FOOTBALL: PNG beats Crosby in another shootout at wire
Published 1:28 am Saturday, October 13, 2018
By Daucy Crizer
Special to The News
CROSBY – It always seems to be a shootout when Port Neches-Groves and Crosby get together, and Friday night was no different as the Indians scored with 3 seconds left in regulation to secure a wild 48-45 win in District 12-5A Division II action.
For Crosby fans, it must have felt like deja vu. The last time these two teams met was in the first round of the playoffs last year, and PNG scored a late touchdown to claim a 72-69 win.
“Two great teams playing hard,” said PNG coach Brandon Faircloth following another great game between the Indians and Cougars. “Give coach [Jeff] Riordan and his staff all the credit in the world. They had a great game plan and they have a great team. They are physical and big.
“It was just that we had the ball last again. That’s really all there was to it. Just like last year, had the ball last and Roschon [Johnson] and Peyton [Proenza] found a way to make a play.”
Senior quarterback Johnson hit Proenza streaking across the back of the end zone for the game-winning score with just 3 ticks left. Johnson ran in the two-point conversion to complete the come-from-behind win.
The game winning drive started with 2:30 on the game clock and was aided by a pass interference penalty. Jaylan Williams ran for 13 yards to the Crosby 40. Johnson ran for 4 yards to the 36, which is when the scoreboard clock malfunctioned with 58 seconds left, causing about a 4-minute delay in the action.
It didn’t seem to bother the Indians as Johnson followed with a 10-yard completion to Jose Ceja to the Cougars 26. A 7-yard completion to Proenza and 6-yard run by Johnson put the ball at the 13 with 0:10 remaining.
“I don’t have time to think about it as it’s going, just calling plays based on down and distance and moving the ball,” said Faircloth of the final drive. “Our kids just kept fighting. They didn’t give up when Crosby scored. We had 2 1/2 minutes left and we thought that was enough time to move the ball down the field. Just proud of our kids. We’re resilient and overcame a lot of adversity and able to pull out the win.”
Johnson finished the game with 147 yards rushing on 24 carries and three touchdowns. He completed 14-of-24 for 163 yards and two more TDs. Williams added 66 yards on 16 totes and a TD.
PNG (4-2, 3-0) took the kickoff to start the third quarter and went on a scoring drive that took 6:14 off the clock. Johnson hit Jaylon Williams for 10 yards on third-and-nine. Johnson connected with Ceja for 22 yards to the Cougars 26. Facing fourth-and-11 from the 27, Johnson hit Ceja for a 27-yard scoring strike. The extra point was wide left, making the score 33-24.
The Cougars responded with a scoring drive on their first possession of the second half. All of the drive was on the ground as Crosby pounded the line of scrimmage. Noel Wright carried the ball six times for 47 yards. Quarterback Kobe Coker capped the drive with a 7-yard keeper to make the score 33-31 with 2:09 left in the third quarter.
Crosby’s (5-1, 2-1) defense came up with a big stop on the Indians ensuing possession. A good punt return gave the Cougars the ball at the PNG 36. The Cougars didn’t squander the good field position.
This drive featured Zach Simon running the ball. He carried four times for 34 yards.
Wright capped the drive with a 3-yard run. Simon ran in the two-point conversion to give the Cougars a 39-33 lead with 11:29 left in the fourth quarter.
PNG responded with a scoring drive to reclaim the lead. Johnson hit Cooper Hammond for 13 yards and a 20-yard run by Williams put the ball in Cougar territory at the 44. Johnson called his own number for a 12-yard run to the 28. Williams scored two plays later on a 12-yard TD run to give the Indians a 40-39 lead with 6:24 remaining in the game.
Not to be out done, Crosby retook the lead with just 2:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. Again, the drive featured nothing but running plays. This time, Simon finished the drive with a 6-yard TD run to give the Cougars a 45-40 lead.
Simon led the Cougars and all rushers with 155 yards on 21 carries and a TD. Wright added 79 yards on 15 carries and two TDs.
