CUBS’ AMAZING RIDE CONTINUES!!!

For just the third time in school history the Brenham Cubs are heading to the “ship”…the champion”ship” that is.

Saturday afternoon in front of a huge crowd at Reliant Stadium, the Cubs (14-1) ripped the Port Lavaca-Calhoun Sandcrabs (13-2), 56-21.

While the Cubs offence clicked, it was the Brenham defense that dominated the game, busting a tight game open with back-to-back defensive touchdowns within just 14 seconds of each other.

With the Cubs clining to a 21-14 lead and less that two minutes left the Cubs’ Erik Yeager stripped the ball from Sandcrab quarterback Hunter Boerm.  Braden Baird grabbed the loose ball and rumbled 17-yards into the end zone.

The Cubs were not done.  After the special teams, which had an outstanding day from the start, pinned Calhoun back at their own 13-yard line, James Homan blasted Boerm, knocking the ball free and right into the hands of Desmond Lockett, who raced 11 yards for the score.

The Cubs kept the pressure on as Earnest Patterson capped the first drive of the second half with a 15-yard touchdown run.

After a pair of below-par performances against Texas City and George Ranch, Patterson was back in form, with 151 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

Calhoun countered Patterson’s score with a 62-yard drive for a Cory Williams touchdown run, but the drive took over eight minutes, playing right into the Cubs’ hands.

The Cubs followed the Sandcrabs’ drive with a back-breaker of a touchdown pass from Caleb Hill to Tre’Vonte Johnson, covering 61 yards.  After a quick three-and-out, Hill hit Coutland Sutton with a 35-yard pass to put the game officially out-of-reach.

After the game, a jubilant Coach Glen West told KWHI’s Jerry Merten, “…after the first game (10-7 loss to Foster) we were just trying to figure out how to win a game.”

“These are wonderful kids.  They’ve worked so hard.  We just take what we get and it’s been magical and we are so blessed.”

In addition to scoring a pair of touchdowns, the Cubs’ defense held the powerful Sandcrabs’ running game to 237 yards—over 200 yard below the teams’ single-game average (442 yds. per game).

“We did some things we felt like people hadn’t to them before, “ said coach West.  We gambled and it worked out.  Our kids worked hard and our coached really worked hard.”

The Cubs jumped out early with a little razzle-dazzle, after driving the ball to the Sandcrabs’ 16-yard line, the Cubs lined up for a 33-yard field goal by Tien Pham.  But Hill took the snap, stood straight up and fired the ball to a wide-open James Homan.

The Cubs upped their lead to 14-0 seven minutes later when Hill hit Tre’Vonte Johnson with the first of his two touchdown receptions.

Cory Williams, Calhoun’s leading runner with 2160 yards this season, cut the lead to 14-7 with a one-yard leap into the end zone.

Patterson who had 2211 yards rushing coming into the game, came right back with a two-yard scoring run.

This sets up the State Championship for next Saturday at noon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The Cubs will face a rematch with #1-ranked Aledo, after they beat Ennis, 29-3 in the second semifinal in Midlothian.

In the 2009 State Championship, Aledo defeated the Cubs, 35-21 for the first of their three-consecutive State Championships.

Saturday’s game can be heard on KWHI and www.kwhi.com beginning with the pre-game show at 11:00 a.m.