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Last-minute thriller sends Broncos to state

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KFDM COOP

KFDM COOP

Posted
Posted

Last-minute thriller sends Broncs to state

by Alex Byington

Correspondent 

Published December 14, 2008 - Updated 15 minutes ago

By Alex Byington

Kerrville Times Sports Editor

GEORGETOWN — After being held to no catches last week, A.J. Dugat made probably the biggest play of his career on defense Saturday afternoon.

With 52 seconds remaining and Kerrville Tivy driving for the winning score, Dayton’s Dugat stole the ball from Antler senior receiver Matt Ayala and returned it 50 yards.

That set up the winning 24-yard field goal by Cody Green as time expired and the Broncos celebrated a 31-28 win over Tivy at Eagle Birkelbach Stadium, one that puts them into next week’s Class 4A Division II state championship game.

“I just had to take that ball. I just had to get coach (Jerry) Stewart them rings, that’s the last thing I gotta do before I go to Houston,†Dugat said. “... He got the ball, but it was my ball too, so I took it.â€

Green’s field goal was Dayton’s first of the season and the first of his Bronco career, which will come to a close next Saturday at the San Antonio Alamodome as Dayton (13-1) plays in its first-ever state championship game against Sulphur Springs (13-2).

“We work (the field goal) all the time at practice, and we always say ‘There’s one second left for a state championship, let’s see if we can make it,’ and this game we had four seconds left,†Green said of his field goal.

But it was Dugat’s steal that had everyone talking after the game, one in which Tivy (12-3) kept up with the Broncos in every facet before stumbling on their final drive.

“We just had to pull together and get a stop,†Dugat said. “We were here last year and we knew how it felt to get it taken away from us.â€

Dayton fell to Lake Travis in last year’s 4A Division I state semifinal, but this year, Dugat made sure that didn’t happen twice.

“He can just play. He’s a football player,†said longtime Dayton coach Jerry Stewart. “He and Cody (Green) and all our kids, I’m just so proud of them.â€

The victory almost didn’t happen, though, as Green hit receiver Damien Berotte on a seven-yard pass with 1:50 remaining as the Broncos tied the game at 28-28.

But working in their two-minute drill, the Antlers had more than enough time to travel the length of the field for the winning score.

Of course, that was before Dugat decided Dayton wasn’t losing twice in the semifinals.

The game was a back-and-forth battle of playmakers as Dugat made the biggest play of the game when his team needed him most.

“He went into beast mode,†Green said. “We call him the ‘Beast’ and that’s what he did.â€

Dugat capped the Broncos’ first possession of the game with a six-yard scoring run, but Green’s first PAT try was blocked. Tivy came right back to go ahead 7-6 late in the first quarter on a 15-yard pass from Colton Palmer to Logan Vick.

High shotgun snaps helped to foil Dayton’s next two drives and a bizarre misplay late in the first half put the Antlers up 14-6.

Punting from the Bronco end zone into a stiff wind, Brian McBride’s kick blew and bounced backward, giving Tivy the ball at the Dayton 1-yard line. Palmer scored on second down. Dayton answered with an eight-play, 88-yard drive capped by Green’s 29-yard TD pass to Payton Ploch.

A shoestring catch by Berotte on a two-point conversion play knotted things up at 14-14 and it stayed that way at halftime, after Tivy’s Connor Overby missed a 46-yard field goal at the end of the second period.

Dayton struck first in the second half as senior tailback Cameron LaCour returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to take a 21-14 lead.

Tivy responded through, driving 69 yards on 12 plays as Palmer, a senior quarterback, hit a wide open Johnny Manziel in the back of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown to tie the game once again.

After two back-and-forth drives, Dugat coughed up a fumble after running 31 yards as the Antlers were able to take the 28-21 lead at the end of the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Palmer.

For the most part, the Tivy defense was holding Green and company in check, limiting the Nebraska recruit to only 138 yards and two touchdowns passing on 10-of-17 passing and only 58 yards rushing on 22 carries, while Dugat added 175 yards of total offense rushing and receiving.

But in the final two minutes, Green and Dugat took over.

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rollinac

rollinac

Posted
Posted

Why is it that high school games seem to have refs with agendas?  Just seems a little prevalent lately.  I can understand missing a call here or there but lord...you hold a guy up then drive him back 10 yards and 4 players drive him into the ground...no call.  Tivy played a whale of a game but I tend to agree with the poster who talked about them being "cheap shot artists."  Cleveland always had that reputation and I experienced it more than once...throwin' them under the bus a little I know but fact.

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SupA42

SupA42

Posted
Posted

Last-minute thriller sends Broncs to state

by Alex Byington

Correspondent   

Published December 14, 2008 - Updated 15 minutes ago

By Alex Byington

Kerrville Times Sports Editor

GEORGETOWN — After being held to no catches last week, A.J. Dugat made probably the biggest play of his career on defense Saturday afternoon.

With 52 seconds remaining and Kerrville Tivy driving for the winning score, Dayton’s Dugat stole the ball from Antler senior receiver Matt Ayala and returned it 50 yards.

