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| Defensive Coordinator Cory McFall |
BY BILL HARVEY
With less than six minutes having elapsed in the first period, the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets—unbeaten in 11 games—held a 14-0 lead. Led by an outstanding quarterback, Eric Nino, the ’Jackets had taken the opening kickoff and scored with just over two minutes gone and then added a second TD after the Sandcrabs had gone three and out. Calhoun had been behind in only one game all season, the only blemish on an 8-1 hurricane-shortened season.
The ’Crabs fumbled on their next possession and E-E took over on the Calhoun 27-yard line with four minutes left in the opening period. Three plays later, the ’Jackets were facing a fourth and 12 at the 29 and when E-E missed a field goal attempt the ’Crabs had dodged a huge bullet. It was the first in several big stops the defense would turn in on this night and now the Sandcrabs had possession deep in their own territory.
Edcouch-Elsa had completely dominated the first nine minutes of play. They had scored two touchdowns with ease, held the Sandcrabs to five offensive plays, less than ten yards of total offense and absolutely zero points on the board. However, the thing that neither the fans on either side of the stadium nor the players on the visitors’ side of field realized was this: The Sandcrabs had the Yellowjackets right where they wanted them.
In addition to a quarterback that rivals Beeville’s Eric Soza in athletic prowess, E-E brought with them a tight end/linebacker that lead the team in touchdown receptions while standing about 6’6” and weighing either at/near/or over 300 pounds. Aaron Tanguma also led the team in receptions for touchdowns with eight and had over the course of the season tossed opposing defensive players around like rag dolls when called upon to block from his tight end position. Defensively, the first order of business for the Sandcrabs was to figure out a way to neutralize Tanguma. That task fell to cornerback Joe Vaughn.
“We felt like we could be effective against their running game,” said Defensive Coordinator Cory McFall. “But we were worried about their quarterback because of his running ability and his ability to pass the football. They have a great offense with so many offensive weapons so we had to pick and chose what we could stop. We started with their tight end. “
Over the course of the week of practice leading up to the game, the ’Crabs had worked relentlessly on a strategy to manage if not control Tanguma. “We found a jersey with number 14 on it, stretched it over the shoulder pads of John Dabbs and asked him to assume the role of their tight end,” said McFall. “John really stepped it up this week and did a great job in helping us prepare. We gave Joe Vaughn the task of shadowing Tanguma. He had the simplest job yet it was the hardest job; and we knew he had the heart to do it.”
Now, with just over three minutes left in the third period, having just dodged another scoring threat and down by 14 points the ’Crabs came to the line of scrimmage. Juan Carlos Rodriguez snapped the football, James Ezzell pitched it to Xaviar Archangel and over the next few seconds the Yellowjackets witnessed option football up-close and personally. Seventy-one yards later “X” crossed into the ’Jackets end zone and when Esteban Martinez ricocheted the extra point off the goal post for the PAT, the Sandcrabs were in business.
Edcouch-Elsa set up again in Calhoun territory after an excellent kickoff return. A holding call nullified a Yellowjacket pass that had carried to the Calhoun one-yard line and the ’Jackets faced a first and 20 from the ’Crabs 44-yard line. Calhoun held E-E to no gain on the next three plays and E-E punted to Calhoun as the period ended.
The Sandcrabs moved into Edcouch territory where the drive stalled and a second short punt set the Yellowjackets up at their own 32-yard line. As they had in the first period, Edcouch began moving again—only this time it was backwards. A tackle by Bryan King resulted in a six yard loss, Joe Vaughn made a tackle for no gain, a procedure penalty backed E-E up another five yards and another tackle for a loss by Chris Baldera had the Yellowjackets facing a fourth and 31. They responded with a 63-yard punt and the ’Crabs took over at their own 25. From there, it was a methodical and vintage Sandcrab football drive, culminating as Sterling Jones scored on a four yard run and the PAT tied the score as the public address announcer proclaimed prophetically, “It is a brand new ballgame.”
Edcouch managed to move down the field and score again with less than ten seconds left in the second period and went into the locker room holding a 21-14 lead, but the ’Crabs had survived the first half onslaught and were only down seven. Watching them leave the field fans were reminded of the Calhoun-Ingleside game in 2006 when a powerhouse team came to Sandcrab Stadium and left the field at the end of the half with a six point lead. Things were different in the second half of that game.
