CELINA BOBCATS VS. HENDERSON LIONS
Friday November 25, 2011
Mesquite Memorial Stadium
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
Sometimes you get beat by a superior team. Sometimes you “give” the game away and lose to an inferior opponent. And sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way. On this night, the Bobcats got beat by a superior football team. In a game that required Celina to play just about perfect, they were forced into uncharacteristic mistakes and miscues. Costly penalties, poor special teams, and carelessness with the football certainly contributed to the loss vs. Henderson, the defending Class 3A Division I State Champions. It wasn’t too long ago that Celina’s opponent had to play perfect to beat them, but those things tend to change over time. Henderson, dropped from 4A to 3A just last season after 30 consecutive seasons competing in the higher classification, proved to be too much to handle for the Bobcats from Celina.
Even to the untrained eye, this Henderson team looked like champions. That is assuming the untrained eye can recognize talent, size, athleticism, speed, and good coaching. With an enrollment nearly twice the size of Celina even their depth was apparent. When injuries kicked in, that became even more obvious. Here is how the game unfolded.
On a perfect night for football, the Bobcats won the opening coin toss and elected to defer their option to begin the 2nd half. Celina kicked to Henderson and the defense forced a quick 3 and out. The Bobcat offense picked up 7 yards on three plays and was forced to punt the ball back to the Lions. The Lions’ Monsta Brown returned Bilderback’s punt to the Celina 5 yard line. The Big Orange defense rose to the occasion, forcing a 24 yard field goal attempt which missed the mark. Celina got the ball back and picked up 9 yards before an Eliot Bush fumble lost 6 yards on 3rd down. Bilderback came on to punt once again giving the Lions possession at their own 41 yard line. On 1st down LeMarcus Brown ran for 32 yards to the Celina 27. Four plays later Jay O’Neal ran into the end zone from 7 yards out for the 6-0 lead. William Mann tacked on the PAT and Henderson led 7-0 with 5:41 remaining in the first quarter. Celina would get no closer.
After the Lions kickoff Celina began their next drive from their own 11 yard line. Jamarick Simmons and Nathan Elliott combined to move the ball from their own 11 to the Henderson 36 yard line over the span of 10 plays. On the 10th play of the drive there was a mix-up on the handoff and the ball hit the turf. LeMarcus Brown scooped the ball up from the turf and sprinted 60 yards untouched into the end zone for the 14-0 lead. What began as a promising response to the early deficit ended with the lead being stretched to 14 points and momentum clearly in the Lions favor.
Bobcat Freshman sensation Nathan Elliott directed a 9 play drive on Celina’s next possession, but it too would end in disappointment. Facing a 4th and 4 from the Henderson 38 yard line Nathan Elliott was stopped for a loss of 3, turning the ball over to the Lions on the 41 yard line. Three plays later Lion QB LaBradford Barnes found Jamie Anthony for a 49 yard scoring pass that would break the game wide open. The PAT was good and Henderson led Celina 21-0 with over 8 minutes left in the half. Celina took the kickoff to their own 27 yard line. Elliott guided the Bobcats on an impressive 15 play drive that eventually stalled at the Henderson 33 yard line. Elliott’s 4th down pass was complete to Jesus Vargas but the ‘Cats were still 5 yards short of the 1st down marker.
The Bobcat defense rose to the occasion forcing a quick three and out and getting the ball back to the offense with a little over 2 minutes remaining in the half and trailing 21-0. In addition, the Lions QB Barnes had to be helped off the field and his return appeared doubtful with a serious ankle injury. If the Bobcats could somehow scratch out a TD and take some much needed momentum into halftime perhaps their chances for a 2nd half comeback would be in place. But the Bobcat offense couldn’t get anything going and were forced to punt the ball back to the Lions with just :38 seconds left before intermission. Just enough time for the Lions to tack on another score. Monsta Brown took the ball to the end zone on the 1st play, extending the Lions lead to 28-0. In the 1st half Celina had moved the ball on occasion but lost fumbles, poor tackling, and poor special teams had put them in a huge hole against a very talented team.
The Bobcats received the 2nd half kickoff and began their 1st possession of the half from their own 25 yard line. Again the Bobcat offense had limited success, driving the ball to the Henderson 20 yard line before coughing up another fumble. The Celina defense held the Lions to a single 1st down before forcing the Lions to punt the ball back to the Bobcats. Unable to move the ball the Bobcats were forced to punt the ball back to the Lions after three plays. The regular punter Zack Bilderback had been forced out of the game due to injury and Celina called on backup punter Micah Nelson to punt the ball out of trouble. Unfortunately Nelson’s punt went off the side of his foot, resulting in a punt of negative 2 yards. At this point it seemed like Murphy’s Law was in full effect, however the Bobcat defense overcame the adversity on the next Lion’s series.
Preston Watson stepped in front of a Barnes pass near his own 20 yard line and returned the pick all the way down to the Henderson 30 yard line. The Bobcats went backwards from there, giving up the ball on downs at the Henderson 34 yard line. Henderson quickly marched down the field to the Celina 24 yard line as the 3rd quarter came to a close. On the first play of the 4th quarter the Lion’s Jay O’Neal took the ball the final 24 steps into the end zone for a 35-0 Lion advantage. With the outcome no longer in doubt, the only thing left for the Bobcats was to see if they could avoid the shutout and fight until the end. That is exactly what they did. Elliott directed a 16 play drive that was capped off with a 3 yard run off tackle by Senior Jamarick Simmons. The PAT by Jesus Vargas was good and the deficit was cut to 35-7.
