Cowboys impose their will on Panthers
Years from now, you can rest assured
there will be a group of older gentlemen sitting around a table in a coffee
shop somewhere in Dickinson County reminiscing about the years when Harley
Hazlett and Trey Bender were in the same backfield for the Abilene Cowboys. If
you’ve not been to see
them in person, you’d
better get to Paul Dennis field this coming Friday night or you won’t be able to take
part in the discussion. Friday night in Concordia, both Harley and Trey rushed
for over 100 yards. Harley for over 150 (before subtracting for sacks) and Trey
ran for 108. Hazlett found the end zone three times, while Bender scored once.
This is not to suggest that the two seniors were the only story as plenty of
Cowboys contributed to the physical domination of the Panthers on Friday.
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| Trey Bender - Twitter Image |
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| Harley Hazlett - Facebook Image |
Football is a game of momentum, and
Concordia seemed to seize it on their first drive of the game. The Panthers
moved the ball on the ground for two first downs when they decided to throw the
ball into the area of the field being patrolled by Bender from his cornerback
position. Bender delivered a hit to the Concordia receiver which accomplished
three things: Concordia gained zero yards, a message was delivered regarding
how physical Abilene would play Friday, and momentum swung to the all white
clad Cowboys the instant Trey Bender unleashed his vicious tackle. Concordia’s drive stalled,
and the momentum gained from Bender’s
tackle was quickly squandered as Abilene’s
offense retreated backward on their initial drive. Parker O’Neal punted for
Abilene, driving the ball deep inside the Concordia ten yard line. On the
return, Jaron Christiensen made his first of many outstanding defensive plays
of the night when he recovered a Panther fumble. The Cowboys were in business
with momentum back on their side. Coach Simpson returned to the power game
which served the Cowboys so well in Marysville last week, and after two plays,
Hazlett snuck the ball in virtually untouched for the first Abilene touchdown of
the night. The first quarter ended with Abilene leading, 7-0.
Early in the second quarter, Concordia
showed signs of making a game of it when Ethan Bechard connected on a 76 yard
pass play to Mathew James. Following the Concordia touchdown, Hazlett did what
great players do, engineering a methodical 80 yard drive for a touchdown. The
drive began as Hazlett connected with junior Ryan Wilson over the middle for a
modest 8 yard gain. The pitch and catch was the first of two to the talented
junior on the night, showing inklings of an intermediate passing game that
could be one more weapon in the already formidable Abilene arsenal. The Abilene
drive concluded with Hazlett’s
second touchdown of the night, a 17 year run.
If Concordia had any notions of
regaining momentum, those ideas were quickly and violently put to rest by
junior safety Cooper Wyckoff. Coop, perhaps still a touch angry about the
Bechard to James touchdown pass, broke on a Bechard pass to his tight end which
looked to be a nice 20 yard gain for the Panthers. Wyckoff’s hit was perfectly
timed, and Bechard’s
pass fell harmlessly to the turf. Wyckoff’s
hit seemed to be emblematic of how the rest of the night would go as Abilene
simply imposed their will on the overmatched Panthers, coasting to a 27-6 road
victory.
The night for Abilene didn’t only belong to
the two senior standouts. Simpson’s
offensive line was again dominant. In particular, during the third quarter as
Abilene methodically took control of the clock and the game by simply following
the big o-line to another rushing touchdown on the second half’s first possession.
Other than the one long pass, Nathan Howard’s
defense was again solid. Jaron Christiensen registered a quarterback sack and
recovered two fumbles. The Parker brothers (O’Neal
and Base) were again stellar from their linebacker positions. Base, in
particular, has shown a penchant for making huge plays at critical times during
a contest. Senior Dylan Ford has played as well as anyone on the defensive side
of the ball this year for Howard, and he was very good again against Concordia.
Ford also contributed offensively, catching a 50 yard bomb from Hazlett before
half-time.
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| Parker O'Neal - Facebook Image |
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| Jaron Christiensen |
The fourth quarter found Ryan LaCombe
giving Hazlett a well deserved rest and Colton Liby doing the same for Bender.
Here’s the frightening
thing for NCKL opponents; these two are very good as well. Liby did just what
he did last week, running powerfully and effectively. He and LaCombe were able
to do just what Simpson asked them to do by eating up the clock. LaCombe also
shoulders the kicking duties for the Cowboys and nearly connected on a thirty
yard field goal late in the game. LaCombe did connect on three of four extra
points.
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| Ryan LaCombe - Facebook Image |
A twenty-one point win over the
Panthers is not something that happens often for the Cowboys, especially at
Concordia. The rivalry with the Panthers has been a good one for both schools
with games being decided by small margins. Margins of victory though aren’t really as good of
fodder for coffee shop discussions as the exploits of quarterbacks, running
backs, receivers and big hitters. As the 2015 season moves forward, it appears
this Cowboy team is one that will provide ample fodder for future coffee shop
discussions in Dickinson County.
Notes from Marysville week:
The
JV and Freshmen combined for a 24-0 victory over Marysville and will be in
action on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The JV will host Concordia on Monday
evening at 6 in Abilene, and the Freshmen will travel to Concordia on Tuesday.
(6 p.m. kickoff)
Marysville Awards:
Offensive
MVP: Colton Liby
Defensive
MVP: Dylan Ford
Special
Teams MVP: Parker Base
Practice
MVP: Ryan LaCombe
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