By Jorge Ramos | BeaumontEnterprise.com
Updated
NEDERLAND — After a fourth-down play was called for pass interference on the Nederland Bulldogs, Port Neches-Groves senior quarterback Blake Bost threw the game-winning touchdown to senior tight end Daylon Bergeron on the next play with seven seconds remaining to secure a rivalry win Friday night.
A two-yard pass gave PN-G (2-2, 1-0) the 22-21 win and its third consecutive Mid-County Madness victory as the Bum Phillips Bowl trophy will remain in Port Neches.
The penalty in question came on fourth down when Bost threw a pass to the left sideline from inside the Nederland 10-yard-line. The official on the opposite end called the pass interference penalty and gave PN-G a fresh set of downs with less than 10 seconds remaining.
“We’re gonna have to see that play on video later,” Nederland head football coach Monte Barrow said. “My only question would’ve been what did the (official) who threw the flag from 20 yards away see that the (official) two yards away didn’t see?”
Bost led PN-G 75 yards on the final drive and finished with a game-high 252 yards passing on 31-of-44 attempts. He had two touchdowns and added 47 rushing yards.
Bost’s game-winning drive gives PN-G a 52-88-7 series lead overall.
“We’ve been in this situation already and it goes back to our non-district schedule and being in those situations,” PN-G head football coach Brandon Faircloth said of his team’s come-from-behind victory on Friday. “We were in the same situation versus (Port Arthur) Memorial and I am just proud of our guys for their grit.”
Before PN-G drove 75 yards, it was the Bulldogs (1-2 ,0-1) who looked like they had the chance to ice the game with five minutes remaining. PN-G had no answer for running back Josh Mazyck. But it was on the ninth-play of the drive where Mazyck was stripped for a second consecutive play, which led to PN-G recovering the fumble and set up the game-winning drive with four minutes remaining.
Other than the late costly fumble, Mazyck impressed all night and rushed for 252 yards on 20 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns.
“Josh Mazyck is going to lay it on the line,” Barrow said. “You need kids who are going to lay down like that.”
PN-G struggled to find a rhythm offensively until early in the second half, when it put together one of its longest drives of the game on the back of senior running back Dejaunte Conner and Bost.
On fourth-and-sixth, Bost faked the reverse and rolled out to his left, firing a pass in a tight window to junior wideout Carson Wallace. Conner finished the job with a six-yard touchdown to give PN-G its first lead of the game, 16-14.
Conner finished with 49 yards on 10 carries.
The Bulldogs drew first blood on its first offensive series and capped off a five-play drive with a 22-yard rushing touchdown by Mazyck. But the touchdown was set up by an impressive 31-yard scramble by senior quarterback Rene Cunningham.
However, it would be the only offensive series Cunningham played as he suffered a lower-body injury and was carried off the field midway through the first quarter. Cunningham did not return in the first half and was replaced by backup quarterback Corbin Chandler.
“That’s a tough situation to be in,” Barrow said. “He didn’t blink. I turned around to get him and he was already on the field. He was ready.”
In Cunningham’s absence, Mazyck took the offensive load for the Bulldogs as he carried the ball four times on the Bulldogs’ third offensive series. The Bulldogs senior running back’s 69-yard run set up Nederland deep in PN-G territory. Five plays later on third-and-goal from the PN-G three-yard line, Chandler punched it in on the quarterback keeper to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Mazyck had 124 first-half-yards on 11 carries and one touchdown.
On the ensuing PN-G drive, the offense finally came to life. Three first downs gave PN-G their first extended drive of the game and brought them to the Nederland six-yard-line.
But a few costly penalties pushed PN-G back and forced them to settle for a field goal. PN-G junior kicker Tate Sandell converted the 32-yard field goal to cut the lead to 11 points.
After that, Sandell caught the Nederland return team off guard by floating his kickoff high enough for PN-G to recover it on the Bulldogs 40-yard-line. Bost cashed in on the eight-play drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown. But a missed extra point by Sandell kept Nederland’s lead to five points — 14-9 at halftime.
PN-G out-scored Nederland 13-7 in the second half after tailing 14-3 midway through the first half.
“I don’t know. I got to find out,” Faircloth said of his team’s second come-from-behind victory. “We made a couple of mistakes early and were playing behind the stick in that first half. I am just proud of our resiliency.”
The Bulldogs travel next week to Santa Fe, while PN-G will host the Dayton Broncos. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m on the eve of Halloween.
