Game 4

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=95 BGCOLOR="#336600" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="066005f0dwnplj.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>GOBBLER SPORTS</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="GOBBLER SPORTS"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> back to<B>  </B><A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Game Reports"><U><B>Game Reports</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>District Scores</B></div> <div> <B>Cuero 22\ Rice 46</B></div> <div> <B>Yoakum 27 \ Edna 14</B></div> <div> <B>Gonzales 20\ LaGrange19</B></div> <div> <B>Halletsville 34 \ Ganado10</B></div> <div> <B>Goliad 14 \ Kenedy 0</B></div> <div> <B>Luling 3 \ Columbus 20</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=385 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Game 4</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>9\5\03</B></div> <div> <B>Gobbler Stadium</B></div> <bR> <div> Excitement is in the air. Expectations are high. A stadium full with green and white. The Gobblers took the field ready to play. The young Gobblers played their butts off but the Raiders speed on big plays kept the defense on their heels. Several key mistakes killed the offensive game plan. Turnovers hurt the Gobblers tonight. These young guns will bounce back quick. My adopted Gobbler had a great game scoring on a 70 yd run. Zach made several good runs and key tackles on defense. Turning the ball over kept the defense on the field more than expected. The Gobblers never gave up. They blocked two extra points. The first one Urbo picked it up and ran it back about 60 yds before getting caught from behind.</div> <div> The Gobblers scored twice in the forth quarter adding a two point conversion.</div> <div>    The Gobblers will keep working hard, playing one game at a time. Next week we travel down south to Rockport to take on the Pirates. Get there early and let's sink their ship..</div> <div> "Go Mean Green"</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Raiders steal season opener </B></div> <div> <B>by Glenn Rea </B></div> <div> <B>Record Editor -</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >The Gobblers’ initial game of ‘03 was more of an initiation as the Rice Raiders used speed and five turnovers to take a 46-22 win. </FONT></div> <div> It was Cuero Head Coach Mark Reeve’s first game with the young Gobblers since taking over the program earlier this year. For Rice it was their third consecutive win over Cuero including a play-off victory over the Gobblers in the 2002 season. </div> <div> Both squads were cautious in the opening minutes of the contest exchanging punts on their first possessions. The Raiders moved into Gobbler territory on their next possession with the help of a 15-yard pass. Keeping the ball on the ground they inched their way to Cuero’s 39 before linebackers Justin Robinson and Brady Urbanovsky with help from the entire front line stopped the visitors on a 4th-and-1. Taking over at their own 40 the Gobblers opened their second series by throwing an interception giving the Raiders the ball on Rice’s 26. </div> <div> The first taste of the Raiders’ speed came on third down when they opened a hole in the Gobbler defense with a run to the Cuero 32. It was Gobblers Jeremy Ross, Zach Gomez and Larvell Roy that saved the TD by pulling the runner down from behind. </div> <div> But after a quick pass to the Gobbler 17, Rice was able to send a man up the middle untouched for the first score of the game. After the kick-off Cuero doomed its drive with a couple of penalties forcing Brandon Hilbrich to punt the ball away. </div> <div> Taking over at Cuero’s 48, Rice again shocked the Gobblers with a blast up the middle to Cuero’s 3-yardline. It was Martell Williams that pulled the Raider down saving the TD. </div> <div> As the quarter ended, Rice completed their scoring drive from three yards out to go up 14-0. </div> <div> Latrael Cooper took the kick-off for Cuero and returned it to the Gobbler 26. Gomez moved the ball on two rushes and Roy took a pitch to get to Cuero’s 43. But two incomplete passes forced Cuero to punt again. </div> <div> Starting from their own 16, Rice called on their speedy backs again and Cuero’s Nick Taylor and Ross were forced to pull the Raider down from behind to save another TD at the Gobbler 31. Still two plays later Rice connected on a pass over the middle to collect their third score of the night. </div> <div> Moving to their