Gunter Wins Semifinal Over Canadian with Late Comeback, 27-20

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: December 16, 2019

Canadian vs Gunter 2019 by Michael Kerrigan

Photos courtesy Michael Kerrigan

UIL Class 3AD2 Semifinal Determined by 27-20 Thriller

The Gunter Tigers and Canadian Wildcats met for the fourth consecutive Class 3AD2 Semifinal in as many years last Friday night and Texas High School Football aficionados are already screaming for more. The Wildcats knew it would be difficult to handle Gunter’s flex-bone offense and be able score as much or more on Gunter’s defense as they did against Abernathy in the Quarterfinals the previous week (35 points) but it was not to be.

What was to be: both teams fielded fast, fly-to-the-ball premier defenses constantly challenging two high powered offensive schemes that usually always find a way to put points on the board. Either team was well known as “big play” threats on both sides of the ball. Canadian came out on the game’s first drive in typical 2-minute drill fashion, a defense wilting tempo that has put Wildcat Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Chris Koetting on the map and in the record books. But the Gunter defense refused to wilt and held Canadian in the Red Zone on the 5 yard line on the 13-play drive.

Not to be denied points early, Koetting called on K Edgar Salazar (2-for-2 PATs, 2-for-3 FGs), who hit yet another field goal during his Junior year campaign, this one from 22 yards out. The Tigers started their first offensive series by testing their famous triple option on the Wildcat defense and gave RB Clayton Reed a cleared-out edge for room to make 12 yards and a first down, but was forced to punt by failing to convert the next 3 rd and long. Canadian took over on their own 38 yard line and with a 27 yard keeper by QB Grant McCook (14-20-123-0, 25 carries 89 yds) and a hard fought 18 yard run by RB Hayze Hufstedler (23 carries for 186 yds), the same two guys kept hammering away until McCook went into the end zone from a first & goal from the 5 yard line with 4:04 left in the first period.

Gunter went right to work from their 40 yard line after an extremely well executed kickoff return lateral to RB Clayton Reed from Hudson Graham to reverse the field for a 30 yard return. But QB Hudson Graham (4-10-0-127, 17 carries for 36 yds) threw behind WR Peyton Lowe (4 catches for 127 yds) on an out route failing on the 3 rd down conversion and was forced to punt on this drive. QB Grant McCook had problems finding an open receiver on the next series that started on the 20 yard line and the Wildcats went three-and-out when McCook’s scramble came up 2 yards short of the 1 st down marker. Canadian’s defense delivered a three-and-out to the Tigers just as the ball changed ends at the quarter break.

As the 2nd period warmed up, so did the Gunter Tigers, containing McCook’s scrambling and forcing the Wildcats to a three-and-out. The cherry on top for the Tigers defense on this drive was stopping a run by McCook faking the punt attempt, giving Gunter a short field on the Canadian 38 yard line. After a 10-plays battling the Wildcat defense, Gunter finally ran out of downs on the 13 yard line and sent K Logan Hubbard (2 for 3 PATs, 2 FGs) in to come away with the FG from 28 yards out. With both teams having very capable kickers on their roster, there would not be many drives end without
points if stopped in the Red Zone.

