Clear Lake turns back Ball
GALVESTON
— It’s all about perspective.
A victory over Ball Friday night, and an
Alvin loss, would give the
Clear Lake Falcons a share of the District 24-5A crown.
Ball, on the other hand, was just looking to end their
season on a high note. After a rough 2004 campaign that saw them lose to
Alvin by three points,
and to class 23-4A powers La Marque and Texas City by a combined four points, a
young Tor team was looking for their third win in their final game of the
season.
With 18 starters expected back next season, it would be
something to build on for 2005.
Falcon quarterback Scott Oswald scored on 22- and 25-yard
touchdown runs, and rushed for 119 yards on 14 carries. But it took a
Clear Lake stand on
fourth down, with ball at their own 37-yard line and just 40 seconds remaining
in the game, to defeat an inspired Tor team gunning for an upset, 20-17.
Despite the tough loss, Ball coach Ron Holmes was relatively
upbeat after the game.
“I was very proud of the effort tonight,” Holmes. “We had a
good defensive scheme against a very good opponent. We fell a little short, but
the way our guys didn’t quit. I love their attitude.”
At
7:46 of the second quarter, Tor quarterback
Reginald Thompson hooked up with Avery Curry on a 26-yard touchdown for the
first score of the game. During the drive, Thompson found Darnell Jones on a
seven-yard pass and made a 22-yard completion to Curry that moved the Ball to
the Falcon 14-yard line. After a motion penalty and a quarterback sack left the
Tors with third and long at the Clear Lake 26, Thompson hit Curry for the
touchdown.
A good
Clear Lake defense that featured the run-stuffing
ability of 6-foot-7, 245-pound defensive end Jeff Wheeler did a good job of
containing the Tor ground game during the first half. But Tor quarterback
Reginald Thompson was five for 10 for 87 yards, with the touchdown pass to
Curry, during the first half.
The Tor drive seemed to wake up the Falcons. On the ensuing
drive, the vaunted
Clear Lake running game began clicking. With 2:41
left in the first half, Oswald ran 22 yards to knot the game at seven.
After a three and out drive for Ball, the Falcons fumbled at
their own 35-yard line with
1:47 remaining in the half. Tor senior Eugene Webb
pounced on the ball. With four seconds left in the half, Logan Jackson kicked a
25-yard field goal to give the Tors a 10-7 halftime lead.
The two teams traded touchdowns to open the second half.
Lake scored on a five-play drive that took a little more than two minutes off
the clock, culminating with a 25-yard Oswald touchdown run, his second of the
game. Ball answered with a 10-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard
Avery Curry touchdown run with 3:57 left in the third quarter. At that point,
Ball led 17-13, and smelled the upset.
Less than a minute later,
Lake’s Oswald fumbled the ball, and Webb recovered
for the Tors at the Clear Lake 47-yard line, his second fumble recovery of the
game. But the Tors missed a 34-yard field goal with 11:04 in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons responded with a with seven-play, 80-yard drive,
with Lake senior Scott McCalib scoring with 8:13 to play in the game to seal the
Falcon victory.
Despite the late-game drama, the Tors (2-8, 1-5) fell just
shy of the huge upset. After a season of close losses, and a fourth near-miss
against a very good opponent, Holmes is far from discouraged.
“I really hate to see our seniors go out on a losing note,
but we’ve got a great nucleus coming back,” he said. “Eighteen of the 22
starters come back on both sides of the ball. I’m looking forward to next fall
already.”
With the victory, and
Alvin’s loss to Pearland, the Falcons (9-1, 5-1)
earned a share of the 24-5A crown.