Jeff Kaley
The Duncan Banner
SNYDER —
Once Waurika’s defense got settled in Friday evening, it had success in containing Snyder’s high-octane spread offense.
But when it came to the Eagles’ offense having success in a season-opening clash at Cyclones Stadium ... well, not so much.
Making good use of its athleticism on both sides of the ball, Snyder limited Waurika to 129 total yards rushing and passing and spoiled the Eagles’ 2010 debut, 22-6.
“It’s always disappointing to lose your opening game, whether you’re on the road or at home, but we’re not discouraged,” Larry VanBeber said, after Waurika had dropped its season-opener for the fifth straight season and third in his tenure as head coach.
“Once we figured things out on defense, I was pleased with how the defense looked. Overall, I thought we were in good physical shape and I was happy we played hard on both sides of the ball.
“But Snyder’s got a good offensive team and I thought their defense really came after us. Up front, we were trying to block eight guys with five guys, and that’s not going to work.”
The Cyclones eight-man rush resulted in the Eagles producing just 68 yards rushing on 24 total attempts, while sophomore quarterback Mason Johnson, playing in his first varsity game, connected on 5 of 17 passes for 61 yards.
WHS had four first downs, one of which came on a penalty, and the Eagles’ lone score came when freshman defensive back Austin Masoner recovered a fumble by Snyder’s Seth Cosway and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. Although that narrowed SHS’ lead to 14-6, with 10:25 remaining in the third quarter, Waurika wasn’t able to generate enough offense to further narrow the gap.
And on the final play of the third period, the Cyclones essentially iced the game, as quarterback Miles Baker capped a 13-play, 64 yard drive by scoring on a three-yard run. Baker followed with a 2-point conversion pass to Tyler Roberts, pushing the margin to 22-6.
— Jeff Kaley is editor of the Waurika News-Democrat and a Duncan Banner columnist. He can be reached at 580-228-2316 or e-mailed at jeff.kaley@duncanbanner.com.