Second Quarter Fireworks

Even though there was only 4:13 left until the halftime break, “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet” would be the best description for the time remaining. Canadian started their next drive on their 29 yard line and one first down and 5-plays later RB Hayze Hufstedler took a handoff to the strong side off-tackle and with a crucial block from RB Jake Krehbiel and had 2 yards of separation on the Tiger secondary by the time he reached the Gunter 30 yard line, sprinting on in for the 53 yard TD with 2:34 left on the clock. But the night was way too early to take the wind out of anyone’s sails. After keeping the Gunter option scheme in check for most of the first half, the Tigers made that call again on the first play from scrimmage after receiving the kickoff. The Canadian defense left a seam for RB Peyton Lowe taking the option pitch from Tiger QB Graham to go 61 yards down to the Wildcat 17 yard line with plenty of time to score. On a 3rd and 12, RB Byson Rigsby (15 carries for 44 yds) took a counter play from Canadian’s 18 yard line down to the 4 yard line, setting up Graham’s TD with a QB keeper from the 3 yard line with 0:51 left in the half. Canadian started from their own 29 yard line and 4-plays later with the clock running out, pushed the ball to the Tiger 41 yard line. Koetting saw this as a great opportunity for an exceptional Class 3A kicker to attempt a 53 yard field goal and it was Edgar Salazar who had earned that right. Most fans might have thought it was going to be a trick play, but Salazar hit a field goal earlier in the season from 40 yards that had the length for 53. So, the kick was up and very impressive, however it fell a yard or so short of the crossbar. Tiger RB Clayton Reed (5 carries for 21 yds) caught the kick under the crossbar; however, his foot touched the back out line of the end zone and could not advance the ball as time ran out.

Obviously, the 17-10 score at the half was blowing up social media and the crowd at the East Bernard vs Omaha Paul Pewitt game on the opposing side of the bracket. Class 3A fans everywhere were locked into both games, as unranked Paul Pewitt won a close game over #2 East Bernard 24-18.

Trading Field Goals

The ending of the first half seemed to act as a premonition of the scoring in the third period, as it became a field goal clinic from both Gunter kicker Logan Hubbard and Canadian’s Edgar Salazar. Some football fans can’t get too excited about field goal kicking, but when you have the quality of kickers that both Gunter and Canadian have on their rosters at the Class 3A level, it is a real treat. Every point a team can put on the scoreboard in games like this one can make the difference. The first of each team’s field goals in the third period came whenever Gunter’s first offensive series took the ball down to the Wildcat 45 yard line on the opening kickoff return and on 2nd & 10-to-go executed a beautiful halfback pass from RB Clayton Reed to WR David Denton down to the Wildcat 14 yard line. After a couple of Canadian tackles for loss and a penalty on Gunter, the call went to Tiger kicker Hubbard to salvage the drive with a 38 yard field goal. With 8:37 left in the 3 rd period, Hubbard had cut into Canadian’s lead making it 17-13. It was then Gunter’s defense that would halt the Canadian offensive drive on their 12 yard line and see kicker Edgar Salazar called out with 0:16 left in the third to make the 22 yard field goal to answer Hubbard’s kick in this same period. But that wouldn’t end the story on kicking.

As the battle moved into the fourth period, Wildcat LB Jake Krehbiel knocked down a pass on a Tiger 3 rd & 11-to-go at the Gunter 45 yard line forcing a punt. The Tiger defense denied the Wildcats to advance with a three-and-out and started their next drive at their own 29 yard line. Two plays and a Gunter penalty later, Graham connected with Peyton Lowe on the Canadian sideline and after shaking a tackle, Lowe was in the end zone 71 yards later. The PAT was no good, possibly due to a partial block by the Canadian defense. The score that popped up on the phones tuned into the game and on the radio was now 20-19 Canadian. More social media blowing up for sure.

The Go-Ahead TD by Gunter

Then on 2nd & 8-to-go on Canadian’s own 35 yard line, McCook was stripped of the ball in a pile-up and the call went to Gunter as a turnover. One Gunter penalty and 3-plays later facing a 4th & 1-to-go, Graham hit Peyton Lowe on a post route just out of the reach of LB Jake Krehbiel to tip it away for a 37 yard TD. The PAT call was to go for two, and Graham once again found his target, this time WR Cole Lemons for the 2-point conversion. Gunter had taken their first lead of the game, 27-20 with 5:56 left in the game. Canadian started from their own 21 yard line after the kickoff and 9-plays later found themselves on the Tiger 42 yard line way behind the chains on a 4th & 25 with the clock running down in Gunter’s favor. McCook finds the time and a receiver to heave the ball down to the 2 yard line to WR Twister Kelton with a well-placed ball defended by DB David Denton. An interference call seemed quite apparent to Canadian coaches and Canadian fans, but the no-call stood.

