By Matt Faye | BeaumontEnterprise.com
Updated 11:14 am CST, Saturday, November 9, 2019
NEDERLAND — With the 96th annual Mid-County Madness depending on a 4th-down play in the final seconds, Port Neches-Groves got the defensive stop it needed, hanging on for a 27-21 victory over Nederland on Friday night at Bulldogs Stadium.
Trying to orchestrate a game-winning touchdown, Nederland had two prime chances to do so, but failed to convert in the final moments.
First, Bulldogs senior quarterback Bryce McMorris threw a third-down pass out of the end zone after a strong PN-G rush made its way into the backfield.
On the ensuing fourth-down attempt, miscommunication between McMorris and Nederland’s center resulted in a bad snap. Running back Josh Mazyck picked up the loose ball, but PN-G defenders immediately collapsed on him, securing the dramatic Indians’ victory.
The win gives PN-G the second seed out of District 12-5A-I, while Nederland still qualifies for the postseason with the fourth-and-final bid.
“We had 27 and I wasn’t sure if that was going to be enough,” PN-G head coach Brandon Faircloth said. “For us to be resilient and come up with the big stop when we needed it, I could not be more happy for our kids.”
PN-G quarterback Blake Bost recorded four total touchdowns to lead the Indians offensively, including two second-half scoring tosses to Peyton Proenza. On the Indians first possession after halftime, Bost hit Proenza for a 31-yard score down the sideline.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Bost found Proenza again for a 36-yard touchdown that gave PN-G a 27-14 lead at the time.
“They kept playing low on him, so I just trusted my receiver to go get it and we scored touchdowns,” Bost said.
But just like they did for most of the night, the Bulldogs responded with big plays of their own. Needing a touchdown, McMorris hit Rene Cunnigham for a 40-yard touchdown on a 4th-down attempt, bringing the score to 27-21.
Nederland head coach Monte Barrow praised McMorris’ development this season. With 194 passing yards in the loss, McMorris became the first Nederland quarterback to throw for 2,000 yards in a single season.
“He started to get the ball to receivers and let them make plays,” Barrow said of McMorris. “Super proud of the way he’s handled himself this season.”
Playing on less-than-ideal field conditions, both teams tried to establish the run game early. Nederland came out with four straight gives to Mayzck before stalling near midfield on the game’s opening drive.
Meanwhile, PN-G’s workhorse was Zane Hernandez, who carried the ball seven times for 80 yards in the first quarter. He sprinted 50 yards down the middle of the first to set up a 12-yard scoring run by Bost. The Indians quarterback skipped through the Nederland line with a designed run on fourth down, giving PN-G an early 7-0 lead.
Hernandez would finish the game with 142 yards on the ground.
“You had to establish the run with the field the way it was,” Faircloth said of Hernandez’s heavy workload.
The Indians added to that advantage soon after the second quarterback began. Bost found Kaleb Wuenschel over the middle for a 33-yard touchdown pass, and it was all Indians early, 14-0.
Needing an answer, Nederland got just that on its next drive. Mazyck ripped off a 37-yard run that put the Bulldogs in prime scoring position at the one-yard line. McMorris fell into the end zone with a quarterback sneak on the very next play, getting the Bulldogs back within a touchdown.
That 14-7 score stood until halftime thanks to a big defense play by the Bulldogs. With PN-G driving inside the Nederland five yard line, Bost fumbled while trying to run for a touchdown. Nederland recovered, and the one-score margin stayed put.
Bost’s two touchdown passes built the Indians lead before the Bulldogs comeback attempt. On the decisive fourth-down play in the final moments, Barrow said it was disheartening to not at least have an attempt.
“We had some miscommunication on the last one, and you hate not to run the play, but that’s football,” he said. “That game didn’t just come down to one play.”
Faircloth said he hopes to the Mid-County Madness win will give his Indians some momentum heading into the postseason.
“Hopefully, this builds some confidence,” Faircloth said. “I feel like we’ve been playing well toward the end of the year, so to have a win like this is really nice for our kids.”
