Football roundup: Muenster clinches third, Tigers blank Crusaders
Nov. 5—Muenster 34, Celeste 7
CELESTE — Muenster (5-5 overall, 4-2 District 8-2A Division II) clinched third in the district Thursday with a statement road win at Celeste (6-4, 3-3).
The Hornets led 13-0 at halftime after two Colton Deckard touchdown runs, then pulled away in the second half. Cabett Blake scored on a 2-yard rush with 7:56 remaining in the game to make it 31-0 Hornets before Celeste finally got on the board. Devon Bindel capped off the win with a 43-yard field goal, his second field goal of the night.
Bindel threw for 116 yards and a touchdown to Brody Tyler. Deckard rushed 14 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns. The Muenster defense held Celeste to 200 total yards of offense.
Sacred Heart 41, Tyler Gorman 0
Sacred Heart (9-1, 6-1 District IV-1) celebrated senior night with a shutout Thursday against Tyler Bishop Gorman (3-7, 2-5).
Sacred Heart dominated from the start. The Tigers began the game by forcing a quick punt, which Eli Hess blocked to put Sacred Heart in great field position. A few plays later, Clayton Bezner connected with Nathan Hesse on a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Tigers poured it on quickly as Gorman kept giving them good field position. Sacred Heart led 27-0 after the first quarter and 41-0 at halftime. The Tigers cruised from there with neither team scoring in the second half.
Bezner threw for 117 yards and three touchdowns. Gus Ganzon caught two touchdowns to Hesse's one. Ryan Swirczynski rushed five times for 34 yards and a touchdown, while Hesse rushed three times for 32 yards and a score. Ganzon also scored a touchdown on one of his two carries for 12 yards.
Whitesboro 69, Ponder 29
PONDER — Whitesboro (8-1, 5-1 District 4-3A Division I) put on a show offensively Thursday with a road win against Ponder (3-7, 0-6).
The Bearcats took an early 12-0 lead, but Ponder cut the lead to 12-8 before the first quarter ended. The teams traded scores early in the second with Whitesboro holding an 18-15 lead before the Bearcats pulled away to lead 38-15 at halftime. Ponder scored a couple more times, but Whitesboro was always far enough ahead to remain in control.
Whitesboro rushed for 394 yards. Senior running back Greyson Ledbetter led the way with 19 carries for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Maxx Parker followed with 136 yards and one score. Senior quarterback Mac Harper completed six passes for five touchdowns. Brett Donaldson had 70 receiving yards and two touchdowns, Karter Sluder had 67 for two scores, and Gavin Brown caught one 23-yard touchdown pass.
Collinsville 44, Chico 6
No. 8 Collinsville (9-1, 6-0 District 8-2A Division II) closed out the regular season Thursday by dominating Chico (2-8, 1-5).
Logan Jenkins put the Pirates in front with a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Carter Scott doubled the lead with a 2-yard run. Collinsville added 20 points in the second quarter and 10 in the third, holding Chico off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.
Jenkins threw for 429 yards and three touchdowns. Nathen Bocanegra caught nine passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, and Colin Barnes caught four for 105 yards. Rylan Newman rushed 15 times for 157 yards and a touchdown.
Santo 42, Era 0
Era (1-9, 0-6) concluded its season with a tough home loss Thursday to No. 9 Santo (9-1, 5-1).
Santo racked up 345 rushing yards en route to leading 21-0 after the first quarter and 35-0 at halftime. The Wildcats added another touchdown in the third quarter and coasted from there. Five different players scored for Santo, with Jaime Sandoval scoring twice.
Era senior Jarren Twiner threw for 34 yards, while sophomore Cole Stevens threw for 85. Sophomore receiver Bradyn Bookhout caught six passes for 58 yards, while senior running back Seth Velasquez rushed nine times for 22 yards.
Henrietta 34, Valley View 7
HENRIETTA — Valley View (3-7, 1-4 District 6-3A Division II) will miss the playoffs after falling on the road Thursday to Henrietta (6-4, 2-3).
Henrietta took an early lead when Garrett Blevins hit Jacob Fletcher on an 8-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles tied the game at 7 with a 44-yard pass from Tyson Price to Lawson Links. The Bearcats took over in the second quarter to lead 29-7 at halftime. Blevins added one last touchdown on the ground in the third as the Bearcats claimed the final playoff spot in the district.
