It was the tale of two halves for the Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity football team on Friday night, as they dropped a heartbreaker at home to the Dalhart Wolves, 41-32.
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 3-5 overall, 0-2 in district play.
The game got off to a quick start for the Wildcats, as the opening kick-off was fumbled by the Wolves and recovered by Littlefield, inside the Dalhart five-yard line setting them up with first and goal to start the game.
Senior tailback, Ty’Jae Chambers, was stopped for a loss of two on first down, but senior quarterback, Ethan Garcia, ran it up the middle for five yards on second down and followed it up with a one-yard touchdown run to get the Wildcats on the board. The PAT by senior, Jordan Trevino, was good making the score, 7-0.
Dalhart secured the next kick-off, as their offense took over at their own 40-yard line, but their time on offense was short-lived. After picking up a first down on their first offensive play of the game, they went four-and-out, as a pass from quarterback Thomas Meyer was dropped on fourth down for a turnover on downs, giving Littlefield the ball at their own 35-yard line.
Littlefield’s offense took over, as Garcia threw a screen to the right for senior, Ryan West, who picked up six yards to make it second and four. At their own 41-yard line, Chambers ran it up the middle taking the ball up to their 45-yard line for a first down.
With a fresh set of downs, a bad snap was covered by Garcia on first down and a swing pass to Jordan Trevino on the left side went for no gain, bringing up third and 12 from their own 43-yard line. However, on third down, a quick throw by Garcia on a runpass option over the middle found Mason Jones, as he took the ball down into Wolves territory at their 23-yard line.
On first down, Chambers took a run 23-yards around the left side to the house for six. Jordan Trevino nailed the PAT to put the Wildcats on top 14-0.
Junior kicker, Javen Jimenez, booted the ball into the endzone for a touchback with 6:46 remaining in the first quarter and the Wolves took over at their own 25-yard line on offense.
This time around, the Wolves were able to take the ball into Littlefield territory, but on fourth and two the Dalhart ball-carrier was popped by Jimenez, who knocked the ball loose and it was recovered by Littlefield at their own 38-yard line for a turnover.
After a false start penalty to start the drive, Chambers was stuffed on first down for no gain, bringing up second and 15. on the second down play, Garcia tossed the ball left to Chambers who carried it, before being brought down by the Dalhart defense, drawing a penalty. A facemask penalty on the Wolves gave the Wildcats a first and 10 at the Dalhart 47-yard line.
On first and 10, Garcia dropped back and heaved a pass deep down the near sideline, that was brought down by West, who took it down to the 17-yard line for a first down. On first down, Chambers picked up two yards on a carry, but on second down, Garcia rolled out to his left and his pass was incomplete.
The Wildcats took a time out with 1:57 remaining in the quarter, and out of the break, Garcia delivered a quick slant over the middle that was caught by Jordan Trevino, who took it into the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown. The PAT was blocked by Dalhart, leaving the score, 20-0, with 1:51 remaining in the first quarter.
Dalhart took over at their own 43-yard line and was able to move the ball across midfield, before Meyer was sacked for a huge loss by Chambers, taking the ball back to their own 44-yard line. On second and 25, the Wolves broke loose on a run, taking it down to the five-yard line to close out the first quarter.
On first and goal, Dalhart would run it up the middle for a six-yard touchdown run with 11:55 remaining in the second quarter. The PAT was good, trimming the lead to, 20-7.
Littlefield got the ball back after the kick-off at their own 23-yard line, as the offense came back out on to the field, looking to keep the momentum going.
Chambers carried the ball to the left on first down, but the Wildcats were flagged for holding, backing them up to first and 20 from their own 13-yard line. Garcia heaved a pass to the right, but the Wolves defense made a tackle for loss to make it second and 23. the Wildcats were flagged for illegal procedure, backing them up five yards, and on second down, Chambers ran the ball to the left and picked up solid yardage, before putting the ball on the turf, however, senior, Jaron Cabello, was there to fall on it, bringing up third and 13, as Littlefield called for a time out.
Out of the break, Garcia fired a slant over the middle to Jordan Trevino, who broke free for a huge gain, taking it all the way down to the Dalhart 14-yard line. Chambers carried the ball down to the one-yard line to set up first and goal and he punched it in for the one-yard score on the next play to make the score, 26-7, after the failed two-point conversion with 9:01 remaining in the first half.
After two empty Dalhart possessions, Littlefield got the ball back at their own 39-yard line, as Chambers broke loose on first down for a huge gain around the left side into Dalhart territory. On first and 10, Garcia completed a pass to Jordan Trevino, who hurdled a defender on his way to a solid game to set up first and goal for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats got penalized for a false start on first down, but two plays later, Chambers capped off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run to make the score, 32-7. The score stood, heading into the locker room at halftime.
The tides turned in the second half, as the Littlefield offense came out flat and went three-and-out. They lined up to punt on fourth down, but it was blocked and recovered by Dalhart at the Littlefield 32-yard line.
The Wolves took advantage of the short field, capping off the three-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown keeper by Meyer, followed by the PAT to cut the lead to, 32-14, with 8:48 remaining in the third quarter. This would stand as the only score of the third quarter, as Littlefield went into the final quarter of play out in front, 32-14.
The Wildcats would turn the ball over on downs with 9:25 remaining in the game, but it would not haunt them, as their defense forced a turnover on downs for Dalhart, getting the ball back for the offense, at the Wolves’ 40-yard line.
The drive was short-lived for Littlefield, as Chambers carried the ball on first down, fumbling it, and it was recovered by Dalhart at their own 42-yard line. The Wolves would turn this turnover into points, as Meyer broke free for a 23-yard touchdown run to the left. The PAT was good, cutting the lead to, 32-21.
Littlefield would turn the ball over on downs, and the Wolves wasted no time capitalizing, as they needed just two plays to find the endzone once more. They made good on the two-point conversion to make it a three-point game, 32-29, with just over four minutes remaining in the contest.
Littlefield got the ball into Wolves’ territory, but on fourth and three, Garcia was stuffed on a quarterback keeper for a turnover on downs with 2:49 remaining in the game.
Dalhart drove down the field and had the ball at third and goal from the Littlefield 15-yard line, as they took a time out to set up a play. On third down, Meyer dropped back and found a receiver open on the near side of the endzone for the 15-yard score to put the Wolves ahead, 35-32, after the blocked PAT.
Littlefield’s offense took the field with nine seconds remaining after the short kick-return, but on first down, Garcia was sacked by the defense, as they picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown to put the nail in the coffin, 41-32.