That set up the winning 24-yard field goal by Cody Green as time expired and the Broncos celebrated a 31-28 win over Tivy at Eagle Birkelbach Stadium, one that puts them into next week’s Class 4A Division II state championship game.

“I just had to take that ball. I just had to get coach (Jerry) Stewart them rings, that’s the last thing I gotta do before I go to Houston,†Dugat said. “... He got the ball, but it was my ball too, so I took it.â€

Green’s field goal was Dayton’s first of the season and the first of his Bronco career, which will come to a close next Saturday at the San Antonio Alamodome as Dayton (13-1) plays in its first-ever state championship game against Sulphur Springs (13-2).

“We work (the field goal) all the time at practice, and we always say ‘There’s one second left for a state championship, let’s see if we can make it,’ and this game we had four seconds left,†Green said of his field goal.

But it was Dugat’s steal that had everyone talking after the game, one in which Tivy (12-3) kept up with the Broncos in every facet before stumbling on their final drive.

“We just had to pull together and get a stop,†Dugat said. “We were here last year and we knew how it felt to get it taken away from us.â€

Dayton fell to Lake Travis in last year’s 4A Division I state semifinal, but this year, Dugat made sure that didn’t happen twice.

“He can just play. He’s a football player,†said longtime Dayton coach Jerry Stewart. “He and Cody (Green) and all our kids, I’m just so proud of them.â€

The victory almost didn’t happen, though, as Green hit receiver Damien Berotte on a seven-yard pass with 1:50 remaining as the Broncos tied the game at 28-28.

But working in their two-minute drill, the Antlers had more than enough time to travel the length of the field for the winning score.

Of course, that was before Dugat decided Dayton wasn’t losing twice in the semifinals.

The game was a back-and-forth battle of playmakers as Dugat made the biggest play of the game when his team needed him most.

“He went into beast mode,†Green said. “We call him the ‘Beast’ and that’s what he did.â€

Dugat capped the Broncos’ first possession of the game with a six-yard scoring run, but Green’s first PAT try was blocked. Tivy came right back to go ahead 7-6 late in the first quarter on a 15-yard pass from Colton Palmer to Logan Vick.

High shotgun snaps helped to foil Dayton’s next two drives and a bizarre misplay late in the first half put the Antlers up 14-6.

Punting from the Bronco end zone into a stiff wind, Brian McBride’s kick blew and bounced backward, giving Tivy the ball at the Dayton 1-yard line. Palmer scored on second down. Dayton answered with an eight-play, 88-yard drive capped by Green’s 29-yard TD pass to Payton Ploch.

A shoestring catch by Berotte on a two-point conversion play knotted things up at 14-14 and it stayed that way at halftime, after Tivy’s Connor Overby missed a 46-yard field goal at the end of the second period.

Dayton struck first in the second half as senior tailback Cameron LaCour returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to take a 21-14 lead.

Tivy responded through, driving 69 yards on 12 plays as Palmer, a senior quarterback, hit a wide open Johnny Manziel in the back of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown to tie the game once again.

After two back-and-forth drives, Dugat coughed up a fumble after running 31 yards as the Antlers were able to take the 28-21 lead at the end of the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Palmer.

For the most part, the Tivy defense was holding Green and company in check, limiting the Nebraska recruit to only 138 yards and two touchdowns passing on 10-of-17 passing and only 58 yards rushing on 22 carries, while Dugat added 175 yards of total offense rushing and receiving.

But in the final two minutes, Green and Dugat took over.

I wanna correct that first sentence saying that AJ "AcTioN" DugaT was held to no catches last week!.. Nobody can hold him catchless, we jus used him as a decoy & rested him for the big game this week.. LoL i don't care who you get, noone can hold him!

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liltex

liltex

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Posted

Officials for this game were awful at best.Sitting right on the lower level at the 50 yd.line and screaming about the holding going on and on two Tivy scoring drives #32 not 1 time but twice was fixing to lower the boom on the Qb and got hammered from behind.They are cheap shots alright and for the 3rd time in these playoffs we get 15 yards for knocking a runner out of bounds while he still gaining yards.

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PURPLE 4EVER

PURPLE 4EVER

Posted
Posted

Officials for this game were awful at best.Sitting right on the lower level at the 50 yd.line and screaming about the holding going on and on two Tivy scoring drives #32 not 1 time but twice was fixing to lower the boom on the Qb and got hammered from behind.They are cheap shots alright and for the 3rd time in these playoffs we get 15 yards for knocking a runner out of bounds while he still gaining yards.

CHAMPIONS ADAPT AND OVERCOME

LOSERS MAKE EXCUSES!

Don't be criticing the refs...

It was also the same official that said the controversial two point play was a completion.

The key is....

WHEN THE OFFICIAL BLOWS THE WHISTLE THE PLAY IS OVER!

They weren't cheap shots by the Broncos, but the hits were made AFTER the play was over.

BOTH COACHES AGREE ON THE OFFICIALS!

