Cowboys Takes Panthers As Trophy
by Erik Graefe
For one quarter, the
Royal Valley Panthers looked intent
upon giving a scare to the
Abilene faithful at Paul Dennis field. Another
Friday night found another great home crowd as the Cowboys opened their regular
season by hosting the Panthers from Hoyt. The Panthers are a tough, disciplined
football team with returning starters at key positions, and it showed early on.
Midway through the first quarter, Royal Valley elected to roll the dice on a
fourth and short. The result was a 60 yard touchdown run, and the Panthers
found themselves leading Abilene by a score of 6-0.
Abilene
’s roster, while inexperienced at the varsity level,
is full of talent. At the quarterback position, senior Harley Hazlett is one of
the few Cowboys who brings both talent and experience. Hazlett connected with
junior Ryan Wilson on the second play from scrimmage following Royal Valley
’s
opening score for a beautiful 66 yard touchdown pass.
That quickly, the Cowboys
had retaken the lead. It appeared as though the Panthers would answer Abilene
with a score of their own as they marched down inside the Cowboy 20 yard line
on their next possession. However, it is not only on the offensive side of the
ball that Abilene is capable of making big plays. Junior Cooper Wyckoff blitzed
from the backside as the Panther quarterback looked to catch the Cowboys
napping on a play action pass. Wyckoff delivered a vicious blow just as the
pass was being released. An alert Dylan Ford intercepted the errant pass and
returned it to nearly midfield.
 |
| Cooper Wyckoff - photo from Cooper Twitter |
 |
| Dylan Ford - Facebook Image |
At some point during this offensive series, the Cowboys
began to transform from a team that would merely be carried offensively by
their outstanding senior quarterback to a multiple threat, multiple faceted
team. Coach Simpson would suggest
later that the transformation is far from complete, but it looks to have begun.
The drive ended with a 39 yard touchdown run by another of the talented and
experienced seniors: Trey Bender. Over
the next two quarters, the Cowboys would score 27 unanswered points. The
transformation had definitely begun.
The 2015 edition of the Abilene Cowboys is definitely
going to be a fun team to watch. Friday was full of big plays on both sides of
the ball. Hazlett, in addition to having a good night throwing the ball, ran
for over 140 yards. Trey Bender amassed over 120 yards rushing, as well. These
two seniors are special, and any time either of them has the football in their
hands, fans would be well advised to pay attention. The story of these Cowboys
is not only about the two lead dogs, however; Simpson
’s roster is full of
young players capable of making an impact on a football game. Ryan Wilson and
Dylan Ford appear to be capable of making big plays from the receiving
position, and Parker Base and Parker O
’Neal are dangerous runners.
None of this of course means much without a fine offensive line in the form of
seniors Hayden Funston, Bailey Fitzgerald, Andy Tope, Cale Mayden, and junior
Sam Burt. These guys don
’t get to score touchdowns, but they make them
happen.
 |
| L-R Hazlett, Base, O'Neal, Funston - Facebook Images |
 |
| L-R Fitzgerald, Tope, Mayden, Burt - Facebook Images |
Coach Nathan Howard’s defense settled down after
the first quarter and began to show signs of transformation as well. The
Cowboys lost some fine players on the defensive side of the ball to graduation
last year, and some nerves and inexperience showed early on. As the game progressed
though, the Cowboy defenders drew inspiration from the play of senior Jovany
Garcia. Garcia played Hazlett’s role for the defense: making big plays by himself until the rest of
his teammates overcame their nerves, and the inexperience gave way to the
talent. In addition to Garcia, O’Neal and Base, aka “the Parker brothers,”
Cale Mayden, Jaron Christiensen, and many others played a fine defensive game.
 |
| Jovany
Garcia - Facebook Image |
 |
| Jaron Christiensen - Facebook Image |
There is no other way for inexperienced players to gain
experience than to be baptized in the fire of Friday nights. As the young
Cowboy team emerged from their first such ritual, the final score read, Abilene
34 to Royal Valley 13. Such is the luxury afforded to Coach Simpson. His roster
has just enough superstars in the form of Hazlett, Bender, Garcia, and a fine
offensive line that his young talented players can undergo their initiation to
the varsity field while chalking up victories.
The next step in the transformation of these young
Cowboys will be a road game as they will travel to Marysville to face a much
improved Bulldog team this Friday night.
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