Raiders stage comeback, beat New Diana, now 3-0

TYLER — It's been a while since they were able to say this, but New London has themselves a pretty good football team, and through three games, they're undefeated. Game three wasn't necessarily pretty, but they are undefeated.

In the home opener Friday night in Raider Stadium, played in the shadow of incoming Hurricane Ike, the West Rusk Raiders had a bit of a scare, but captured a 26-19 win over New Diana, getting a blocked punt in the final minute and a half and a late touchdown by running back Daniel Thompson to get in front.

The Raiders were on their heels for a lot of the game against a scrappy New Diana team, but rolled up 434 yards on the Eagles. A big part of that offense was Thompson, who rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

The Raiders, now 3-0, won't play at home again for three weeks. They visit Hughes Springs this Friday, travel to Queen City on Sept. 26, then have an open date Oct. 3 before starting District 19-2A play at home Oct. 10 against Elkhart. Coach John Frazier's team gets three district games — three of its last five games — at home.

A turnover early, a fumble at the New Diana 20-yard-line recovered by the Eagles, prevented West Rusk from scoring first and eventually led to a ND score. The Eagles punted the ball and were fortunate enough to record a second fumble on the punt, and scored with 57 seconds left in the opening quarter on a 13-yard run.

The Raiders did score in the second quarter, a dynamic 43-yard run by Thompson, but trailed 7-6 because the extra point was blocked.

Things would get worse for West Rusk before they got better. The Eagles put together a drive that resulted in another touchdown run, this time for 3 yards out, but missed the extra point, and rather than an eight-point lead held a touchdown lead, 13-6.

West Rusk still trailed at the half, but by just a point, 13-12, as Santos Gonzalez scored on a 10-yard run. The two-point conversion failed and ND took the one-point edge to the locker room.

The Eagles showed they would not go away quietly, and were determined to win, by scoring on their first possession of the second half, a 1-yard run by quarterback Shay Bradley. The extra point was missed, and ND led 19-12.

West Rusk wouldn't score until the fourth quarter. Quarterback Josh Medford duplicated Bradley's feat by scoring from a yard out, and then the Raiders missed the extra point, and still trailed, 19-18.

With time running out, about to get the ball back anyway, the Raiders' special teams made what might have been the biggest play of the night, getting through and blocking a New Diana punt. Josh Patin recovered the ball on the Eagles' 43-yard-line, and about 41 game-time seconds later, with 38 seconds left on the clock, Thompson scored on a 6-yard run. Medford's pass to Braylon Williams gave the Raiders two more points, as the home crowd celebrated the come-from-behind win.

New Diana had just 252 yards of total offense and 13 first downs. The Raiders had 22 first downs in the game (53 in the last two games) and 434 yards of total offense.

Thompson's 200 yards rushing give him 525 yards on the season on 58 carries, and he has four touchdowns. Also in the game, Medford had four carries for 23 yards and the touchdown; Gonzalez had four carries for 43 yards and the 10-yard score; Josh Medlock had one carry, but made the most of it, taking it for 29 yards; and Patin had 21 carries for 11 yards, but made the big fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter.

Medlock caught the only completion for Medford on the night, a pass for 21 yards. The Raiders, because they have such a power running game, only had to throw the ball four times.