‘It’s a shame’: Hurst L.D. Bell-Arlington Sam Houston game ends early due to lightning
BEDFORD — Hurst L.D. Bell head coach TJ Dibble’s squad was up big at the half, but the game was called due to lightning in the area.
The Blue Raiders were leading 28-0 facing Arlington Sam Houston on Friday night at Pennington Field. The game featured two quarters and 1:30 of action in the second half prior to the inclement weather.
After about 40 minutes of delays, the public address announcer proclaimed the game a no contest. At that point, the stands were empty and only school employees were left.
“It’s been so hot and it’s rained once the last two months, so you never know,” Dibble said outside of his locker room just moments before a downpour of rain occurred. “I thought our kids were handling the delay pretty good but it doesn’t look like it will be going anywhere for some time. ... It’s a shame we didn’t have an opportunity to get a full football game.”
The Blue Raiders did enough in the first quarter to take a sizable lead. Hurst L.D. Bell scored on its first three possessions in the contest to set the tone against the Texans.
Kenyon Harding returned the opening kickoff to Sam Houston’s 37-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Maddox Olatunde hit Ravin Takano for a 30-yard touchdown with only 1:17 off the clock.
Olatunde, a 6-foot, 175-pound senior, scored on a 3-yard run on the next drive. It was set up by his 18-yard run up the middle.
With momentum clearly in the home team’s favor, a special teams play set up the third score. A short kickoff in the air was mishandled by the Texans and senior Rhett Williams recovered it at the 39-yard line.
“The last two weeks our kicking game and our special teams have really been an advantage for us,” said Dibble, a 2000 graduate of Hurst L.D. Bell who was hired to guide his alma mater in 2021. “If there is something we see that we have a shot at and it’s a high-percentage pay, then we are going to execute those plays.”
With the short field, a five-play drive followed that was slowed down by two offensive penalties. Olatunde hit Delvechio Ellis for a 29-yard score with 5:22 left in the first quarter.
Olatunde converted on a fourth-down situation on the Blue Raiders’ next drive that he ended with a 1-yard run.
He hit Elijah Zamora for an 11-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from the Arlington’s 33-yard line. Just outside of the red zone, he threw a 16-yard pass to Braydon Shivers that initially appeared to be a touchdown.
The senior caught the pass on the sideline and got hit. His helmet fell off, and then he rumbled his way into the end zone without it.
However, the play was called dead at the 4-yard line and the score was taken off the board, temporarily.
On the next play, Olatunde took a keep off the left tackle for a score on the final play of the first quarter. At that point, the Blue Raiders led 28-0.
“We kind of got punched in the mouth last week (against MacArthur) and we took time to work on things we needed to,” Olatunde said. “So we came out here and punched Sam Houston in the mouth. We did what we were supposed to do. That is why we are able to get ahead so fast.”
Neither team scored in the second quarter. Next week, Hurst L.D. Bell opens District 3-6A play at Saginaw Chisholm Trail.