To say they are against one team or the other is just wrong.

If you are going to gripe about the officials DON'T EVEN SHOW UP TO THE GAME!

In the end, it was the Broncos winning the game, now they are playing for the state title.

On another note....

Congrats to the Kerrville players.

What an AWEsome game.

You really got to feel for them, they played an outstanding game, but in the end, Cody and AJ took over the game (perhaps aided by divine processes).

This was an excellent article by the oppossing team.

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skipper

skipper

Posted
Posted

to all my pals in dayton that were sitting by me, hay guys it was the same set of officels that were at the mustang game  ,looked like the WWF take downs BUT NO HOLDING CALLS . now go get the rings bring it home to dayton,some of the best football fans around you have in your city. GO DAYTON

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liltex

liltex

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Posted

Well 1st thing first if you were watching the game and reading my post right you would know that #32 was in purple and white.And he got blind sided twice and Tivy Did a marvelous job of holding without ever getting a single yellow flag.And did the side judge get a ear full from the Dayton crowd.You have your opinion and I have mine.Call it whatever you want but take away the muffed punt for-10 yds.and the outcome may have been a little differant that would have a Dayton 21-Kerrville 7 at the 1st.min.of the 3rd.Qtr.

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fatmac61

fatmac61

Posted
Posted

I'll say this.  I was at the game and I saw only 1 call a thought was "bad".

what the crowd sees from the stands and what you see on the sideline are completely different...there were 3 calls, personal foul calls, that were completely superfluous...two of them involved players tripping over downed players, no pushing, no shoving...

Refs have a hard job, no doubt...but if you're not sure, you can't throw the flags...and they weren't sure, they were just showing precaution...you've got to let the kids play!!!

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PURPLE 4EVER

PURPLE 4EVER

Posted
Posted

FYI....

The 2 point conversion that was called good by the same official most of you are complaining about was VERY VERY CONTROVERSIAL......

Not saying ANYTHING else about that play....

The Broncos didn't have ONE holding call either.

Just looking through my video...

This was easily the best defensive front seven we have played all year...

Very quick.

Also....

I do have the AJ miracle steal!  (There was a camera man who got in my way right after AJ got the ball, I paused the camera, but I do have him stripping the ball...

IF.....

The officials were out to get us, they probably couldn't have gotten away with saying the play was dead, AJ did get the ball out before the receiver hit the ground, but MAN!!!

Did AJ want that ball....

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Highlights are about 2 hours away!

However you feel about the officials...

THE LAST THING WE NEED TO DO AS ADULTS is teach the kids that if things don't go your way, blame someone else...

Calls might have been missed, or made that were not correct, but in the end it was the players (especially AJ and Cody) who settled the outcome of the game.

ps....

Aaron Jenkins had an AWESOME GAME!!!!!

Big tackle after big tackle!

WAY TO GO AARON!!!

He was a really big, huge part of the Bronco victory!

Let me get back to the video....

GO BRONCOS!

AND...

ALWAYS BELIEVE!!!

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Backflipper

Backflipper

Posted
Posted

Im not making any excuses about calls because I saw that 2pt. conversion with my own eyes and was dang sure hoping they wouldnt show a replay of it on the big screen. On the other hand. The only call that got by blood boiling is the one that was on the Dayton sideline and they called a late hit after the Tivy players pinkie toe went out of bounds and he kept running. Our player had to do what he did. It was unclear if the play was over or not.

I almost thought I saw another bad call but the sun reflected of Brett's head and I missed it.

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liltex

liltex

Posted
Posted

Purple:I guess you can say I should shut up about the guys in the striped uniforms but I still have a bitterness at their ability sometimes,in 1966 in bi-dist against Hamp/Fannett they throw a 2 pt. conversion pass to the (CENTER) who takes it in to win 8-7 in the last play of the game knocking Dayton out of the playoff's I was there .It was on several films and the game protested w/no overuling by the UIL.Things happen but it seems 1 sided alot.How can 4 officials not see a ineligible reciever take it in for 2 pts?Is it honest mistakes?Probably. I see this year that there is alot of posters talking about officials in most every playoff game posted on this site.

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Hotrodg

Hotrodg

Posted
Posted

I'll say this.  I was at the game and I saw only 1 call a thought was "bad".

what the crowd sees from the stands and what you see on the sideline are completely different...there were 3 calls, personal foul calls, that were completely superfluous...two of them involved players tripping over downed players, no pushing, no shoving...

Refs have a hard job, no doubt...but if you're not sure, you can't throw the flags...and they weren't sure, they were just showing precaution...you've got to let the kids play!!!

You can turn that same comment around and it is just as valid.  What you see on the sideline and what you see from an elevated position are completely different.

There is a reason coaches climb stairs and sit in the pressbox and it is not because they want to tone their calves.

There is no statewide conspiracy be referees, and there was no agenda Saturday.  Dayton won and gets to play for a state title next week.  Be happy about it.

At the end of the day complaining about refs is a loser's game and Dayton are winners.

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