Angleton punches ticket to state final four
Angleton Advances
Josh Koch
12 December 2017
Originally appeared on Vype.com.
HOUSTON—Angleton didn’t need BJ Foster to beat the Foster Falcons a month ago.
Inside NRG Stadium on Friday night, the Wildcats leaned on No. 25 and the senior running back put the team on his back.
Foster rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns and caught another six passes for 89 yards and Angleton defeated Foster 41-10 in the Region IV-5A Final.
“If it’s not emotional you need to check in your gear and do something else,” Angleton coach Ryan Roark said about moving on. “I’m incredibly proud of our kids and our staff. Our fans showed up in droves tonight. We had a heck of a crowd. I’m proud of everything we stand for right now.”
Angleton (13-0) will play Manvel next week with a Class 5A Division I State Championship game berth on the line. Kickoff for that game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at NRG Stadium.
Foster finishes the season at 9-4 after winning three-straight games to get to the regional finals for a second-straight year.
“We’ll sit back and reflect, this loss hurts but you know we weren’t expected to be here anyway,” Foster coach Shaun McDowell said. “Nobody picked us to win this game, nobody expected us to be here. So I felt like we achieved something people said we couldn’t do anyway. So for me it’s a successful season. I know a lot of people wishing they were 9-4. I’ll take that any year.”
Heading into the fourth quarter, Angleton led Foster 13-10 thanks to a pair of 36-yard field goals from Eduardo Rosales.
The game was close and the final 12 minutes could decide the outcome and Angleton dominated.
The wheels got turning with the Wildcats defense.
Angleton’s Evrin Hawkins stepped in front of the only pass by Foster backup quarterback Grant Guzzetta and picked it off in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. Hawkins finished with a pair of interceptions, leading to 10 points for the Wildcats.
“Big time playmaker,” Roark said about Hawkins. “Evrin’s been making those plays all year long. He scored a touchdown in more ways than you can possibly fathom on either side of the ball. Interception returns and fumble recoveries. You name them he’s scored them. He’s a heck of a football player.”
Following the interception, Foster got loose for a pair of rushes, including a three-yard touchdown, making it 20-10 with 8:33 to go.
The next two plays completely shifted the momentum to Angleton.
A fumble by Foster’s Guzzetta on the snap, which was recovered by Angleton’s Jesse Herron, put the ball at the 13. On the Wildcats’ first play, Foster took it and dove for the pylon for his third rushing score of the night. Foster had a 67-yard rushing score in the first quarter.
Foster gave Angleton a 14-point swing in its favor in a matter of 22 seconds for the Wildcats to lead 27-10 with 8:11 left. Foster finished with 12 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns.
“It’s a good feeling for our team and the community,” Foster said about getting to the state semifinals. “We worked real hard to get past here. That’s how hard work pays off.”
The defense continued to bow up for Angleton from this point on.
The Wildcats ended up allowing just 100 yards of total offense to Foster and no offensive touchdowns scored. The lone touchdown came off a 61-yard scoop and score by Stephon West in the second quarter.
“Our defense you just have to tip your cap to Coach (Jake) Brittain and our defensive staff,” Roark said. “They put together an unbelievable game plan week in and week out and we’ve got a bunch of kids that rally to the ball and have fun playing defense.”
Angleton tacked on two more scores by night’s end as Seth Cosme rushed in from 15 yards and then Tamerik Williams—who finished with 119 yards on 13 carries—busted off a 63-yard score, making it 41-10, which would be the final.
Next up for undefeated Angleton is undefeated Manvel.
“I know very little about them,” Roark said. “We put our heart and soul and all of our effort and concentration into Foster. We’ll worry about Manvel tomorrow morning.”
SCORING SUMMARY
Foster: RJ Hunt kicks a 26-yard field goal 3-0 (1:27- 1st quarter)
Angelton: BJ Foster 67-yard touchdown run 3-7 (1:10 – 1st quarter)
Foster: Stephon West returns a fumble 61 yards 10-7 (8:58- 2nd quarter)
Angleton: Eduardo Rosales kicks a 36-yard field goal 10-10 (4:40 –2nd quarter)
Angleton: Eduardo Rosales kicks a 36-yard field goal 10-13 (2:36 –3rd quarter)
Angelton: BJ Foster 3-yard touchdown run 10-20 (8:33 – 4th quarter)
Angelton: BJ Foster 13-yard touchdown run 10-27 (8:11 – 4th quarter)
Angelton: Seth Cosme 15-yard touchdown run 10-34 (4:01 – 4th quarter)
Angelton: Tamerik Williams 63-yard touchdown run 10-41 (2:12 – 4th quarter)
C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Nico vs. Colts
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Taylor made
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Confident Anderson
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
Pass rush
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