deepest point in Raider territory on their next drive, Cuero relied on QB Matt Schumacher to get to mid-field and Josh Guajardo to get to the 41. Fullback Roy got the call twice and made it to the 36. But the Gobblers stumbled again throwing an interception with 5:39 left in the first half. </div> <div> Rice wasted no time taking advantage of Cuero’s frustration and sent their lead running-back up the left side 67-yards for another score. </div> <div> On the point-after try, Cuero’s Urbanovsky blocked the kick, scooping it up and returning deep in Raider territory before being tackled. If he had gone in the end zone it would have meant two-points for the Gobblers. </div> <div> On the kick-off receiver Gomez took the Gobblers to mid-field. Guajardo moved the ball to the Raider 47 but the Rice defense stiffened and Cuero was forced to punt. </div> <div> With time running out Rice needed only three plays to break one again on the Gobblers and it was cornerback Taylor who again saved a touchdown with a tackle on the Raider 44. </div> <div> As the third quarter started, Cuero attempted a long pass on third and six that was intercepted at the Raider 27. </div> <div> On Rice’s next series it was Robinson, Taylor, Cooper, Dakota Williams, Schumacher, Hilbrich, Gomez and Art Hunter credited with giving up short yardage. </div> <div> But after reaching the Gobbler 35, Rice was able to scramble into the end zone for touchdown to go up 33-0. </div> <div> A highlight for Cuero came on the next series when Gomez took the kick-off and returned to the Gobbler 30. He then got the call on the first play and broke through the Raider defense on the right side. He outran the visitors for a 70-yard score. Schumacher kicked the PAT and the score was 33-7. </div> <div> Gobbler Matt Rauch was also credited with saving a score as the Raiders took the ensuing kick-off back to their own 35. </div> <div> After a Rice punt to Cuero’s 25, the Gobblers fumbled the snap on first down and it was scooped up by the Raiders resulting in a quick score. Aaron Saenz blocked the PAT attempt but Rice took a 39-7 lead. </div> <div> The Raiders scored early in the fourth period but it was the Gobblers who found paydirt twice in the closing minutes of the contest. </div> <div> After getting to the Rice 1-yard-line, Guajardo completed the distance with about a minute left in the game and Brandon Kuecker added the PAT to make it 46-14. </div> <div> Covering an on-side kick, the Gobblers were able to claim the ball at the Rice 40 with less than a minute left. From there Schumacher found Nick Taylor on a 40-yard TD pass. </div> <div> Schumacher then hit Robinson with a two-point toss to end the game 46-22. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Cuero faces Pirates in game 2</B></div> <div> <B>Cuero Record</B></div> <div> Call it first game jitters or just plain first game mistakes. </div> <div> Whatever it’s called, Gobbler Head Coach Mark Reeve is looking forward to Cuero’s second game. </div> <div> “It was the first game and they were real pumped up,” said Coach Reeve of his inaugural game with the Gobblers last week. “We got tired real early in that first quarter but overall, I think the kids are in pretty good shape.” </div> <div> Cuero lost to 3A powerhouse Rice Consolidated 46-22 and had five turnovers in their first game. </div> <div> “It’s the things that happen to a young football team,” he said. “But there is a big improvement between the first and second game.” </div> <div> Coach Reeve will make some adjustments in his game plan this week to give players time off the field during the games. “Some of our kids couldn’t go both ways because they were so tired. They ran out of wind,” he said. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Cuero vs. Rockport</B> </div> <div> The Gobblers will travel to Rockport Friday for a 7:30 meeting at Pirate Stadium. </div> <div> The Pirates defeated Cuero last season with a team that went 7-3 but missed the playoffs. </div> <div> This year’s squad will feature 24 seniors and 16 juniors. The Pirates have eight starters on defense and seven on offense returning from last year. </div> <div> “They will have the best offensive line that we’ve played,” said Coach Reeve. “They will do a good job of coming off the ball.” </div> <div> In addition the Pirates have a highly rated tight-end, Dylan Conway (6’4”, 235) and quarterback Ryan Haun. “He does a good job running the triple option and passing,” Reeve said. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>