Calhoun received the second half kickoff and strung together a drive that consumed the first six minutes of the third period. Along the way, Calhoun converted a crucial fourth down play as Sterling Jones inched forward for two-yards to the 50-yard line to keep the drive alive. On first down, James Ezzell threw a strike to Lucas Haynes who made a circus catch before being hauled down at the 24 yard line. (A slight departure here. I actually did not see Haynes’ catch, having stepped into a cleverly disguised utility hole which resulted in a near head-first crash into the sideline muck. My thanks and special teams “doobie” goes to Austin Talbot for extricating me from the mud.) Two plays later, Xaviar Archangel took a pitch from Ezzell and raced 22 yards into the end zone. Martinez converted the PAT and Calhoun had tied the score, 21-21.
On their next possession, the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets began to rapidly implode. Taking possession at their own 24, the Yellowjackets were flagged for an illegal procedure penalty before Jeremy Boyd tackled Nino for a loss at the 14 yard line. E-E was next flagged for a personal foul which set up a fourth and 24 from the ten. Edcouch-Elsa punted and Calhoun took possession at their 49. The Sandcrabs advanced the football to the 38 yard line where E-E was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and the ’Crabs got 15 more yards for free. At 2:22 of the third period, James Ezzell ran 19-yards for the go ahead touchdown: Calhoun 28-Edcouch-Elsa 21.
The ’Jackets answered immediately with a 63-yard pass and run from Nino to Roger Garcia and the successful PAT tied the score at 28. Calhoun advanced the ensuing kickoff to the 24-yard and just as quickly as they had fallen even, the ’Crabs took the lead again as “X” skirted the right side of the E-E defense and raced untouched for a 76-yard touchdown. Twenty seconds after they had lost the lead, the Calhoun Sandcrabs had regained the lead, 35-28.
Calhoun dominated the fourth quarter both offensively and defensively. On Edcouch-Elsa’s first possession, Boyd tackled Nino for a loss followed by a sack by Corey McDonnough which resulted in a fourth and 31 at the 24. E-E punted and Calhoun took over at the 38 scoring again with 5:24 left in the fourth period.
Edcouch-Elsa could not move the ball and facing a fourth and eight at their 35, Nino’s quarterback keeper was short of the necessary yardage and Calhoun took over on downs. Two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and an E-E player ejection later, the Sandcrabs finished the scoring on a seven yard run by Ezzell. They had done it: Calhoun 48—Edcouch-Elsa 28.
“This is the biggest win in Calhoun football history, right here,” said a jubilant Richard Whitaker. “I am so proud of our players and I promise you they were not going to walk off this field tonight without a victory. We started out horribly, but I told the kids that the key tonight was patience. They (Edcouch-Elsa) had not been in a four-quarter battle all year and all we wanted to do was to be patient, get back in the game and things would start happening for us. That is exactly what happened.”
After having fallen behind by 14 points and staring at the real possibility of a 21 point deficit square in the face mask with only nine minutes gone in the game, the Calhoun Sandcrabs never lost their composure, their focus, or their belief in themselves. Over the next 42 minutes of football, they dominated one of the best offensive teams in Texas 4A football, outscoring them 48-14. The ’Crabs rolled up an astounding 467 yards of total offense and held the Yellowjackets to only 76 yards rushing and 282 yards of total offense. Now there are those who believe the Sandcrabs are one-dimensional, but the combination of great coaching, a brilliant option offense, hard-nosed defense and a desire to win is about as multidimensional as any team can be. Just ask the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets.
Standing with his family, the bridge of his nose sporting a small cut, Joe Vaughn had survived his four quarter struggle with Goliath. “Did you see that big guy whipping me tonight? He was throwing me around all over the place,” he laughed. “He is one of their best scorers. When we were watching film Coach McFall made a point that he scored most of their passing touchdowns. So, my job was to keep him on the line and aggravate him enough that maybe he wouldn’t catch many passes and maybe get some penalties. That is what happened.”
When asked how many catches number 14 had collected during the game to which Vaughn responded with a wide grin of triumph and a simple answer.
“None……”
The ’Crabs fumbled on their next possession and E-E took over on the Calhoun 27-yard line with four minutes left in the opening period. Three plays later, the ’Jackets were facing a fourth and 12 at the 29 and when E-E missed a field goal attempt the ’Crabs had dodged a huge bullet. It was the first in several big stops the defense would turn in on this night and now the Sandcrabs had possession deep in their own territory.
