By: Nick Hall
With their backs to the wall much of the night, the Plainview Bears defense stood tall time after time, denying the Sylvania Rams a touchdown for the second year in a row. Neither team found much success through the air, but in a classic defensive battle that saw the Rams held to a total of just 82 rushing yards, Bears sophomore Hunter Patton ran for 84 yards on 14 carries. Patton led the Plainview rushing attack which racked up 138 total yards. Drew Smith accounted for 45 yards and one touchdown on seven carries, but his play on the defensive side of the ball was arguably his biggest contribution. Smith led the Bears defense with a staggering 19 tackles. Zeb Ferguson and Trey Greenwood each came up with big interceptions as the Bears secondary frustrated Rams quarterback Brody Smith all night.
After a scoreless first quarter, Sylvania began it’s only scoring drive at its own 49-yard line. After stalling at the Plainview 5-yard line, the Rams elected to attempt a field goal. Christian Andrade was good from 22 yards out and Sylvania took a 3-0 lead with 7:19 left in the first half. The Rams were able to maintain the 3-0 advantage until late in the fourth quarter when Gareth Anderson was tackled for a loss on a fourth-and-1 attempt. The Bears took over and began their only scoring drive with a handoff to Drew Smith. A Ram defender got a piece of Smith’s facemask and the resulting penalty set the Bears up at the Rams’ 19-yardline. On the next play, the Bears offensive line opened a seam and Smith raced through untouched for the score. David Mejia added the PAT to put the Bears up 7-3 with 6:02 left in the game.
On Sylvania’s ensuing possession, Greenwood intercepted a Smith pass at the Rams 40-yard line, but the Plainview drive stalled. Penalties pushed the Rams back to their own 11-yard line with less than two minutes to play and they were forced into a desperation pass facing fourth-and-30. Smith couldn’t connect with his receiver and the Bears took over deep in Ram territory. Plainview took valuable time off the clock but couldn’t punch it in the endzone which gave Sylvania one last chance with 32 seconds at their own 3-yard line. It wasn’t enough. The Bears defense stood tall one last time and the Rams turned the ball over on downs. Plainview took one snap in the victory formation, giving Nick Ledbetter his first win as a Head Coach. “Going in, we were concerned about their play action pass, but I think our secondary did a good job tonight,” Ledbetter said. “I’m just happy for our entire team. These kids deserve this win.” It was also an important region win for Plainview who hosts Fyffe this week in non-region play.
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