WACO – After starting the season 0-7, the Shiner St. Paul Cardinals’ resiliency and determination paved the way for their state championship run.
Shiner St. Paul running back Joseph Natal pushes against a defender in the third quarter. The Cardinals beat Fort Worth Lake Country 29-21 in the TAPPS state final game Saturday, December 8, 2018 in Hewitt.
[ NOTE: click any photo to enlarge ]photos by Liesje Powers, special to the Victoria Advocate
The Cardinals defeated Fort Worth Lake Country 29-21 in the TAPPS state final Saturday at Hewitt Midway ISD Panther Stadium.
Down 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Cardinals leaned on their experience from the beginning of the season.
For St. Paul Head Coach Jake Wachsmuth, the deficit and ensuing comeback has been the theme this year for his team.
“It was that way last week, kind of like our year. I guess the players like that,” he said. “I don’t like it. I could go for being up 30 to nothing.”
St. Paul was forced to punt on their first possession of the game. The Eagles then drove the ball down the field and scored on a Hayden Whites 5-yard run.
Quarterback Ryan Hollingsworth’s 38-yard pass to Marcos Rodriquez helped set up the score.
Lake Country stopped a fourth and six play to take over possession. They then capitalized on the defensive hold as Koby Haynes broke away for a 59 yard touchdown late in the first quarter.
“They got our attention a little bit,” Wachsmuth said. “They came out and hit us in the mouth.”
Shiner St. Paul teammates celebrate their win against Ft. Worth Lake Country by giving Head Coach Jake Wachsmuth an icewater shower. The Cardinals beat Fort Worth Lake Country 29-21 in the TAPPS state final game Saturday, December 8, 2018 in Hewitt.
[ NOTE: click any photo to enlarge ]
The second quarter belonged to the Cardinals. Down 14-0 and facing a fourth and one, the St. Paul defense made a huge stop to change the momentum of the game.
Following the stop, the Cardinals’ offense came alive. Quarterback Kai Giese hit Cole Brown to set up a Joseph Natal 12 yard touchdown run. Natal carried the Cardinal offense on his back with 31 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles attempted to get a drive going, but the relentless pressure of the Cardinal defensive front was too match for Hollingsworth to manage.
Following an Eagle punt, the Cardinals drove the field and Natal dove in from 1 yard out.
With a 14-12 lead late in the second quarter, Lake Country tried to trick the Cardinals with a fake punt. The Cardinal defense recognized the fake and stopped it in its track.
St. Paul to sent kicker Sam Benes out to attempt a 34 yard field goal to end the half. As the kick sailed through the uprights, the half ended with a Cardinal 15-14 lead in which they would not relinquish.
Shiner St. Paul running back Joseph Natal leaps to avoid contact with the Ft. Worth Lake Country defense in the second quarter of the TAPPS state final game Saturday, December 8, 2018 in Hewitt.
[ NOTE: click any photo to enlarge ]
“I felt that we never gave up,” Natal said. “We just kept fighting the whole way through and it paid off.”
The Cardinals’ momentum continued as they recovered an Eagle fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half. The offense took advantage of the turnover as Giese scored on a 5-yard run.
Early in the fourth quarter, Giese hit Dalton John for a 10 yard touchdown pass to give St. Paul a 29-12 lead.
Lake Country quickly responded as Haynes broke free and sprinted 69 yards for his second score of the game.
The Eagles’ defense came up big on the Cardinals’ next possession as Hayden Whites intercepted a Giese pass and appeared to score. However, the interception was called back on a block in the back penalty of the Eagles.
The Cardinal defense then forced an Eagle fumble, recovered by defensive lineman Garrett Wauson.
Following a missed Cardinal field goal, the Cardinal defense made one last stop to seal the State Championship victory.
For Natal, a senior, hard work and perseverance paid off this year.
“I worked all four years and it paid off this year. The offensive line drove the Eagles off the line. It feels amazing to go out like this, especially after starting the season 0-7,” he said.
Coach Wachsmuth is proud of the determination of his team.
“This team stuck with it,” he said. “They could have just looked forward to basketball, but they didn’t. I’m very proud of them.”
page A1 (cover) |
page C1 |
page C6 |
|
images captured from the Victoria Advocate Digital Edition, December 9, 2018
[ NOTE: click any photo to enlarge ] |
||
GAME STATISTICSsource: Victoria Advocate Digital Edition, December 9, 2018 Shiner St. Paul 29, Fort Worth Lake Country 21 TAPPS Division IV State Championship Game Saturday, December 8, 2018, 12:00 noon Panther Stadium, Hewitt Midway ISD (South Waco) SCORING SUMMARY 1 2 3 4 F St. Paul 0 15 7 7 -- 29 Lake Country 14 0 0 7 -- 21 SCORING DETAILS: First Quarter LC: Hayden Whites 5-yard run (Landry Graves kick) 7:41 LC: Koby Haynes 59-yard run (Graves kick) 1:59 Second Quarter SP: Joseph Natal 12-yard run (kick failed) 9:03 SP: Joseph Natal 1-yard run {2pt tail), 4:29 SP: Sam Benes 34-yard field goal 100 Third Quarter SP: Kai Giese 5-yard run (Benes kick) 9:07 Fourth Quarter SP: Giese 10-yard pass to Dalton Jahn (Benes kick) 11:52 LC: Haynes 69 yard run (Graves kick) 10:35 TEAM STATISTICS: St. Paul Lake Country First downs 16 11 Yards rushing 48-269 30-231 Yards passing 66 117 Passes 4-12-1 10-18-0 Punts 2-46 1-27 Fumbles-lost 1-0 4-3 Penalty-yards 3-42 6-73 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS: Rushing St. Paul: Joseph Natal 31 -150-2, Kai Giese 8-64-1, Noah Boedeker 10-53; Lake Country: Hayden Whites 18-97-1, Koby Haynes 6-137-2. Passing St. Paul: Kai Giese 4-12-1-1; Lake Country: Ryan Hollingsworth 10-17-117. Receiving St. Paul: Dalton Jahn 3-28-1.
© Copyright
BaerCom - Shiner, Texas 2018
