SAN ANGELO, TEXAS – Halloween came early for the Texas A&M-Kingsville football team on Saturday night at Angelo State. They played the role of a zombie that could not be killed until they eventually won a thrilling triple overtime Lone Star Conference contest on a 4-yard run by Daniel Ramirez (Sinton/Sinton HS), 36-33.
The Javelinas (5-4, 3-3) committed seven turnovers in the game and trailed 23-13 after a 9-yard touchdown pass from Jake Strickler to Antwon Williams seemed to seal the game for the Rams (4-5, 1-5) with 5:59 left in regulation. The Javs were able to score quickly on a Nate Poppell (Spring/Spring HS) to Sherman Batiste (Fort Bend/Marshall HS) 21-yard touchdown pass with 2:52 left, but could not recover the ensuing onsides kick.
Blake Smith picked up 32 yards on the next play after the onsides kick for the Rams, seemingly ending the game again. The Hoggie defense stood strong. The Rams elected to go for it on fourth-and-4 from the Javelina 5-yard line with 44 seconds left rather than kick a field goal though, and Roderick Benman (Oklahoma City, OK/Rogers HS) forced Strickler into an incomplete pass.
With no timeouts, Poppell completed 3-of-4 passes to put the Javs at their own 32-yard line with 17 seconds left. Needing another miracle, he was able to complete a 29-yard pass to Christian Taylor (Houston/Westfield HS) setting the team up for a last second field goal try. Matt Stoll had already booted a pair of field goals in the game and calmly drilled a career long 49-yarder as time expired to send the game to overtime.
In the first overtime, the Rams started with the ball and quickly scored a touchdown. The Javelinas quickly found themselves faced with a fourth-and 12 situation and Poppell found Taylor again for 15 yards to keep the game alive. Two plays later Jonathan Woodson (Missouri City/Marshall HS) scored on a 16-yard screen pass to tie the game again.
The Javs started with the ball in the second overtime period and Randall Toney (Hendersonville, TN/Station Camp HS) was stripped of the ball on the first play and the Rams recovered. The Rams then settled for a 39-yard field goal attempt on their possession, but Eddie Smith (Saugus, CA/Saugus HS) partially blocked Jarred Martin’s attempt to send it to a third overtime.
The Rams could do nothing in the third frame, but Martin put them on the board with a 42-yard field goal.
Woodson picked up a first down for the Javs with a pair of tough runs and then Poppell called his own number picking up nine yards to get to the 4-yard line, but had to limp off the field with an injury. Ramirez ended the game on the next play with a designed quarterback sweep.
The game ended nicely for the Javelinas, but it did not begin that way. Ramirez was intercepted on his first pass attempt of the game and turned the ball over on the team’s first three possessions. The defense did a great job in limiting the Rams to three field goal attempts off the turnovers resulting in six points.
Ramirez appeared to start rolling after the team was down 6-0 when he guided the team on an 8-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that culminated in him hitting Joseph Vela (Harlingen/Rio Hondo HS) with a 19-yard scoring pass. Unfortunately, that was the last bright spot for Ramirez until the game-winning touchdown. After a third interception in the first half he was pulled from the game and Poppell was inserted.
Poppell immediately drove the team 66 yards in 10 plays in the two-minute drill setting up a Stoll 39-yard field goal as the half expired. The Rams led 13-10 at the break thanks to Strickler’s first touchdown pass to Williams early in the second quarter.
The third quarter was a punt-fest save for one Javelina drive that led to a 29-yard field goal from Stoll with 2:50 remaining to tie the game at 13-13.
The Rams took control of the game early in the fourth quarter when Woodson fumbled at his own 22-yard line. The Rams were not able to punch in a touchdown, but Martin gave them a 16-13 lead with 10:24 left in regulation on a 36-yard field goal.
After the teams traded punts, the Hoggies got the ball back with 7:10 left at their own 32-yard line. ASU’s Rush Seaver sacked Poppell and forced a fumble that was recovered by Jake Eannarelli. Three plays later Strickler hit Williams with what looked to be the game-clinching touchdown, but only set the stage for a dramatic final series of events.
The Javelinas outplayed the Rams in most aspects of the game, but the Rams held a 7-to-1 turnover margin advantage nearly negating it all. The Hoggies picked up 20 more first downs and 176 more yards of offense than the Rams.
The Javelina defense limited the Rams to only eight first downs and 256 yards of offense. Jeremy Aguilar (Los Angeles, CA/Roosevelt HS) led the team with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Marcus Sanders (Houston/Westfield HS) added nine tackles and a tackle for loss while Benman picked up a pair of sacks giving him 10 on the season, only the fourth player to accomplish that feat in school history.
The Javelina offense picked up 132 yards on the ground and 300 through the air. Toney led the rushing attack with 66 yards on 16 carries. Poppell went 20-for-37 for 223 yards and two touchdowns while Ramirez was 7-of-20 for 77 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Taylor was one of three receivers with five catches as he picked up 72 yards. Batiste added 58 yards and a touchdown and Vela had 42 yards and a touchdown.
Woodson had another outstanding all-purpose game picking up 251 all-purpose yards. He had 43 yards rushing, made seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown and had 138 kick return yards. He claimed the school record for most kick return yards in a season and has 686 yards on the season. He moved into fourth place for single season all-purpose yards with 1,824 and eighth in career all-purpose yards with 3,715.
The Javelina special teams had their best game of the season. Stoll was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and 3-for-3 on extra point attempts. Angel Millan (Edinburg/Economedes HS) averaged 45.2 yards on five punts with two going over 50 yards. They had a blocked field goal and limited the Rams to minus-4 punt return yards.
The Rams gained 126 yards on the ground and 130 through the air. Blake Smith came off the bench to rush for 86 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries after Tristan Carter suffered an injury after rushing for 50 yards on 15 carries. Strickler went 10-of-28 for 130 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Williams had four catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
The Ram defense had a pair of players make at least 10 tackles and they had four sacks. Lance Tissue led the team with 11 tackles while Rush Seaver had 10 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. Shiloh Hickman had a big game with two sacks and a forced fumble.
The Javelinas are back in action on Saturday at 7 p.m. for their final home game of the season against LSC rival Abilene Christian.
####
pr11370-smm
