MULLIN – Behind what first-year head coach Michael Cherry considered their best first-quarter performance of the year – thanks in part to three onside kick recoveries – the Blanket Tigers secured their seventh straight victory Thursday night, tallying the first three touchdowns of the game before the Mullin Bulldogs took a snap en route to a 60-4 District 15-A Division II triumph.
“It’s the first time I really felt like we showed up in the first quarter,” said Cherry, whose team moved to 2-0 in league play and 7-1 on the season. “I thought we played extremely hard from the first snap, and it helps when you get a couple of onside kicks. That just gets the momentum going.”
The Tigers started the game with the ball and needed just four plays to travel 43 yards as Mason Beck’s 4-yard scoring toss to Isaac Smith turned out to be all the points Blanket would need.
Leading 6-0 just 2:08 into the contest, Blanket executed its first onside kick, which Brayden Day recovered at the Mullin 36. Three plays and 24 seconds later, Day scored on a 10-yard carry to boost the lead to 12-0 at the 7:38 mark of the initial stanza.
Blanket then followed with another onside kick that Kannon Kensing pounced on at midfield. A five-play drive culminated with an 8-yard scoring sprint by Levi Vasquez, and the Tigers led 18-0 with 5:47 left in the opening as Mullin’s offense had yet to take the field.
“They’re always important,” Cherry said of the tone-setting onside kicks. “That’s such a momentum killer for the other team and such a momentum swing for us. I’m extremely proud of the way we flew around. I thought we were extremely physical and played as a team.”
Mullin’s first offensive possession resulted in its only points as a pair of passes from Wyatt Stevens to Vash Langford netted 34 yards down to the Blanket 8. Vashford was injured after the second reception and did not return to the game, and the Bulldogs settled for a 25-yard field goal from Abel Martinez for their only points. After Vashford left the game, Mullin mustered just 65 additional yards.
Blanket’s defense allowed just 99 total yards to Mullin (3-6, 0-3), as the Bulldogs passed for 74 yards completing 7 of 20 attempts, and rushed for 24 yards on seven carries.
The Tigers finished with 317 total yards – 282 on the ground and 35 through the air. Day rushed for 122 yards and two scores, Vasquez finished with 117 yards and three trips to the end zone, Beck completed 2 of 4 passes for 35 yards – both to Smith for touchdowns – and Brandon Larance tacked on 42 yards and a score on the ground.
“Everybody stepped up and did their role,” Cherry said. “We kept it pretty basic, but we did try some things out and tried some kids in different spots.”
Leading 18-4 after Mullin’s field goal, the Tigers tacked on four more touchdowns before the first quarter ended, opening a 44-4 advantage.
Beck and Smith again hooked up on a 31-yard scoring toss for a one-play scoring drive, Day chipped in another 10-yard carry, Vazquez added another 8-yard run to the end zone, and Vazquez returned a Mullin fumble 8 yards for a touchdown to give Blanket its 40-point lead with 1:55 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers boosted their advantage to 52-4 just 17 seconds into the second period as Vazquez rumbled into the end zone from 23 yards out.
And Blanket’s final touchdown of the game came from the feet of Larance on a 7-yard carry with 8:16 left before halftime.
The Tigers’ postseason future will be determined during their final two games as they host Sidney (3-3, 1-0) next week, and visit Zephyr (7-1, 2-0) in the regular season finale. Zephyr will travel to Sidney Saturday night, but only two of the three current undefeated teams in 15-A Division II competition will advance to the playoffs.
“Both of them are playing good football right now,” Cherry said of Blanket’s next two opponents. “We have Sidney next week and they two coaches kids that are good. The one sophomore is the real deal so we have to show up and play. Zephyr’s got one loss and that was in Week 1, so they’re ready to roll. Both these teams are going to give us their best shot. I just hope we show up and give them a fight.”
