Record Win for New Deal
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Updated: October 10, 2015
photo: Melodee Gunter
New Deal Notches 450th Win in Big Fashion
NEW DEAL - The small town rivalry continued in New Deal Friday night where the #11 ranked Class 2A DI Lions hosted the Abernathy Antelopes for their district opener. Though Abernathy tried to challenge New Deal’s undefeated season, they easily became another win checked off the Lions’ list.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Lions found their fire in the second. With 10:14 to play in the half, New Deal FB Mark Adams rushed for a first down to get the offense moving. Then Kevin Ramos gained a few more yards off the screen pass from QB Jaxson Durham. Not long after, Durham connected with WR Sebastian Hartless for a 43 yard touchdown to put the first points on the board. Jai Manahan’s extra point added to that. New Deal led 7-0 with 7:51 to go in the half, and from there, they never looked back.
After an interception from New Deal’s Sebastian Hartless, Manahan found the end zone again for the Lions with 4:05 to play in the second quarter. Just short of their two point conversion attempt, the Lions stretched their lead 13-0.
Abernathy attempted to put up a fight when QB Trae Bender found WR Aaron Rodriguez down field for a first down. It wasn’t long before the Antelopes were forced to punt though, and when they did New Deal’s Sebastian Hartless ran right through them on the return for another Lion touchdown.
The half came to an end with the scoreboard New Deal 19, Abernathy 0.
The second half didn’t look much different from the first, New Deal dominating both sides of the ball. With 10:57 to play in the third, QB Jaxson Durham hit Mark Adams down field to put a few more points up on the board. Durham found Adams in the end zone again on the two point conversion attempt, and the Lions easily had control of the game 27-0.
With 8:50 to go in the third, New Deal’s Jai Manahan found the end zone for his second touchdown of the night. His extra point attempt was also good, which pushed the lead 34-0.
It appeared that Abernathy still had some fight left when Kason Teal snagged an interception to put the ball back in Antelope possession with 7:13 to play in the third. Bender then completed a pass to Teal in an attempt to find an offensive rhythm, but Abernathy was forced to punt yet again soon after the start of the fourth quarter.
With 6:30 on the clock, New Deal RB Tre Patton carried the Lions into Antelope territory yet again. Just a few plays later, Durham found WR Cody Thomas in the back of the end zone for six more points. Manahan’s kick added to that, putting the score at 41-0 with 4:39 to play.
Abernathy was determined to get on the board though. With 3:04 to go in the game, Bender escaped for a 67 yard run down to the Lions’ 12 yard line. Bender then found Teal on the fade for the Antelopes first points of the night. Robert Rodriguez’s kick was good, putting the scoreboard at New Deal 41, Abernathy 7 with 2:53 to play.
After the game, New Deal Head Coach Matt Hill explained how the Lions were able to be so successful offensively all night.
“I’m really proud of the way the guys played. Abernathy had a really good game plan for us defensively. We were fortunate that we could spread the ball out and throw it around a little bit and create some space. We’re just excited about the way our kids executed the game plan”, he said.
The Lions continue district play next Friday against the (1-5) Olton Mustangs.
Coming off of a huge rivalry win for their district opener, WR Sebastian Hartless clarified the importance of the team concentrating on next week.
“I’m just focused on Olton, getting to 2-0”, he said. “There’s a bunch of other great teams in our district, and they’ve been known to pull out some upsets. So we’re just focusing on Olton, and then we’ll go on to the next one.”
The New Deal Lions dominated their district opener at home against the Abernathy Antelopes with a final score of 41-7. The win marks their 450th all-time win. They will attempt to defend their turf again next week as they host the Olton Mustangs.
by Melodee Gunter
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