Edcouch-Elsa had completely dominated the first nine minutes of play. They had scored two touchdowns with ease, held the Sandcrabs to five offensive plays, less than ten yards of total offense and absolutely zero points on the board. However, the thing that neither the fans on either side of the stadium nor the players on the visitors’ side of field realized was this: The Sandcrabs had the Yellowjackets right where they wanted them.
In addition to a quarterback that rivals Beeville’s Eric Soza in athletic prowess, E-E brought with them a tight end/linebacker that lead the team in touchdown receptions while standing about 6’6” and weighing either at/near/or over 300 pounds. Aaron Tanguma also led the team in receptions for touchdowns with eight and had over the course of the season tossed opposing defensive players around like rag dolls when called upon to block from his tight end position. Defensively, the first order of business for the Sandcrabs was to figure out a way to neutralize Tanguma. That task fell to cornerback Joe Vaughn.
“We felt like we could be effective against their running game,” said Defensive Coordinator Cory McFall. “But we were worried about their quarterback because of his running ability and his ability to pass the football. They have a great offense with so many offensive weapons so we had to pick and chose what we could stop. We started with their tight end. “
Over the course of the week of practice leading up to the game, the ’Crabs had worked relentlessly on a strategy to manage if not control Tanguma. “We found a jersey with number 14 on it, stretched it over the shoulder pads of John Dabbs and asked him to assume the role of their tight end,” said McFall. “John really stepped it up this week and did a great job in helping us prepare. We gave Joe Vaughn the task of shadowing Tanguma. He had the simplest job yet it was the hardest job; and we knew he had the heart to do it.”
Now, with just over three minutes left in the third period, having just dodged another scoring threat and down by 14 points the ’Crabs came to the line of scrimmage. Juan Carlos Rodriguez snapped the football, James Ezzell pitched it to Xaviar Archangel and over the next few seconds the Yellowjackets witnessed option football up-close and personally. Seventy-one yards later “X” crossed into the ’Jackets end zone and when Esteban Martinez ricocheted the extra point off the goal post for the PAT, the Sandcrabs were in business.
Edcouch-Elsa set up again in Calhoun territory after an excellent kickoff return. A holding call nullified a Yellowjacket pass that had carried to the Calhoun one-yard line and the ’Jackets faced a first and 20 from the ’Crabs 44-yard line. Calhoun held E-E to no gain on the next three plays and E-E punted to Calhoun as the period ended.
The Sandcrabs moved into Edcouch territory where the drive stalled and a second short punt set the Yellowjackets up at their own 32-yard line. As they had in the first period, Edcouch began moving again—only this time it was backwards. A tackle by Bryan King resulted in a six yard loss, Joe Vaughn made a tackle for no gain, a procedure penalty backed E-E up another five yards and another tackle for a loss by Chris Baldera had the Yellowjackets facing a fourth and 31. They responded with a 63-yard punt and the ’Crabs took over at their own 25. From there, it was a methodical and vintage Sandcrab football drive, culminating as Sterling Jones scored on a four yard run and the PAT tied the score as the public address announcer proclaimed prophetically, “It is a brand new ballgame.”
Edcouch managed to move down the field and score again with less than ten seconds left in the second period and went into the locker room holding a 21-14 lead, but the ’Crabs had survived the first half onslaught and were only down seven. Watching them leave the field fans were reminded of the Calhoun-Ingleside game in 2006 when a powerhouse team came to Sandcrab Stadium and left the field at the end of the half with a six point lead. Things were different in the second half of that game.
Calhoun received the second half kickoff and strung together a drive that consumed the first six minutes of the third period. Along the way, Calhoun converted a crucial fourth down play as Sterling Jones inched forward for two-yards to the 50-yard line to keep the drive alive. On first down, James Ezzell threw a strike to Lucas Haynes who made a circus catch before being hauled down at the 24 yard line. (A slight departure here. I actually did not see Haynes’ catch, having stepped into a cleverly disguised utility hole which resulted in a near head-first crash into the sideline muck. My thanks and special teams “doobie” goes to Austin Talbot for extricating me from the mud.) Two plays later, Xaviar Archangel took a pitch from Ezzell and raced 22 yards into the end zone. Martinez converted the PAT and Calhoun had tied the score, 21-21.
