Friday, April 19, 2024
CROWLEY – It may have been the play of the game.
Granbury, hanging on to a 26-14 lead, faced a third and 15 from its own 20-yard line early in the final quarter.
Crowley had the momentum, clawing back from a 26-0 deficit.
Granbury coaches called a slant pass, and quarterback Austin Jinkerson hit Crash Davis between the numbers for 10 yards and a crucial first down.
The Pirates then called on their prime-time senior runner Zach Watson. He delivered with six straight rushes, the last a 20-yard touchdown jaunt to give Granbury breathing room, up 31-14 with only 4:47 left.
Crowley answered, but the damage was done and Granbury escaped with a 32-21 district-opening football win on a cool, breezy Thursday night in Eagle Stadium.
Granbury squared its season record to 2-2. Crowley, whose starting quarterback was injured and on the sidelines, fell to 0-4.
Watson amassed 223 yards on the ground and was quick to credit his offensive line.
“They’re some dogs, they opened holes, great win, you know,” he said after the game.
Pirate Head Coach Chad Zschiesche said, “I’m super proud of our kids. We beat a team that’s had Granbury’s number for a long time.”
He said the players are beginning to have more confidence. The Pirates had Crowley on the ropes last year but came up a point short.
“Another year of being in the program” is helping their attitude, the coach said.
“We came out and mastered physicality. The defense played really well,” Zschiesche said. “The offense sputtered at times finishing drives but did good enough to put up 32 points.”
The Pirates had been struggling with slow starts but not against Crowley.
Granbury deferred to the second half after winning the coin toss. Crowley got the ball to start the game but faced a stiff northeast wind. The Eagles went nowhere against the wind and a stiff Pirate defense.
The Pirates took advantage of good field position and scored their first TD on Watson’s 2-yard run. Granbury tacked on another touchdown early in the second quarter on Jinkerson’s 7-yard sprint into the end zone standing up.
Granbury, leading 14-0 at the half, added two more touchdowns in the third quarter. The first was a Jinkerson 2-yard run; the second a Watson 1-yard run.
The Pirates were feeling good about themselves, up 26-0 late in the third quarter.
That’s when Crowley began to make things interesting. A 65-yard touchdown run down the sidelines and a 30-yard TD scamper put them within striking distance, 26-14, with still over 10 minutes remaining.
That’s when the Pirates connected on the critical third down, and Watson’s touchdown scamper gave them a 32-14 advantage and the game.
Pirate defenders shining with big plays included Benny Lara, Braydon Olthoff (also a fumble recovery), Auggie Zapata, Dustin Jones and Tate Baker.
Pirate freshman Jason Rogers recovered two critical onside attempts by Crowley.
Jinkerson was limping after suffering an ankle injury, but the coach doesn’t seem worried.
“He’s a warrior, a little banged up but he’s tough and he’ll be good to go by next week.,” Zschiesche said.
The Pirates entertain district newcomer Abilene Cooper (1-1) Friday night in Pirate Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Cooper lost to Odessa Permian 47-35 and defeated Abilene High 30-20.
Granbury 7 7 12 6 - 32
Crowley 0 0 7 14 - 21
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