Game Report for November 2^nd, 2007

Tom Bean- 0; Gunter- 41

Cats Fall to High Flying

Tigers, but Not Without a

Fight

            The odds were stacked against a Tom Bean team coming off a heart braking last minute defeat to the S&S Rams last Friday night. Top of the table Gunter Tigers paid a visit to Tomcat field, and were expected to come away with another win on their road to a perfect season. What they didn’t know is that they would be facing a Tomcat side that shows heart and determination, and that doesn’t give in to easily.

            The Tigers started with the ball on the Tomcat 43 yard line, and only took about a minute and a half to find themselves up by a touchdown. A quick roll out by the quarter back allowed him time to find his receiver in the end-zone. The score was 7-0 10:38. The Tomcat offense couldn’t find a rhythm in the first quarter, but the defense remained solid. Multiple stops made sure the Tigers didn’t score the rest of the quarter, which is more than can be said about the Whitewright defense that gave up three touchdowns in the 1^st quarter of their battle with Gunter.

            The second, however, didn’t begin so well for the Cats. Less than a minute in, the Tigers made it 14-0 with a short run across the goal line. Then the offense got going. Senior Daniel Harrison caught a nice pass for a first down. It looked as though a pass would get the Cats out of 3^rd down trouble again, but it was just out of senior Justin Ragsdale’s reach. The Cats were forced to punt, and it would eventually cost them. A powerful offensive drive was eventually ended by a 24 yard touchdown run. This made the contest a 21-0 affair with 5:33 left in the half. The story did get better for the Tomcat offense as the game went on. Drew Hodge was certainly a driving factor; his runs were the only thing keeping the Cats driving. Then, the Tiger defense would just barely hold on and force another punt out of Tom Bean. Gunter’s quick footed running back made the score 28-0 with another touchdown. The half would eventually end on that score, and the Cats would be looking to produce a little more effort after the break.

            The second half began with constant turnovers by both teams. It all started with a fumble after Ragsdale took a hard hit and spilled the ball. Gunter then returned it to the Cats in the form of a Dillon Lillibridge interception. That’s the sophomore’s second one of the season. But, as I said before, the possession didn’t last too long. A poor snap led to another fumble, and the Tigers pounced on it again. This time they would capitalize, however. After Hodge made a great effort to make a last minute, touchdown saving tackle, the Tigers punched it in to make the score 35-0 with 3:45 left in the 3^rd quarter. They would make it 41-0 as the quarter came to a close.

            The fourth quarter was a slow and boring one with neither team able to do much on offense. The Cats did have the edge offensively, but the end result just was not there on this night. The final score was a crushing 41-0 in favor of Gunter, but the end result did not reflect the style of play.

            Contrary to what the average person would believe about the score line, the Cats actually played fairly well against a team as powerful and intimidating as Gunter.