On their next possession, the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets began to rapidly implode. Taking possession at their own 24, the Yellowjackets were flagged for an illegal procedure penalty before Jeremy Boyd tackled Nino for a loss at the 14 yard line. E-E was next flagged for a personal foul which set up a fourth and 24 from the ten. Edcouch-Elsa punted and Calhoun took possession at their 49. The Sandcrabs advanced the football to the 38 yard line where E-E was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and the ’Crabs got 15 more yards for free. At 2:22 of the third period, James Ezzell ran 19-yards for the go ahead touchdown: Calhoun 28-Edcouch-Elsa 21.
The ’Jackets answered immediately with a 63-yard pass and run from Nino to Roger Garcia and the successful PAT tied the score at 28. Calhoun advanced the ensuing kickoff to the 24-yard and just as quickly as they had fallen even, the ’Crabs took the lead again as “X” skirted the right side of the E-E defense and raced untouched for a 76-yard touchdown. Twenty seconds after they had lost the lead, the Calhoun Sandcrabs had regained the lead, 35-28.
Calhoun dominated the fourth quarter both offensively and defensively. On Edcouch-Elsa’s first possession, Boyd tackled Nino for a loss followed by a sack by Corey McDonnough which resulted in a fourth and 31 at the 24. E-E punted and Calhoun took over at the 38 scoring again with 5:24 left in the fourth period.
Edcouch-Elsa could not move the ball and facing a fourth and eight at their 35, Nino’s quarterback keeper was short of the necessary yardage and Calhoun took over on downs. Two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and an E-E player ejection later, the Sandcrabs finished the scoring on a seven yard run by Ezzell. They had done it: Calhoun 48—Edcouch-Elsa 28.
“This is the biggest win in Calhoun football history, right here,” said a jubilant Richard Whitaker. “I am so proud of our players and I promise you they were not going to walk off this field tonight without a victory. We started out horribly, but I told the kids that the key tonight was patience. They (Edcouch-Elsa) had not been in a four-quarter battle all year and all we wanted to do was to be patient, get back in the game and things would start happening for us. That is exactly what happened.”
After having fallen behind by 14 points and staring at the real possibility of a 21 point deficit square in the face mask with only nine minutes gone in the game, the Calhoun Sandcrabs never lost their composure, their focus, or their belief in themselves. Over the next 42 minutes of football, they dominated one of the best offensive teams in Texas 4A football, outscoring them 48-14. The ’Crabs rolled up an astounding 467 yards of total offense and held the Yellowjackets to only 76 yards rushing and 282 yards of total offense. Now there are those who believe the Sandcrabs are one-dimensional, but the combination of great coaching, a brilliant option offense, hard-nosed defense and a desire to win is about as multidimensional as any team can be. Just ask the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets.
Standing with his family, the bridge of his nose sporting a small cut, Joe Vaughn had survived his four quarter struggle with Goliath. “Did you see that big guy whipping me tonight? He was throwing me around all over the place,” he laughed. “He is one of their best scorers. When we were watching film Coach McFall made a point that he scored most of their passing touchdowns. So, my job was to keep him on the line and aggravate him enough that maybe he wouldn’t catch many passes and maybe get some penalties. That is what happened.”
When asked how many catches number 14 had collected during the game to which Vaughn responded with a wide grin of triumph and a simple answer.
“None……”
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of portlavacawave.com.
crabcrazy wrote on Nov 26, 2008 6:51 PM:
Just thought I would let everyone know who wanted to go to other games on Saturday. I have emailed and phoned the Alamodome. The tickets we buy from Calhoun HS and G-P HS WILL get you in to all 3 games. They are also allowing in and outs if you want to watch G-P, then leave and come back for Calhoun. You have to get stamped, though. Also, parking is not in and out. If you leave the parking lot, you have to repay $10 to get back in. Alamodome ph# 210-207-3663. I've called after hours and security told me the same thing the receptionist did.
See everyone there. I'll have my G-P hat on till 4 p.m. Then I'll change in to my all black attire.
GO CRABS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yeah! You'll have to swap sides of the field. G-P is visitor and will play on the same side of the field as Harlingen and Pflugerville. Calhoun will play as the home team and they will be on the same side as Killeen and Westlake. "