An Incredible Finish

The Wildcats immediately went to work to gain another possession before the clock ran out and was indeed able to force Gunter to punt and started another drive with 30-seconds left on the clock from their own 37 yard line. McCook threw an out-route pass to WR Tate Mitchell to the 50 yard line, then another out-route to Kelton to the 37 yard line, then unable to find deep receivers, dumped off the next pass to Hufstedler in the flat, and with some tough after-catch yards took the ball to the 17 yard line. It was then that the offense lined up for McCook to spike the ball with only ONE second left in the game. What would have been expected to be the final play of the game became the most suspenseful and perhaps unexpected call of the night when McCook threw into the end zone for WR Reagan Cochran and a defensive interference was called, placing the ball on the Gunter 3 yard line with no time on the clock. It was possibly a reprieve from the previous missed interference call that Canadian disputed, but it was the call the Wildcats needed to have one last play to score a TD, kick a PAT and force the overtime. McCook took the shotgun snap and rolled right in a play-action, then turned to throw back left to a screen to Kelton. LB Bryson Rigsby made contact with Kelton at the half yard line and the ball was called down at the 1-foot line. Gunter had officially ended the game with their only lead of the game 27-20 to advance to the Class 3AD2 State Championship.

The Gunter Tigers proved how valuable taking the lead late in the fourth period can be in close matches like this one played out on Leo Brittain Field in Lion Stadium, Vernon, Texas, this season. Gunter moves to a 14-1 record and will meet Omaha Paul Pewitt (14-1) in the UIL Class 3AD2 State Championship game on Thursday, December 19 th , at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Canadian finishes with a 14-1 record and will begin preparing for another season with the
first goal of winning a District title, then another run at the playoffs.

by Jerry Brunson
@CHSWildcatNews – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Stats courtesy of Ron Shrader, CISD

1ST 2ND 3rd 4th Total
CANADIAN 10 7 3 0 - 20
GUNTER 0 10 3 14 - 27

SCORING

C – Edgar Salazar 22 yd field goal, 8:11
C – Grant McCook 5 yd run, (Edgar Salazar kick) 4:04
Q2

G – Logan Hubbard 28 yd field goal, 4:13
C – Hayze Hufstedler 53 yd run, (Edgar Salazar kick) 2:34
G – Hudson Graham 3 yd run, (Hubbard kick) 0:51

G – Logan Hubbard 38 yd field goal, 8:37
C – Edgar Salazar 29 yd field goal, 0:16

G – Peyton Lowe 71 yd pass, (Hubbard kick failed) 8:05
G – Cole Lemons 37 yd pass, (Graham to Lemons pass, 2-point conv) 5:56

GAME STATISTICS

FIRST DOWNS: G – 9, C – 20
YDS RUSHING: G –156, C – 276
YDS PASSING: G – 123, C – 158
TOTAL YDS: G – 399, C – 314
COMP-ATT-INT: G – 9-12-1, C – 14-20-0
PUNTS-AVG: G – 4-37, C – 3-39
FUMBLES-LOST: G– 2-1 C – 1-1
PENALTIES: G – 5-43, C- 1-14

(click photos to see slideshow)

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Want to see how the Canadian teams stack up against some of the best all time?

We have the 2015 Championship and 2017 teams already created and football fans and game board players around the world are coaching the Canadian Wildcats against some of the greatest teams in history.

2015 Canadian - The Wildcats won the Class 2A Division I State Championship with a convincing 41 point win over Gulf Coast power Refugio. This was Canadian's 4th Championship win in 5 Championship games since 2007.

2017 Canadian - The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 16 years. All 16 years they have had 8+ wins. This team made it to the Semifinals with a high scoring offense and great defense.