Buhler’s Line is Relentless
by Erik Graefe
As the Abilene Cowboy
players and coaches disembarked busses at Buhler High School on Friday
afternoon, they were greeted with a steady rain. As the Cowboys moved quickly
to the shelter of the locker room, the first items to be taken from the
protection of clothing and duffle bags were cell phones. Players and coaches
were not texting loved ones with news of their safe arrival; they were looking
at the weather radar wanting to know what to expect from the skies for the
remainder of Friday evening. Early reports suggested the rain would relent
prior to kickoff. It never did extinguishing hopes of favorable conditions for
a battle of two undefeated opponents during the final week of district play.
The rain didn’t necessarily affect the outcome as both teams dealt with it all
night. What did affect the outcome was something equally relentless: the Buhler Crusaders.
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| Bender's Opening Run |
On the first play from
scrimmage, Trey Bender took a handoff from Harley Hazlett and ran through
several Buhler tackles. Bender’s effort should have been a harbinger of good
things to come for the Cowboy offense, but like an erroneous report from the
weather channel, Bender’s courageous run gave Abilene’s fans nothing but false
hope. Abilene would come up empty on their first drive setting the tone for a
defensively dominated first quarter in which neither team would crack the
scoring column. During the second quarter, Abilene’s defense was not able to
withstand the steady pressure of Buhler’s offensive execution. The Crusaders
scored early on a long run, and then followed an Abilene punt with a second
touchdown drive aided by Cowboy penalties. As the first half came to a close,
Abilene trailed 14-0. Abilene’s offense was able to put drives together; yet it
seemed either penalties, lack of execution, or a good Buhler defense would
always thwart their efforts.
The two teams exchanged
touchdowns early in the third quarter with Abilene’s offense finding a measure
of rhythm with a mixture of short completions coupled with the sheer will of
Hazlett, Bender, and Ryan Wilson. Hazlett, incidentally, rushed for 110 yards
on the night, breaking Curry Sexton’s all-time single season rushing mark.
Abilene’s three playmakers offered glimmers of hope in the midst of the
Crusader onslaught all night, but the Buhler offensive and defensive lines were
relentless, steady, and unwavering just like the rain. There were glimmers for
Abilene on the defensive side as well, including Sam Burt, Jovany Garcia, and
Dylan Ford. Perhaps the best defensive performance of the night was turned in
by Harley Hazlett when he was asked by his coaches to fill in at strong safety.
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| Hazlett to Wilson for a first down |
The Cowboys lost their
first game of the year to a good Buhler team, and while the loss was certainly
a painful one, there are indeed valuable remnants to be gathered from the
detritus of Friday’s storm. While Buhler won the contest, for much of the night
the outcome remained in doubt. This hasn’t always been the case where Buhler
vs. Abilene is concerned, but Abilene was knocking on the door of the Buhler
end zone several times Friday, and had it not been for self inflicted wounds,
Simpson’s team could have made the game much more interesting than they did.
These are aspects of the game that can presumably be fixed. Also, the Cowboys
learned what to expect from here on out in the playoffs. That experience is
invaluable, and should serve them well as they prepare for the sixteen team
tournament that is the state football playoffs. Finally, Buhler taught them
lessons that simply cannot be gleaned in victory. There are times when a team
must taste the disappointment of loss in order to understand the nature of what
victory will demand of them. Simpson’s Cowboys had that reality thrust upon
them Friday night. How they respond will decide the nature of the season.
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