its last six offensive possessions, rushing for 298 yards on 22 carries in the second half.

But as good as their offense was, the Moguls’ defense may have been even more impressive.

The Moguls held Sundown to just 109 total yards and five first downs. The Roughnecks entered Munday territory only twice in the game and never got into the red zone.

"Our kids love playing defense and our defense is the pride of our team," Corcoran said. "These young men just did an exceptional job today."

The Moguls advance to play Bremond in the state championship game at a date and time to be determined.

For Urbanczyk, the chance to play for a state title is a dream come true.

"We've known we could do this all season. We've just been counting down the time," he said. "It just feels great because this is something I've wanted all my life."