by Austin Coats, sports editor
A&M Consolidated football bounced back from a disappointing loss to Bryan by traveling to Conroe and shutting out the Caney Creek Panthers. Consol shut down the Panthers’ one-dimensional offense and fired all cylinders to pick up a motivating win.
“I’m really proud of the way that the kids [responded] to our demands this week,” football coach David Raffield said. “It didn’t work for us last week, but tonight was a great win for the program.”
The Tigers attacked quickly, scoring within the first two-and-a-half minutes of the game. On the first play of the game junior Mason Hickson hit Derrick Dick down the middle resulting in a 34-yard gain. On the next play, junior Tyri Merchant ran straight through the line and sprinted down the sideline for a 31-yard touchdown. Forcing Caney Creek to a three-and-out on the next drive, sophomore Tyon Merchant blocked the punt straight into the air, only for the punt to be recovered by sophomore Jonathan Sylvester on the 13-yard line. Tyri Merchant easily took the ensuing play into the end-zone.
Consol kept the onslaught going throughout the half, and led 20-0 at the end of the first quarter. Tyri added two more touchdowns to his tally, a 26-yard screen and a 4-yard carry, and Dick added the final touchdown of the half, a 52-yard pass where he was left wide open on a corner blitz. Hickson tried to add one more touchdown at the end of the half, but he under threw senior Daniel Zivney in the end-zone and the Caney Creek defender won the jump ball. The half ended after the next play with the score 34-0.
The second half was over in a hurry, and with only one scoring drive as junior Dayden Lane took over at quarterback. His fade to freshman Cade Williams for a touchdown completed the night.
“Dayden needed reps, and I was really proud of the way he managed the game,” Raffield said.
The highlight of the half, and perhaps the whole game, was when Raffield allowed five players, including offensive linemen Daniel Fojtik and Jorge Contreras (both seniors), to play running back. The move was celebrated loudly from the sidelines and visiting stands as the Tigers worked to waste time on their way to finishing 41-0.
“It’s a tradition,” Raffield said. “We know the game is in hand and everybody gets to be a part.”
The football team looks to have the same success against rival College Station at Tigerland next Friday.
