Cowboys run through Raiders to advance to fourth round

By Michael Brooks

Sports Writer

    Before the playoffs began, it was believed by most that the 3A Region 4 Quarterfinal playoff football game would be between two teams from district 14. Edna punched their ticket to the fourth round with a 27-0 victory over Rice on Friday night, and Yoakum narrowly moved past Goliad with a 38-35 victory on Saturday night.

    In the eighth game of the regular season, Yoakum handed Edna its only loss 21-17. Since then, Edan hasn’t looked back as they blew away Palacios and Jourdanton in the first two playoff rounds.

    Rice however handed the Cowboys a greater challenge. The Raiders, 11-1 going into the game were much like the Cowboys: a team who almost exclusively sticks to the ground game. But Edna has a bigger stable of running back and after a slow first half, the Cowboys really opened up the game in the second half.

    Rice started the game with the ball and thanks to a Cowboy penalty, they got a first down but were unable to do anything else and had to punt the ball away.

    Edna got the ball at their own 30 and on their first offensive play, Kenny Haynes broke free for a 53 yard run. Just when it looked like the Cowboys were going to open up the game early, the Cowboys fumbled and Rice recovered.     After another Rice drive went nowhere, Edna started their second drive at the Raider 41. This time Dayton McCoy burst free and 30 yards later, the Cowboys had the ball at the Rice 11 yard line. But once again, it looked like Rice may step up defensively. Facing a fourth and one at the Raider two, the Cowboys decided to go for it. Haynes was met at the line of scrimmage but he barrelled over the defenders and got in to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead.

    For the rest of the first quarter and most of the second both teams traded possessions but late in the second, the Cowboys tried to build on their lead. Facing a fourth and four a punt snap went directly to Haynes who found a hole and busted off 53 yards to give the Cowboys the ball at the Rice 23, but a personal foul penalty against the Cowboys on the following play had them facing a first and 25 and they were unable to make up the yardage and went to the locker room at halftime with a 7-0 lead.

*For the full article, buy a Jackson County Herald Tribune or purchase an online subscription.