Matt Faye | BeaumontEnterprise.com
Oct. 29, 2022
Just when it looked like Nederland had stolen a Mid-County Madness win, Port Neches-Groves drove right down the field to flip the script.
Senior quarterback Cole Crippen led a late, 70-yard drive, giving Port Neches-Groves a 26-24 victory over rival Nederland on Friday night. Crippen capped the clutch drive by connecting on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Landon Guarnere.
The game-winning toss by Crippen came after Nederland had just taken the lead with 1:45 left to play. Bulldogs defensive back Travis Roman recovered a fumble and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown, putting Nederland on top, 24-20.
Prior to that, the game had gone back-and-forth all night long. Nederland held a 10-7 halftime lead, but trailed by double digits early in the fourth quarter after a short touchdown run by Shea Adams.
Roman’s defensive score appeared to cap Nederland’s comeback, but Crippen and the PN-G offense had other plans.
The Bum Phillips Trophy now returns to Port Neches after Nederland’s win last year.
Lightning and heavy rain caused the game to be delayed more than 90 minutes. Once kickoff finally did take place, the rain didn’t stop, leading to a sloppy version of Mid-County Madness with turnovers by both teams.
Nederland (2-7, 2-4) will close out the regular-season next week at Texas City.
Port Neches-Groves (7-2, 5-1) stays in line for the second seed out of District 9-5A-II, and will travel to Galena Park next Thursday.
