John Renshaw
10:00 PM, Sep. 9, 2011|
HURRICANE - With similar methods, the Cedar-Hurricane football games are
usually good entertainment.
A physically tough running scheme defines the two programs, a philosophy that
certainly was on display Friday night at Tigers Stadium - albeit with different
weapons.
For the Reds, quarterback John Ursua ignited thrilling runs all over the field,
somehow turning potential three-yard losses into seven-yard gains many times.
On the other side, Tigers running back Brian Scott amazed with power runs
straight up the middle. In the end, Hurricane's 21-point fourth quarter was
good enough to secure a 29-20 win over its northern rival.
"This game was a real gut check for us," said Tigers coach Chris Homer, whose
team improved to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in region. "It was very hard hitting and
it didn't surprise me it was close. That's the way it always seems to be when we play
Cedar."
Ursua (207 yards on 29 carries and 9-of-8 for 139 yards) rushed for two
touchdowns and threw for one. Scott (245 yards on 20 carries) rushed for three
touchdowns, which included the game's longest run, a 63 yard-scamper in the
fourth quarter.
"I'm feeling a little beat up right now, it was a real physical game," said Scott, who
increased his rushing total to 575 yards on the season. "The first half, we started slow.
Our blocking wasn't where it needed to be. But (in) the second half, we played a lot
smarter, controlled the line (of scrimmage) and executed our offense."
Cedar (0-1 region, 0-4 overall) came out with a solid gameplan in controlling time of
possession.
Its first two drives alone tallied 32 plays for 130 yards, but neither resulted in
touchdowns. With 1:03 left in the second, Ursua and the Reds finally hit paydirt when
the quarterback faked the handoff to fullback Hayden Bishop (75 yards on 20
carries) and bolted to the right, diving between the tackles for a six-yard touchdown.
The Reds took a 7-0 lead into halftime.
Hurricane, which welcomed back Taylor Parker (2-of-6 for 7 yards) at
quarterback, mostly struggled in the first half, which spilled over into the third
quarter after a botched snap stalled its six-play, 45-yard drive on the first
possession of the new half.
But a Weston Yardley interception of Ursua deep into Hurricane territory helped sway
momentum back toward the home team. From there, Hurricane drove 68 yards,
which was capped by Scott's five-yard touchdown run.
The ensuing extra point drew Cedar offsides - twice.
Homer elected to take advantage of the miscue and called Scott's number again for
the successful half-yard conversion, giving Hurricane an 8-7 lead with 39 seconds left
in the third.
The final quarter turned into the gridiron Wild West with a combined five
touchdowns.
With Hurricane ahead 16-13 at the 7:48 mark, Cedar coach Todd Peacock rolled
the dice and elected to go for it on fourth and-6 from his own 36. The move did not
pay off as Ursua's intended pass to Englestead fell incomplete, resulting in a
turnover on downs.
Hurricane didn't take anything for granted and used the short field to its advantage.
On second and two from the Cedar 17, Scott ran straight up the middle, breaking
numerous tackles for the score. Ethan Stratton's extra point solidified Hurricane's
22-13 lead.
Hurricane tallied 327 yards of offense and Cedar 417. Jared Edwards and Keven
Mortensen combined for 36 tackles on the night.
To Cedar's credit, though, it did not go quietly into the night.
Ursua made critical plays down the stretch, including a 53-yard completion to Braiden
French (79 yards on four receptions) on a quick slant toward the Reds' sideline. A few
plays later, the signal caller hit running back Alec Jordan in the left corner of the
end zone for a 17-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 22-20 with 1:51 left.
Hurricane recovered the ensuing onside kick, which led to Jared Edwards' five-yard
touchdown run only 20 seconds later, increasing the lead to 29-20 to help seal
Cedar's fate.
"Ursua is a tremendous athlete and he made our guys work tonight," Homer said.
"Our guys (lineman) were tired, playing two ways most of the night, but they hung in
there. It's all the work and preparation they've been doing for the last eight
months that helped prepare them for tonight."
|
|
Activities 
