Apaches escape Columbus with win

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COLUMBUS — It was a hotly-contested game until the end, but the Gonzales Apaches were able to escape Columbus with the 17-14 victory to stay unbeaten in District 10-4AD2.
A sloppy game throughout, the Apaches’ lack of consistency posed a problem, as Gonzales scored three points via a 45-yard field goal by Daniel Cruz, their only points in the first half.
“Penalties were on the rise tonight for the first time in a long time, negative plays were on the rise tonight for the first time in a long time,” Gonzales Head Coach Kodi Crane noted. “Those mistakes, we got to eliminate to reach the goals that we set for this football team.”
The field goal was the only score in the first half, as the Apaches offense got to the Columbus 1-yard line but the Cardinals’ defense was able to force a turnover on downs.
Gonzales finally got their first touchdown of the night immediately after giving up a touchdown midway through the third quarter.
Down 7-3, the Apaches marched down the field on a nine-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown by James Martinez. Five different athletes had carries on the drive while Garrett Rickman found Heber Cardona on a 16-yard reception.
After a three-and-out, Rickman connected with Trevion McNeil who took the ball down 49 yards for a touchdown.
The two touchdown drives showed what the offense is capable of doing when they hit their big plays as well as grind out drives with their rushing attack from multiple runners.
“But it’s got to be consistent,” Crane warned. “That’s where we sit with everything. We’re not consistent enough and we got to get to that spot.”
With 31 seconds left in the game, the Columbus Cardinals scored another touchdown to cut the lead to 17-14. But with just one timeout remaining, they tried for an onside kick, but failed, as the Apaches jumped on it, then went to a victory formation to end the game on a quarterback knee.
The Apaches moved to 5-2 overall, 2-0 on top of the district with Giddings. Columbus went down to 0-2 along with La Grange who is also looking for their first win of the season.
The Apaches host Giddings (3-4, 2-0) this Friday, in a matchup that is vital for a team looking to take the district crown. Kickoff is set at 7:30 p.m.

District 10-4A2      
  W L %
Gonzales 2 0 1.000
Giddings 2 0 1.000
Smithville 1 1 0.500
Caldwell 1 1 0.500
Columbus 0 2 0.000
La Grange 0 2 0.000

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