The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity football team came up short on senior night on Friday at home against the Idalou Wildcats, 3926.
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 6-3 overall, 2-2 in district play.
The Wildcats totaled 283 yards of offense, including 168 passing yards and 115 rushing yards.
Both teams turned the ball over on downs on their first possessions in the opening quarter, as Littlefield got the ball back at their own 34-yard line to start their second offensive drive of the game.
Littlefield was flagged for a false start penalty on first down and on the first and long, junior quarterback, Chip Green, over threw Brady Jones, bringing up second and 15 from the 29-yard line. Junior tailback, Major McNeese took the carry on second down, but was stopped for no gain and on third down, Green was sacked at the 21yard line by Cole Martin, backing them up to fourth and 21.
The Wildcats lined up to punt the ball away with 7:30 to play in the quarter, but on the punt, junior, Ian Mendez was ran into by the Idalou defense for an automatic first down, taking the ball up to the Littlefield 37-yard line.
McNeese picked up nine yards on first down on a run up the middle and Green kept it himself on the next play, taking it across midfield to the Idalou 48-yard line for a fresh set of downs. A combination of runs from McNeese and Green took the ball down to the Idalou 29-yard line, as Mendez carried it on first down, taking it to the 23-yard line.
On the next play, Green would call his open number, taking it up the middle for a 23-yard rushing touchdown. The PAT, though, by Angel Salazar was no good, leaving the score, 6-0, with 4:44 to play in the opening quarter.
Idalou would respond, starting their next drive at their own 15yard line and marching 85 yards, capping off the drive with a threeyard touchdown run by quarterback, Kutter Houchin with 1:02 to play in the quarter. The PAT by Colton Hurst was good, putting Idalou in front, 7-6.
The Wildcats got the ball back after the kick-off at their own 30yard line and they were able to pick up two first downs, before they were forced to punt the ball away from their own 41-yard line with 11:03 to play in the first half.
Idalou took over at their own 30-yard line and wasted no time finding the end zone, taking the seven-play drive 70 yards, as Houchin found Gentry Pounds on the 38-yard touchdown pass with 8:14 remaining in the half. The PAT by Hurst was good, pushing the lead to, 14-6.
Senior, Omar Martinez, returned the kick-off up to the Littlefield 41yard line to give the Wildcats great field position for their next drive, and they were able to capitalize.
On first down, Green fired a pass to his left that was tipped, but found the waiting arms of senior, MJ Randle, who cut across the field, dodging defenders on his way to a 59-yard touchdown with 7:47 to play in the half. The twopoint conversion try by Littlefield was no good, leaving the score, 14-12.
Idalou took over at their own 30-yard line after the kick-off rolled out of bounds by Salazar. They needed just four plays to get back to the end zone, as Houchin broke loose on second down for a 37yard touchdown run. The kick by Hurst was good, extending their lead to, 21-12, with 6:39 remaining in the half.
After another Littlefield punt by Mendez, Houchin would lead Idalou on another scoring drive, capping it off with the five-yard touchdown run to make the score, 27-12, after the failed two-point conversion try with 2:14 to play in the half.
Littlefield’s struggles continued on their next drive, as they were forced to punt, but on the snap, it flew over Mendez’s head, and he fell on it in the end zone for a safety, making the score, 29-12, with 1:12 to play in the half.
Blake Dyas returned the kickoff to the Littlefield 41-yard line, giving Idalou great field position to try and find the end zone one more time before halftime. They would drive deep into Littlefield territory, before Hurst booted a 24yard field goal through the uprights to take the game into halftime with Idalou in front, 32-12.
Littlefield forced a punt on Idalou’s first drive of the second half, getting the ball back at their own 20-yard line to start their first drive of the second half. The Wildcats went 80-yards, as Randle used a double move to get open on the left side, and Green hit him for the 44-yard touchdown pass with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter. The PAT by Salazar was good, making the score, 32-19, going into the final quarter of play.
After punting the ball away to start the fourth quarter, Idalou took over at their own 10-yard line, but they gained just two yards, bringing up fourth and eight from their own 12-yard line. A bad snap on the punt was recovered by Diego Ramirez in the end zone for a touchdown with 10:24 to play in the game. The PAT was good from Salazar, making the score, 32-26.
Idalou, though would respond, as they went 75 yards on their next drive, capping it off with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dyas with 5:32 to play in the game. The PAT from Hurst was good, making the score, 39-26, as Littlefield fell to Idalou at home.
Green finished the game 12-21 passing for 168 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while adding 17 carries for 60 yards and one touchdown.
Ian Mendez tallied 12 carries for 37 yards, while Major McNeese added four carries for 14 yards.
In the receiving game, Randle led the way with seven catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns, while Eizeah Coleman finished with three catches for 36 yards.
Defensively, Ramirez led the Wildcats with 17 total tackles, three for loss and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Jeremiah Trevino tallied 12 tackles, two for loss and a sack, while Noah Lopez contributed nine tackles, two for loss, and Sam Hill finished with eight tackles, one for loss.
The Wildcats will travel to Roosevelt on Thursday to take on the Eagles in their regular season finale.
Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m.