Friona Challenges Canadian but Comes up Short

By Chris Doelle
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: October 25, 2021

Canadian Topples Friona for Big District 3-3A Win, 33-27

It’s no secret that District 3-3A DII is one of toughest districts in this class in the State. After the Childress Bobcats slipped out of the grip of a very physical Friona team with a 40-35 win on October 15th , a lot of attention was focused on how well the defending State Champion Canadian Wildcats would handle the Chieftains. It is difficult enough for a team to defend a championship when injuries plague key players beginning early in the season. But to also be required to use Freshmen and Sophomores with little or no varsity minutes of experience can present another set of problems.

The Wildcats have been fortunate to field some younger players that despite their youth, have proven to be assets rather liabilities. For example, last week versus Dimmitt, Keeton Githins ran back a kickoff for a TD during his very first varsity play. This week, another Freshman, Wyatt Davis, made his presence known on the Wildcat defense making key tackles on three different plays in the same series against the prolific running offense of Friona.

For Friona, this game ended with the heartbreak of losing to the second of the two frontrunners in this district by 5 and 6 points for the second week in a row. However, according to Canadian OC Hayden Merket, it should not have been that close. He told CSN radio broadcaster Russell Gadbois: “Just a lot of resiliency… [The] defense played lights out in the first half. Had we not had as many penalties and dropped balls and a few things here and there; the game should’ve been out of reach at halftime, honestly.”

Merket certainly gave the Chieftains their due. “If I base on the strength of people, thinking of last year, you know, these guys on the other side over there, they can play with anybody in our region.”

The Chieftains came to Canadian with a solid running game reputation, but was met with a well-prepared defensive front made up of Nathan Wagner, Corbin Throgmorton, and Nathan Mondragon with help from Jed Davina and Aiden Dickinson. That preparation was obviously a huge part of shutting out the Friona running attack to the tune of only 64 total yards in the first half. The Friona defense had also come out to make a statement, giving the fast-paced Wildcat offense a dose of their own 3-and-out medicine at least three times in the first half, but couldn’t keep RB Isay Ramirez out of the end zone from the 1-yard line with 7:30 left in Q1 and then two series later allowed the Wildcats to get close enough for a 28-yard field goal by Emiliano Hernandez. With 5:09 left in the 2 nd period, QB Camren Cavalier hit his favorite target Angel Garcia for a 21-yard TD, ending the first-half scoring with 17 Wildcat points, while the Chieftains were still looking for a break to the end zone.

FRIONA PLAYS CATCH-UP

The first play from scrimmage in the second half provided the break Friona had been looking for when QB Bryan Chavira broke loose on a keeper around the strong side and went 76-yards for the TD. Kicker Tim Ally hit the PAT and that set a tone for the Chieftains to dig in and be motivated to play some serious come-from-behind football. The comeback was a struggle as Canadian answered every score Friona produced in the 3rd period, but as the 4th quarter swapped the field on the 2nd play of a new Friona series, Chavira sold the run fake and hit a wide-open Cade Crosby in stride for a 59-yard TD pass cutting the Canadian lead to 10 with 11:49 left in the game.

THE CHIEFTAINS BIG CHANCE AND SPECIAL TEAM PLAYS

After Friona was able to keep the Wildcats from scoring when they advanced into the red zone, it seemed like a lost cause once again whenever they were forced to punt from their own 25-yard line. Never underestimate the power of a punt and playing field position. Chavira let go of a punt that landed near the Canadian 15-yard line and before rolling into the end zone, Martin Godinez was able to push it back out across the line and make it officially a 74-yard punt that had Canadian backed up against their own end zone at the 1-yard line. This special team play gave new hope to the Chieftain’s cause and only two plays later, a pass from Cavalier intended for Garcia was tipped and intercepted by Jacob Bautista and returned it to the Canadian 5-yard line. Four plays later on 4th & 1, Chavira scored with 4:37 left in the game cutting the Canadian lead to 4.

The next outstanding special teams play would be from Canadian. As Friona’s Tim Ally stepped into the PAT kick, it didn’t go as planned due to Angel Garcia penetrating Friona’s formation to get the block on Ally’s kick. As the ball bounced off of the turf, there awaiting the recovery (and bouncing right into his hands) was Jaxtyn Valenzuela, who took the blocked kick 85-yards to the end zone for the 2-point reward. Although the two points didn’t create a desired amount of difference in the score, it did create a shift away from on the Friona momentum, allowing the Wildcats to gain some of their own. With 4:37 left in the game, Ally kicked the ball into the end zone on the kickoff, Friona not opting for the on-side kick. Cavalier and company proceeded to move the ball downfield, making enough first downs to continue the possession until Cavalier could take a knee and run the clock out for the victory.

Week 9 the Wildcats will travel to Tulia to take on the Hornets, who lost to Childress this week 56-21. The Wildcats can’t overlook Tulia on their home field before facing what area sports media will be spotlighting as most probably the District 3-3ADII Championship game in Canadian on November 5th when the Wildcats take on the favored Childress Bobcats.

Jerry Brunson for Lone Star Gridiron
@CHSWildcatNews (Facebook & Twitter)
chswildcatnews (Instagram)

Stats courtesy of Steve Forrest, Canadian Sports Network

Photos by Alan Hale Photography

SCORING

          1ST 2ND 3rd 4th - Total
CANADIAN   10   7  14   2  - 33
DIMMITT     0   0  14  13  - 27

CAN – Isay Ramirez 1 yd run (Emiliano Hernandez kick) 7:30
CAN – Emiliano Hernandez 28 yd FG 2:04

CAN – Angel Garcia 21 yd pass from Camren Cavalier (Emiliano Hernandez kick) 5:09

FRI – Bryan Chavira 76 yd run (Tim Ally kick) 11:35
CAN – Ramirez 1 yd run (Hernandez kick) 6:20
FRI – Cade Crosby 6 yd pass from Chavira (Tim Ally kick) 2:24
CAN – Ramirez 5 yd run (Hernandez kick) 0:26

FRI – Cade Crosby 59 yd pass from Chavira (Tim Ally kick) 11:49
FRI – Chavira 1 yd run (Tim Ally kick blocked) 4:37
CAN – Jaxtyn Valenzuela 85 yd 2-point return of blocked PAT 4:37

FRI - CAN
FIRST DOWNS 13 - 15
YARDS RUSHING 148 - 216
YARDS PASSING 141 - 254
TOTAL YARDS 289 - 470
COMP-ATT-INT 9-18-0 - 9-37-1

Canadian:

Passing – Camren Cavalier: 19-37-1, 254 yards, 1 TDs
Rushing – Isay Ramirez, 27-for-153 yds, 3 TDs
Rushing – Camren Cavalier: 18-for-63 yds
Receiving – Angel Garcia: 11-for-185 yds 1 TD

Friona:

Passing - Bryan Chavira: 9-for-18, 141 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing – Jacob Bautista: 7-for-25 yds
Receiving – Kad Crosby: 6-for-124 yds, 2 TDs

Friday Night Legends Historic Teams
For Friday Night Legends Board Game

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.