Canadian Rolls Spearman Again

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: December 2, 2018

photos Mathers and Sarah Hale

Canadian Wins District Re-match
For Regional Semifinal Championship

CANYON – The opportunity Spearman earned to play Canadian again in the playoffs didn’t quite live up to the game they played in Canadian three weeks ago. In that game, the Lynx almost scored as many points on Canadian as another District team, Childress, ranked higher than Canadian. But the Canadian defense proved to be much more resolved than their last meeting. The Wildcat quick-fire offense also showed no signs of slowing down either.

When Canadian WR Grant McCook took a Casen Cavalier pass 52 yards for the first score of the night with only 1:37 off the clock, there were fans on both sides that could hear Yogi Berra in their heads saying "It's déjà vu all over again."

Going back to Week 7, this was the fifth game that the Wildcats scored in less than two minutes of the start of the game, once without having the first possession. As soon as Spearman began the second series of the game, it was over on their first play from scrimmage with a fumble turnover to Canadian by RB Milan Salinas. Two plays and 58 more seconds off the clock and Wildcat RB Hayze Hufstedler went in from 7 yards for another TD. QB Cavalier and the extra-point team shifted out of the kick formation making good on a 2-point conversion attempt due to a rare missed PAT by K Edgar Salazar on the first score. Cavalier rolled to the right until he found WR Trent Evans who reeled in a catch thrown behind him, then turned and stretched putting the ball across the goal line at the pylon.

Before the 1st quarter was half over, Canadian’s Cavalier tossed a jailbreak screen to WR Garrison McCook who easily found open an open field behind blocks by Rhet Pennington, Colton Risley, Noah Carter, and Grant McCook that split the defense for McCook to sprint 52 yards to the goal line. Scoring in the second quarter continued to be produced exclusively by the Wildcats. RB Hayze Hufstedler punched in another TD from 3 yards out capping an 11-play 80 yard drive. With 34 seconds left in the half, Cavalier connected with a pass to senior WR Trent Evans across the middle in full stride. Evans made it to the Spearman sideline untouched and used his speed to rob Lynx DBs Jack Wilkerson and Arturo Camacho of the angle they needed to force Evans out of bounds and had to watch as Evans finished the play for a 59 yard TD.

Going into the second half down 35 points, the Lynx were playing for all or nothing. After drives that totaled 11 and 14 plays, Spearman was denied 4th down conversions on both drives. Lynx QB Reece Shields continued to challenge the Wildcat defense, eventually racking up 247 yards passing to receivers Reid Harrell, Jack Wilkerson, Cristian Valles, and Arturo Camacho.

Wildcat QB Cavalier scrambled to add one more Canadian TD from 6 yards out with 6:02 left in the game. K Edgar Salazar added the PAT, 4-of-5 he kicked on the night. With a little over 2 minutes left, Lynx QB Shields handed off to RB Milan Salinas to convert on 4 th & 2 taking the run 12 yards to the Wildcat 22 yard line. The next play, Shields would avoid the shutout by finding Reid Harrell in the end zone. Camacho would kick the PAT and the scoreboard changed for the last time to 42-7, Canadian.

UIL QUARTERFINAL (REGION 1 CHAMPIONSHIP) SCHEDULE

District 3-3ADII advanced 3 of 4 seeds to the Regional Semis, but Canadian has proved to be the last survivor of that district after Friday night beating Spearman and Tulia suffering a heartbreaking loss to Abernathy on their historic playoff run this season.

Yet another rivalry between Abernathy and Canadian that kicked up several years ago will highlight the UIL Quarterfinal round to determine the Region 1 Champions. That game is scheduled for a 7:00 P.M. kickoff at Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo, Texas, on Friday, December 7, 2018.

Jerry Brunson for Lone Star Gridiron

@CHSWildcatNews

Stats courtesy of Ron Shrader, Canadian ISD

	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
Canadian	21	14	0	7	42
Spearman	0	0	0	7	7

	Canadian	Spearman
First Downs	20	17
Rushing Yds	188	79
Passing Yds	277	247
C - A - I	20-25-2	15-32-2
Total Yds	456	326
Punts-Avg	1-61	3-34
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	2-1
Penalties	4-50	7-60

Scoring

1st Q

C – Grant McCook, 52 yd Casen Cavalier pass (Salazar kick no good) 10:23
C – Hayze Hufstedler, 7 yd run (2-pt conv, Cavalier to Trent Evans pass) 9:35
C – Garrison McCook, 52 yd Casen Cavalier pass (Salazar kick) 6:51

2nd Q

C – Hayze Hufstedler, 3 yd run (Salazar kick) 9:46
C – Trent Evans, 59 yd Cavalier pass (Salazar kick) 0:34

3rd Q

NO SCORES

4th Q

C – Casen Cavalier, 6 yd run (Salazar kick) 6:02
S – Reid Harrell, 22 yd Reece Shields pass (Arturo Camacho kick) 2:16