Out of time: Smithville stymies Apaches, 16-14

SMITHVILLE – It can be tough to perform with adversity.

Yet, the Gonzales football team managed to fight to the bitter end in spite of a rash of injuries which included a pair of offensive linemen. Despite their efforts, the Apaches came up short in a 16-14 season-ending loss to Smithville Friday at Barry Field in Smithville.

“It’s been a rough couple of weeks with injuries,” Gonzales coach Ricky Lock said. “Our starting free safety (Zack Lopez) wasn’t full speed and then we lose (Zac) Perez-Clack and (Tyler) Filla. Losing a pair of two-way linemen really hurt us. But I also give Smithville credit. They have one of the best defenses around.”

Lopez suffered a high ankle sprain in Gonzales’ 48-20 win over Yoakum, and played sparingly against Cuero and Smithville, respectively. Both Clack and Filla needed assistance to leave the playing field after going down with injuries in the second quarter, but the extent of their injuries were unknown at press time.

Because of Cuero’s 21-13 win over La Grange and Yoakum’s 35-14 victory against Giddings, the Apaches ended the season 6-4 with a 2-3 district record. La Grange won the District 26-3A championship, while Cuero and Yoakum wrapped up the other two playoff spots.

Although there was no full moon or a Friday the 13th on Friday night, “13” seemed to be a key number in the contest. Both teams gained 13 first downs and both committed 13 penalties.

“I don’t know how to describe the officiating, but the penalties were ridiculous,” Lock said. “This wasn’t the cleanest game, but you also know the rules before you get into the game.”

Both teams struggled to establish any offensive rhythm in the first half as Gonzales was limited to just two first downs in the first half, while Smithville (5-5, 2-3 in 26-3A) had eight. The biggest difference was the Tigers led 9-0 at halftime.

Smithville took advantage of a short punt as the Tigers took over at the Gonzales 38-yard line and needed just four plays to capitalize as Gray Morris scored on a 27-yard run to give his team a 7-0 lead with 56 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Morris’ touchdown run was set up by a 9-yard pass from Denton Cooper to Bryce Helmcamp to convert a third-and-8 from the Gonzales 36.

Both teams traded a pair of punts on the next four drives before disaster struck for the Apaches. An errant shotgun snap sailed into the endzone and was recovered by a Gonzales player for a Smithville safety and a 9-0 lead for the Tigers at the 3:51 mark of the second quarter.

Smithville looked primed to score again before Derek Hunt intercepted a Cooper pass with 1:08 left in the second quarter. The Apaches could not get anything going before halftime as they carried a 9-0 deficit into the locker room.

Gonzales got things started in the third quarter as Morgan Martinez returned the second-half kickoff 45 yards to the Smithville 33. Carries of 19 and 4 yards from D.J. Gonzales set up a 10-yard touchdown run from Cecil Johnson, and Matt Hillman hit Cameron Smith for the two-point conversion to cut the Tigers’ lead to 9-8 at the 10:53 mark of the third.

Smithville added to its lead a few minutes later as Cooper hit Derrek Bennett for an 82-yard touchdown pass to increase the Tigers’ lead to 16-8 with 4:23 remaining in the third. The touchdown took place just one play after Smithville suffered a personal foul.

The Apaches kept plugging away as Johnson scored on a two-yard run at the 11:12 mark of the fourth quarter. The touchdown was set up by a 38-yard run from Johnson and a pair of Smithville personal fouls, but Gonzales’ game-tying two-point conversion attempt failed as the Apaches remained in a 16-14 deficit.

Coltin Russell intercepted a Cooper pass and returned it 30 yards to the Gonzales 48 to set his team up with decent field position. But the Apaches could not get past the Smithville 22 as they turned the ball over on downs with 7:09 left.

The Gonzales defense forced a short punt and took over at the Smithville 41 with 2:38 left to play. But Morris stepped in front of a Hillman pass and intercepted it on the Apaches’ first play of the ensuing drive as the Tigers got the ball back with 2:26 left to play before running out the clock.

Despite the loss, Johnson still eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark on the season with his 163-yard outing Friday night. He finished the year with 2,016 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Johnson was one of 25 seniors who played in their final high school football game Friday night. Lock took time to reflect on his senior class.

“I appreciate the effort and dedication put forth by our seniors,” he said. “They were freshmen during the 1-9 (2009) season, and they committed themselves to the program when I came back. This group had a lot to do with the success we’ve had in the program over the last three years.”