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 Pearland answers all questions Balanced offense, big-play defense lift Oilers past Clear Lake LEAGUE CITY -- Before this football season even began, people wondered about the Pearland Oilers. Despite the return of most offensive starters, the loss of Anthony Evans, who graduated as the second-leading rusher in Class 5A history, left a burning question. Could the Oilers -- once a popular homecoming opponent -- be the same without him? Answer: So far, they're better. A 28-14 win over Clear Lake in a District 24-5A game at a District Stadium left the Oilers with a 6-0 record, their best start in nearly 40 years. With Evans, the Oilers (now 3-0 in district play) jumped to a 5-1 start last season en route to an 8-4 playoff campaign. Pearland got it done Saturday like it has all season, with a combined offensive effort that saw Noah Allen passing for 138 yards and five rushers combining for 145 more. Receiver Zach Golden was the biggest factor, catching three passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. "This offense is clicking and we're feeling really comfortable," Golden said. "And we're only going to get better. Our coaches have developed so many plays for the different personnel that each person has so many options on this team." Golden's 50-yard touchdown pass on third down late in the second quarter broke a 7-7 tie and put the Oilers up for good. On Clear Lake's subsequent possession, Pearland's Brandon Farran recovered a fumble on the Falcons' 29 that would lead to another score. Five rushes after Farran's recovery and again on third down, Brandon Roberson took a right-side toss and dove over the goal line for a five-yard score that really opened things up. Those two touchdowns in the final 3:12 of the first half left them with a 21-7 halftime lead. "I think that was kind of the turning point," Clear Lake coach Troy Aduddell said of the final 3:12 of the first half. "You're looking at a team (Pearland) that returned every kid on defense but one, so we're going to make some mistakes against them early. We're still making some young errors and we gave up too many big plays." The biggest play of the game resulted in Pearland's first score. Jeremy Brown, who finished with 117 yards on 12 carries, took a handoff right and with no hole present, cut all the way back to the opposite sideline and used a key downfield block from Allen for a 67-yard touchdown. The Falcons (2-4, 1-2) answered with a 16-play drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock in the second quarter and tied the score. It was capped by Stephen Scott's (60 yards on 17 carries) six-yard run. Clear Lake's only other touchdown came in the third quarter following a bit of trickery. Facing fourth down near midfield, the Falcons lined up in a punt formation but then quickly switched into a shotgun. Before the Oilers could call a timeout, punter Chad Everett took the snap and completed a 16-yard pass to Marshall Priest for the first down. A 32-yard pass completion to Pearland's two set up a score two plays later that cut the lead to 21-14. "We made a mistake, tried to get a timeout (on the fourth down), couldn't get the timeout, and they popped it," Pearland coach Tony Heath said. "It was the element of surprise and a good play by them." But the Pearland defense, which allowed 228 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers, wouldn't surrender another score. Meanwhile, the Oilers upped the lead back to two touchdowns with 9:21 left in the game thanks to a great catch by Golden that set up a touchdown one play later. Golden twice tipped Allen's pass up into the air before coming down with it at the Clear Lake 2 for the 44-yard reception. "I'm just glad it came down to Zach," Heath said with a smile. "He did step it up and it wasn't just him." It was Brandon Farran, the district leader in interceptions who came with his fourth late in the fourth quarter, ending any hope of a Clear Lake comeback. It was linebacker Scott Derry, who made "tackle after tackle." And it was a balanced offensive attack that on this day let its senior receiver lead the way. "Noah's a great quarterback, we've got good running backs and a pretty good receiving core," Golden said. "We're just having a blast." And to the surprise of many, they're doing it without Evans, their do-everything running back of years past. |
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