This group is special and the longer the season goes, the more it shows. Friday night in Grove proves how special this group is and can be. If you made the trip, or watched the game on ZTV you know what I am talking about. This group has no panic, no quit, and is playing with unwavering confidence.
When the team arrived in Grove they knew they were in for a fight. Grove was by far the best team the Zebras have faced up to this point. At halftime the Ridgerunners had a 14-7 lead, and their homecoming was looking like a success at that time. But there was another half to play and the Zebras defense took over. The defense gave up 0 points in the second half and have been a group that has been a little over shadowed by the high powered Zebra offense. The defense is only giving up an average of 5 points in the second half this year. With numbers like that it is no surprise that the offense is averaging 46 points a game, and that the Zebras are 5-0.
Again it was another great team effort, but a few of the boys showed out and received player of the week awards. The JV player of the week is Bryson Hall. Bryson is a sophomore wide receiver, who in the words of his coaches "is going to be a dude in the near future." Bryson is that kid that works hard everyday, never does anything wrong, and never misses. He is constantly working to get better and has embraced every second of the grind of a sophomore season.
Next is Hayden Lee, the defensive player of the week. Hayden plays outside linebacker and is a tackling machine. If you get anywhere near him, you are going to the ground. Coach Willard said "it took him a little while to understand the position after we moved him from free safety, but now I have as much trust in him as anyone on the field. He just has a nose for the ball and I am glad he is wearing red and white."
Next was the the special teams players of the week. Mason Bendabout and Zane Hepler. Mason is the punter for the Zebras and is doing an amazing job. Coach Dexter spoke about Mason and said "he worked really hard in the off season to become a real asset to the team. He not only is booming punts, he also has the ability to do what he did on Friday and point the nose of the ball down and pin them deep. When a punter can pin a team inside the 5 yard line it puts them in a bad spot and really makes it tough for them to score."
Zane Hepler was the other special teams POW and he does the other kicking. He is the Zebras kickoff specialist and field goal kicker. Zane as well has put himself in position to help them team down the stretch. He is automatic on extra points and has developed the leg to kick long field goals when the team needs him to. In the game Friday night the Zebras scored late in the 3rd quarter to go up by 7, but a dead ball penalty backed them up to 18 yard line for the extra point. Zane had to kick a 35 yard extra point and it looked just as easy as a regular P.A.T. Coach Dexter said "this was huge for us, that extra point made it a two score game and put us in the drivers seat." Dexter also said "there will come a time this season when we need a field goal to win and we got the guy to do it."
The offensive POW's were Gage Deckard and Micah Teel. Gage had another ridiculous night that he has turned into the norm. He had 5 catches for 128 and 3 touchdowns. What this doesn't tell you is over half of the 128 yards came after the catch. When asked about Gage Coach Wallen replied "I feel sorry for every defensive coordinator we play. Gage is impossible to stop. If they press him Gage will run by them and score. If they play off we will throw spots and hitches and he will make a guy miss and go score. There is nothing they can do."
The other offensive POW was Micah Teel. Micah had 24 carries for 152 and 1 touchdown. Late in the game it was clock management time with the lead and that meant hand the ball off to the Zebra's monster tailback and he will do the rest. Coach Hurt also said "Teel gets better every week, and if that continues to happen who is going to stop him." After the game I made a phone call to a friend of mine and was talking about the game and a scene from the show "King of Queens" popped into my head. Click the link and you will understand. Video Clip
At the end of the game the score was 30-14 but the celebration only lasted a few minutes. Coach Hurt gathered the team and spoke passionately. He said "that was the grittiest performance he had ever had from a team. I am so proud of you and you go and talk with your families and friends, but when you get on that bus the celebration is over BECAUSE PRYOR IS COMING TO TOWN IN A WEEK. The theme is simple. Beat Pryor."
So one last congratulations for the win at Grove and BEAT PRYOR.