Friday, April 26, 2024
Any football coach that’s ever worn a whistle will tell you there’s no such thing as a good loss, and so by that metric, Granbury didn’t have a good game Friday.
But by every other metric, the Pirates (3-3, 2-2 District 3-5A D1) played a thriller, losing 35-34 to Crowley (6-1, 4-1) in a game played at noon in cold windy conditions.
“Let me make it real obvious that we’re never happy with the loss,” Granbury head coach Chad Zschiesche said. “But the way our kids fought, and their grit and heart and relentless to never give up, to be down 21 and come back and take a team like that to the wire, we’re just super proud of their effort.”
Granbury trailed 35-14 with half a minute left in the third quarter. Zach Watson scored on a 59-yard run as the quarter expired to cut the deficit to 35-21, and the Pirates scored again with 1:20 left to trail 35-28.
Crowley ran three times and was stuffed each time, and Granbury called all three of its timeouts, forcing the Eagles to punt with 1:05 left.
That’s when the Crowley punter fumbled the punt snap, which was picked up by Keeton Derouen for a touchdown to pull within one point. The Pirates were called for an excessive celebration penalty as players spilled out from the sidelines, leading to a long extra point attempt into the wind.
That attempt was short, but Crowley was called for roughing the kicker. The Pirates went for the win with a fake field goal from the 8 yard line, but the attempt fell short.
The Pirate coaches had planned on going for two all the way.
“I don’t regret the call,” Zschiesche said.”I just regret the execution.”
Considering the delay – caused by lightning and hail Thursday night – and the uncomfortable temperature, it would’ve been easy for the Pirates to come out flat. But Zschiesche said he was proud of his players bringing their own energy.
“I thought any delay, any postponement, any movement of the game was advantage us,” he said. “I just feel like all the stuff we put the kids in through the offseason, that we trained them to be mentally tough.”
Granbury had stifled Missouri-bound Crowley running back Dominique Johnson, who scored just once.
“It was certainly a collective effort,” Zschiesche said. “We preached gang-tackling all week long, and that’s what we did. Our D-line and linebackers played well.
“The guys were buying into what we preached, and they did a really good job on a really good running back.”
Granbury’s offense sputtered at times in the middle of the game, but the Pirates were able to find explosive plays. Watson threw for a 71-yard touchdown to Peter Brown on a halfback pass in the first half, and quarterback Kyler Gibson had a 41-yard completion to Tristan Morris.
The Pirates outgained Crowley 401-362, and held the Eagles to seven three-and-outs.
PLAYOFF POTENTIAL
Granbury has a path to a playoff berth, but that path will almost certainly require the Pirates to beat Saginaw Boswell (2-4, 2-2) Friday at home.
“We need a big crowd this weekend,” Zschiesche said. “It’s a big ballgame for our program.
“We try not to talk about it, but it’s a very pivotal game.”
Boswell, a playoff team last season, is coming off a 49-13 loss to Azle and a 21-20 loss to Saginaw. The Pioneers have a four-year starter at quarterback in Brayden Thomas and a bevy of talented receivers.
Against Azle, Thomas was 21-32 for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Cody Mayberry led the Pioneers with 100 yards rushing on 19 carries. Senior Zeke McCray has led Boswell’s wideouts.
Boswell’s defensive line is smaller than Crowley’s, but the Pioneers are fast and aggressive, and more blitz-heavy than most. Zschiesche said the Pirate offensive line will need to stay disciplined and keep moving against the three-man front.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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