The Bobcat defense forced another Lion punt after 6 plays. The Celina offense was again stymied and forced to punt the ball back to Henderson. Monsta Brown returned the punt 52 yards for the Lion score, extending the lead to 42-7. After the kickoff Elliott and the Bobcats put together a 6 play scoring drive that culminated with a 14 yard scoring pass from Brooks Stephenson to Mike Richardson. The TD cut the lead to 42-13 after the 2 point conversion attempt failed. Celina was successful on the onside kick and the Bobcats were once again in position to cut into the lead with just 1:28 remaining in the contest. Starting at the Lions 40 yard line the Bobcats picked up one first down, and then facing 4th and 7 from the Lion 7 yard line Nathan Elliott lofted a perfect pass into the arms of Ben Thiel for the final score of the evening. The conversion attempt failed leaving the score at Henderson 42, Celina 19.
While the Bobcats, their coaches, and their fans were certainly disappointed in the final score, this group of Bobcats showed a lot of Bobcat Pride and Bobcat Heart. Clearly outmatched and not playing very well, they were able to score 19 points in the final quarter to make the score respectable. Celina’s Nathan Elliott attempted a whopping 47 passes as he tried to rally the Bobcats from a deficit all night long. He completed 27 of those passes for 236 yards and one TD. Celina picked up 23 1st downs on the night compared to only 12 for the Lions, but the Lions struck hard with big play after big play. A fumble recovery that was picked up for a TD and a punt return for a score was just two of the big plays the Lions took advantage of.
The Celina rushing attack was held in check all night, gaining only 127 yards on 43 attempts (2.95 avg.). Bobcat special teams were not very effective either. They punted five times for only a 27.5 yard average, including one punt that actually traveled backwards for a net of minus 2 yards. Celina fumbled the ball four times, losing 2 of them including the “scoop and score”. All in all it just wasn’t a good night for the Bobcats. The effort could not be doubted, but the execution was lacking. Still, the Bobcats were overachievers all season long. They brought a perfect 11-0 record into the contest and finished the season 11-1 with the only loss to the defending state champion Lions.
The prospects for next year look bright. They will lose major contributors such as Jamarick Simmons, Jesus Vargas, and Zack Bilderback to graduation. Jordan Roos, injured for most of the season will also graduate and move on to play college football next season at Purdue University. Returning to anchor the line next year is Division One prospect Jake Raulerson and his brother Josh. Also returning will be Ben Thiel and Micah Nelson. However, the brightest hope for Celina lies in the continued development of Freshman QB Nathan Elliott. Elliott, who just turned 15 two weeks ago has immense talent and promises to be one of the best QB’s in Celina’s storied history. He plays with the poise of an upperclassmen and he is one of those players that “eats, sleeps, and dreams” Bobcat football. It will be a pleasure to watch his continued development over the next three seasons.
As I said in the opening paragraph, sometimes you just get beat by a better team. That is precisely what happened on Friday night. One thing for sure though, the winningest high school program in Texas over the last 50 years will be back next year. It’s always disappointing to lose your last game, but only one team in each division can walk away winners. The Bobcats of 2011 did themselves and their fans proud. The Senior leadership was outstanding and the underclassmen contribution gives them great hope in 2012. The Bobcat’s season is over, but there are three more weeks of high school football to enjoy. Get out and see the best high school football in the country….Texas high school football. The Celina Bobcats wish the Henderson Lions the best of luck as they seek to win back-to-back championships in Class 3A. See you next year.
Pat Hun
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2011 Season
Nov. 18, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Lovejoy Leopards
Nov. 11, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Sanger Indians
Nov. 4, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Commerce Tigers
Oct. 28, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Bonham Warriors
Oct. 14, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Anna Coyotes
Oct. 7, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Van Alstyne Panthers
Sept. 30, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Lake Worth Bullfrogs
Sept. 23, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Paris Wildcats
Sept. 9, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs. Pilot Point Bearcats
Sept. 2, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs Prestonwood Christian Academy Lions
Aug. 26, 2011 – Celina Bobcats vs Carollton-Ranchview Wolves
2010 Season
Nov. 19, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Lovejoy Leopards
Nov, 12, 2010 – Ceilna Bobcats vs Sanger Indians
Nov, 5, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Commerce Tigers
Oct, 29, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Bonham Warriors
Oct, 15, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Anna Coyotes
Oct, 8, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Van Alstyne Panthers
Oct, 1, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Lake Worth Bullfrogs
Sept, 24, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Paris Wildcats
Sept, 17, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Melissa Cardinals
Sept, 10, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Pilot Point Bearcats
Sept, 03, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Prestonwood Christian Academy Lions
August 27, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Carrollton Ranchview Wolves
August 27, 2010 – Celina Bobcats vs Carrollton Ranchview Wolves
Pre-Season 2010
2009 Season
November 13, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Van Alstyne Panthers
November 6, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Argyle Eagles
October 30, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Whitesboro Bearcats
October 23, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Gainesville Leopards
October 16, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Prosper Eagles
October 9, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Sanger Indians
September 25, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Whitehouse Wildcats
September 19, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Ft. Worth Arlington Heights Yellowjackets
September 11, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Daingerfield Tigers
September 4, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. TCA Trojans
August 28, 2009 – Celina Bobcats vs. Ferris Yellowjackets
