Humble downs Deer Park, advances in 5A

[KFDM COOP]

Humble downs Deer Park, advances in 5A

Wildcats get first postseason win since 2005; Malone runs for 128, two TDs

Jarrett Malone has been sick for about a week and he missed three practices because of it, but there was little that was going to keep the senior running back from playing Friday night.

Humble's go-to guy fought through his flu-like symptoms and gave the Wildcats a valiant effort to lead them to a 16-7 win over Deer Park in the Class 5A Division I Region III bi-district round at Turner Stadium.

The Wildcats (9-2) earned their first playoff victory since 2005 and advance to the area round where they'll face Hightower.

"I had to play hard," Malone said. "I guess when you get sick you play your hardest."

Malone ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, but it was the way he ran that inspired the Wildcats. Several times, Malone willed his way to more yards by keeping his legs moving and dragging several Deer Park defenders with him.

"He ran as hard as he could even though he wasn't 100 percent," Humble coach Walt Beasley said. "I didn't even know before the game if he was going to play, but he gave it all he had, played hard and ran hard."

The defense battled with that same spirit. The Wildcats held the Deer (8-3) to 205 yards on the night and became the first team to hold the Deer under 10 points since Spring did it in the season opener on August 31.

"The secondary played well and we got a few breaks too," Beasley said. "They're a good football team and they dropped a few passes that we got lucky on."

It wasn't the Wildcats best night though. In their first three trips to the red zone, they only came out with nine points. They opened the game with a 27-yard field goal by Audran Cruz in the first, then got a 3-yard touchdown from Malone after blocking a Deer Park punt. They looked poised to go up 16-0 at the half but Deer Park's Nathan Kello intercepted Keith Baker at the 1 with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter to kill that scoring chance.

Deer Park creeped back into the game on the legs of Travis Carter (22 carries, 98 yards) who ran eight straight times to start a scoring drive that ended in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Hans Cook to Keenan Miles to cut the deficit to 9-7 with 28 seconds to go in the third.

But that would be all the Deer would get. The Wildcats forced the Deer to turn it over on downs on their next drive and recovered a fumble on their final possession.

[Guest etbu]

Good win for Coach Beasley and Humble.

[Mr. Buddy Garrity]

congrats