Canadian Cruises Past Friona

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: October 28, 2018

Photos by Alan Hale

Canadian Arrives on Time for 63-14 Win Over Friona

Friona – Canadian notched their 32nd consecutive District win Friday, but it wasn’t without some schedule threatening issues encountered on the road to Friona,

It’s not the first time Canadian ISD Transportation Director, Shaffer Baxter, deserved the game ball Friday night, along with a caller to the school that reported Canadian’s team bus (affectionately known as the Wildcat Victory Bus) was leaking fluid (engine coolant) while going down the road. That information was relayed to Head Coach Chris Koetting a few miles west of Miami. Line Coach Hayden Merket eased the bus back to the Miami ISD bus barn area before over heating caused any damage. Transportation Dir. Baxter, a former Wildcat himself, rallied his troops to get two more activity buses headed to Miami for the exchange. The first rescue bus loaded players and personal gear only, while the second bus brought managers and equipment.

The bus breakdown appeared to be the only significant bad bounce of the ball for Canadian the entire night. Warmups proceeded on time and the Canadian NASCAR style offense proceeded to march down the field at will, while the swarming Wildcat defense kept the Chieftains in check most of the game.

Canadian QB Casen Cavalier struck a passing TD bonanza in the first quarter, hitting both WR Bill Koetting and WR Trent Evans twice each for TDs. With the exception of one drive, Cavalier’s offense had the luxury of operating in Chieftain territory on all of those scoring drives. With a little less than 3 minutes left in the period, Cavalier was sacked by DL Jesus Flores backing the Wildcats up on their own 15-yard line. The solution to a 3rd & 21-to-go would be an 85-yard TD pass to WR Trent Evans, one that Cavalier heaved 40-yards in the air before Evans snatched it in full stride near the Friona sideline.

Three turnovers and 5 Wildcat scores in the first quarter made the stats look like a full game had been played. Even Cavalier was picked off when Chieftain DB Jose Rodriguez won a tipoff battle with WR Garrison McCook.

One Canadian score was setup by a 40-yard interception return to the 4-yard line by Wildcat DB Twister Kelton of Friona QB Marco Monreal, and another turnover due to a RB Sergio Flores fumble would set up a 4-yard TD run by McCook just before the buzzer at the end of the 1st quarter. When the dust cleared, Friona was shell-shocked by a 35-0 Canadian lead.

The Chieftains, however, would not be satisfied with the zero on their side of the scoreboard and put together a 10-play 73-yard drive that culminated in a 15-yard run out of the wildcat formation by RB Jonathan Hernandez, carrying several Canadian defensive men into the end zone with him. Before the half was complete, Hernandez tossed a 16-yard pass to WR Marin Santiago. Both PATs by Sergio Flores were good. Unfortunately for Friona, Canadian answered every point in the 2nd ; with a Cavalier TD pass to WR Jack Koetting and 28-yard run by Cavalier just before the clock ran out before halftime.

The 3rd quarter ended with the Wildcat defense holding the Chieftains and scoring twice; another TD pass from Cavalier to WR Trent Evans, who went 6-for-182 yds and 3 TDs. Cavalier passed 18-of-28-for-283 yards and 7 TDs. K Edgar Salazar finished another game with no misses, 9-for-9 PATs. Sophomore backup QB Josh Culwell showed great presence of mind picking up a dropped snap and scrambling 25-yards to the end zone for the last score of the game.

The 4th quarter was a 0-0 stalemate as Canadian slowed down the offense and burned a lot of the clock with the run game.

Next week the Wildcats take to the road with almost the identical mileage to Dimmitt and Friona will also be on the road to Tulia.

Jerry Brunson for Lone Star Gridiron
@CHSWildcatNews

Alan Hale

Stats courtesy of Ron Shrader, Canadian ISD

	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
Canadian	35	14	14	0	63
Friona	0	14	0	0	14

	Canadian	Friona
First Downs	22	8
Rushing Yds	102	72
Passing Yds	319	138
C - A - I	19-30-1	11-20-1
Total Yds	510	210
Punts-Avg	2-45	6-38
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	2-2
Penalties	5-60	3-35

Scoring

1st Q

C – Bill Koetting, 10 yd pass from Casen Cavalier (Edgar Salazar kick) 9:20
C – Trent Evans, 36 yd Cavalier pass (Salazar kick) 5:28
C – Trent Evans, 85 yd Cavalier pass (Salazar kick) 5:28
C – Bill Koetting, 5 yd Cavalier pass (Salazar kick) 1:08
C – Garrison McCook, 4 yd run (Salazar kick) 0:05

2nd Q

F – Jonathan Hernandez, 15 yd run (Sergio Flores kick) 7:01
C – Jack Koetting, 12 yd Cavalier pass (Salazar kick) 4:17
F – Marin Santiago, 16 yd Jonathan Hernandez pass (Sergio Flores kick) 2:08
C – Casen Cavalier, 28 yd run (Salazar kick) 0:43

3rd Q

C – Trent Evans, 25 yd pass from Casen Cavalier (Salazar kick) 7:58
C – Josh Culwell, 25 yd run (Salazar kick) 0:09

4th Q

NO SCORES