Coker completed 8 of 11 passes for 96 yards. Doucette caught three passes for 41 yards and a TD, to go along with his 77-yard kickoff return for a TD.
After stopping the Cougars on downs on the game’s first drive, PNG put together a lengthy scoring drive on its first offensive possession. It was a steady diet of Johnson running the ball, including converting a fourth-and-1 with a 3-yard run.
The Indians dipped deep into the playbook with a wide receiver pass as Cade Billeaud hit Cooper Hammond for 17 yards to the Crosby 3. Johnson scored on the next play with a 3-yard keeper to put PN-G up 7-0.
Crosby responded right away as Marquise Doucette returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 with 4:35 left in the first quarter.
PNG answered right back, which was aided by a Crosby personal foul penalty. Johnson hit Ceja on consecutive completions of 5 and 21 yards, the last of which put the ball at the Crosby 5. Johnson scored two plays later on a 2-yard keeper to give the Indians a 14-7 lead with 11:55 left in the second quarter.
The Cougars continued the see-saw affair with a scoring drive of their own. Kobe Coker was 4-for-4 for 43 yards on the drive. Noel Wright capped the 13-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-14 with 7:21 remaining in the second quarter.
The Cougars’ Deniquez Dunn intercepted Johnson on the Indians’ ensuing possession. Crosby went to the trick plays as wide receiver Matthew Fagnana hit Doucette for a 33-yard scoring strike to give the Cougars the lead at 21-14 with 5:00 left in the quarter.
PNG once again had an answer. Johnson converted a third-and-3 with an 11-yard run and a personal foul against the Cougars put the ball at the 24. Johnson raced 24 yards for a touchdown on the next play. Crosby blocked the extra point to maintain the lead at 21-20.
The Indians defense came up with a stop, forcing the Cougars to punt for the first time in the game. Ceja returned the punt 63 yards for a touchdown as PNG regained the lead at 27-20.
Crosby closed out the first half with a 27-yard field goal from Trevor Helburg to make the halftime score 27-24.
Port Neches-Groves 48, Crosby 45
PNG 7 20
Crosby 7 17
First quarter
PNG – Roschon Johnson 3 run (Mario Oceguerra kick), 4:52
Crosby – Marquise Doucette 77 kickoff return (Trevor Helburg kick), 4:35
Second quarter
PNG – Johnson 2 run (Oceguerra kick), 11:55
Crosby – Noel Wright 5 run (Helburg kick), 7:21
Crosby – Doucette 33 pass from Matthew Fagnana (Helburg kick), 5:00
PNG – Johnson 24 run (Oceguerra kick), 2:34
PNG – Jose Ceja 63 punt return (Oceguerra kick), 1:27
Crosby – Trevor Helburg 27 FG, :00
Third quarter
PNG – Ceja 27 pass from Johnson (kick blocked), 5:46
Crosby – Kobe Coker 7 run (Helburg kick), 2:09
Fourth quarter
Crosby – Wright 3 run (Zachary Simon run), 11:29
PNG – Jaylan Williams 12 run (Oceguerra kick), 6:24
Crosby – Zachary Simon 6 run (run failed), 2:30
PNG – Peyton Proenza 13 pass from Johnson (Johnson run), :03
PNG Cro
First downs 23 23
Rushes-yards 42-223 48-
Passing yards 187 96
Total yards 410 403
Comp-Att-Int 16-26-1 8-11-
Fumbles-lost 1-0
Penalties-yards 1-15 10-
Individual statistics
RUSHING — PNG: Roschon Johnson 24-147, Jaylan Williams 16-66; Crosby: Zachary Simon 21-155, Noel Wright 15-79, Kobe Coker 5-32.
PASSING — PNG: Roschon Johnson 14-24-1—163, Cade Billeaud 1-1-1—17, Grant Rogers 1-1-0—7; Crosby: Kobe Coker 8-11-0—96.
RECEIVING — PNG: Jose Ceja 5-85, Peyton Proenza 4-32, Cooper Hammond 3-43; Crosby: Marquise Doucette 3-41, Matthew Fagnana 3-29.
