The Amherst Bullodgs’ varsity football team fell short on the road on Friday night against the Whitharral Panthers, 46-32, for the District 2-1A Championship.
With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 9-1 overall on the season, 2-1 in district play.
The Panthers got the ball to open the contest and they were able to take the ball into Amherst territory, but on fourth and nine, Jack Griffin’s pass fell incomplete, as he was pressured by Kevin Garcia for a turnover on downs with 9:03 to play in the opening quarter.
Amherst took over on the 40-yard line, as Joel Garcia picked up five yards on first down. The Bulldogs were flagged for a false start prior to the next play, backing them up to second and 15, as Joel Garcia dropped back and delivered a pass to his left to Oscar Contreras for a solid gain, but Contreras had the ball stripped by Rayden Potter with eight minutes to play in the quarter.
Whitharral got in an offensive groove after taking over on offense at their own 30-yard line, Dawson Rodgers took a carry up the middle for 11 yards before being brought down by Joel Garcia. Rodgers took a run to the left to move the chains for the Panthers before he was again brought down by Joel Garcia at the Amherst 32-yard line.
Two plays later, Jack Griffin connected with Rodgers on a pass to the right, as he turned it up field, cutting back to the left for a 30-yard touchdown with 5:28 to play in the opening quarter. The kick by Griffin was good, putting the Panthers in front, 8-0.
Amherst’s offense sputtered on their next possession and on fourth and eight from their own 28-yard line Aiden Rodriguez took a run up the middle before being stopped by Potter for a turnover on downs with 3:12 to play in the first quarter.
Whitharral needed just three plays on their next possession to find the end zone again, as Brent Robinson hit Landon Lee with a pass to the left for a 15-yard touchdown. The kick after by Griffin was good, making the score, 16-0, with 2:24 to play in the quarter.
Yahir Garcia fielded an onside kick attempt from Whitharral giving Amherst the ball at the Panther’s 34yard line. Kevin Garcia picked up seven yards on first down and another five yards on second down to make it third and three from the Panther’s 22-yard line. On third and short, Joel Garcia took a run to the left for a 22-yard touchdown. The kick by Rodriguez was good, trimming the lead to, 16-8, with 51.5 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Potter covered an onside kick try by the Bulldogs at their own 32-yard line, but they went four-and-out turning the ball over on downs with 19.1 seconds to play in the quarter, after Griffin was tripped up byYahir Garcia.
Amherst tried to strike fast on the next play, but Joel Garcia was picked off by Potter, who returned it back to the Amherst 34-yard line, as the first quarter came to a close.
The Panthers couldn’t capitalize to open the second frame, and on fourth and 11, Brolin Kennedy’s pass pass fell incomplete looking for Rodgers, as they turned the ball over on downs with 9:12 to play in the first half.
Amherst took over at their own 30yard line and were able to take the ball down to the Panthers’ 18-yard line, but on fourth and 18, Joel Garcia’s pass was batted down by Potter for a turnover on downs with 5:13 to play in the half.
The Panthers took over at their own 19-yard line, putting together a sevenplay drive that was capped off with a four-yard touchdown pass, as Kennedy hit Potter for the score with 2:28 to play in the half. The kick by Griffin was good, making the score, 24-8.
Amherst took over at their own 28yard line after the kick-return from Rodriguez and they were able to put together a solid drive. Kevin Garcia took a run to the right for a few yards and Joel Garcia followed it up with a pass on second down to Hector Perez to make it third and three on the 40yard line.
Joel Garcia, though, was sacked on third down by Nomar Gomez, bringing up fourth and eight from their own 35-yard line, but the Bulldogs elected to go for it, as Joel Garcia called his own number on a run to the left, taking the ball down into Panther territory for a fresh set of downs for Amherst.
Joel Garcia hit Perez in the middle of the field for nine yards, as Amherst took a time out with 22 seconds to play in the half. Out of the break, Joel Garcia’s shovel pass to Perez fell incomplete, but on the next play, Joel Garcia took a run to the left down to the two-yard line, as Amherst used another time out with 7.4 seconds to play in the half. On first and goal, Kevin Garcia carried the ball into the end zone for the two-yard score. A bad snap on the kick left the score, 24-14, going into the locker room at halftime.
Amherst got the ball to start the second half, as Yahir Garcia covered the onside kick try from Whitharral, giving them the ball at their own 36yard line. A series of runs from Kevin Garcia and Rodriguez had the Bulldogs facing a fourth and one from the Panther 30-yard line.Amherst elected to go for it, as Joel Garcia took a run up the middle for the 30-yard touchdown with 8:15 to play in the third quarter. The kick from Rodriguez was blocked, leaving the score, 24-20.
Whitharral took over after the kickoff at their own 36-yard line and needed just two plays to find the end zone, as Robinson’s pass on first and goal was tipped by Rodriguez and found the waiting hands of Lee for the 14-yard touchdown. The kick by Griffin was good, pushing the score to, 32-20, with 7:51 remaining in the quarter.
Amherst came up empty on their next possession, leading to another Panther score with 1:11 to play in the quarter. On second and goal, Griffin hit Potter with a three-yard touchdown pass, but the kick by Griffin was blocked by Rodriguez, making the score, 38-20.
Amherst’s next possession took the game into the fourth quarter, and on second and long, Joel Garcia hit Perez with a pass for a first down. On first down, a bad snap backed the Bulldogs up to second and 34 from their own 39-yard line. Joel took a run to the right for 22 yards, bringing the Bulldogs to third and 12 from the Panther 17-yard line. On third down, Joel Garcia dropped back and hit Perez for the 17-yard touchdown. The kick from Rodriguez was blocked by Lee, trimming the lead to, 38-26.
The Panthers would add to their score, just three plays later, as Potter scored on a 13-yard touchdown run with 6:26 to play in the game. The kick from Griffin was good, making the score, 46-26.
Amherst would answer with 2:50 remaining in the contest, as Joel Garcia connected with Yahir Garcia for a three-yard touchdown pass. The kick from Rodriguez was no good, making the score, 46-32.
Whitharral covered the onside kick and was able to kill the remainder of the clock, to claim the district championship over Amherst.
Offensively, Joel Garcia led the rushing attack with 15 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns, while Rodriguez tallied eight carries for 91 yards and Kevin Garcia finished with 14 carries for 65 yards and one touchdown.
Joel Garcia was six-of-13 passing for 68 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
In the receiving game, Perez tallied four catches for 50 yards and one touchdown, while Yahir Garcia caught one pass for three yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, Joel Garcia led the team in tackles with 11, while Kevin Garcia chipped in 10 tackles and Oscar Contreras finished with three tackles.
The Bulldogs will take on Silverton on Friday in Petersburg in the Class 1A Six-Man Division II Bi-District round of the play-offs.
Kick-off is slated for 8 p.m.