White Oak scores 35 in fourth, beats SHS 70-20

Photo by John Niesner TOPSY-TURVY — Sabine's Bernard Alexander (5) looks on as White Oak tailback Junior Hamilton (left) gets turned upside down on a tackle. Hamilton rushed for 184 yards and three scores in the 70-20 White Oak win, Sabine's season finale. LIBERTY CITY — In what was a actually a very close game up until midway through the third quarter, the visiting White Oak Roughnecks, leading 21-20, got their running game rolling late in the contest.

White Oak scored 21 third-quarter points and 35 more in the fourth to overcome the Sabine Cardinals, 70-20. Roughneck tailback Junior Hamilton did most of the damage, finishing with 11 carries for 184 yards and three touchdowns.

Sabine drew first blood and took a 6-0 lead with 1:26 left in the first quarter when tailback Jurray Todd busted up the middle for a 10-yard touchdown run. Lie'Quan Byrd's two-point converison pass attempt intended for Jerrel Chumley fell incomplete.

Minutes later, White Oak's Hamilton raced 27 yards around the left side to tie the game. Trevor Wait kicked the extra point and gave the Roughnecks a 7-6 lead with 59 seconds left in the first quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Byrd completed a 25-yard pass to Jacob Kenna down the left sideline, setting up the Cardinals with a first and ten from the Roughneck 34-yard-line. However, a Todd fumble on the 1-yard-line prevented Sabine from scoring. Sabine's defensive unit, led by Logan Springs, Laramy Barber and Todd, came up big on White Oak's next drive, forcing them into a three-and-out and the Roughnecks were forced to punt the ball away from their own 7.

Byrd then dropped back to pass on first down and found Kenna down the left side of the field for a 37-yard touchdown completion, and Sabine took a 12-7 lead with 7:30 left until halftime. The Cardinal quarterback finished the game with 187 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception on 14-of-22 completions.

White Oak would answer quickly on their next drive when Hamilton broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown run with 5:49 left until the break. Wait's extra point was good and the Roughnecks led 14-12 at halftime.

White Oak also scored on the opening drive of the second half when fullback Orlando Humble barrelled up the middle on first and goal from the 3. The Roughnecks held a 21-12 lead with 10:12 to play in the third.

Sabine would not go away. Byrd connected with Kenna on second-and-7 for a 39-yard completion before he was tackled at the Roughnecks' 24 (Kenna caught six passes for 114 yards in the game).Then, two plays later, Byrd rolled to his left and found Jason Smith open in the end zone for another Sabine touchdown with 8:20 left in the third quarter. Byrd threw to tight end Terrance Daniels for the two-point conversion and closed the Necks' lead to one, 21-20.

White Oak would then go on to score a rushing touchdown on their next six consecutive possessions. The first of the series came from Humble, running 4 yards up the middle, capping off a seven play drive with 6:05 left in the third.

Then, on their next possession, Derick Smith raced 27 yards into the end zone with 2:58 to play in the third quarter and the Roughnecks took a 35-20 lead.

Blake Ware ran 15 yards for a touchdown on White Oak's first play of the fourth quarter, stretching the lead to 42-20 with 11:49 to play.

Following another Cardinal punt, Hamilton scored on first down from 50 yards out, making the score 49-20 with 10:35 showing on the clock.

Taylor Goll intercepted a Byrd pass on secondand 11 from the Sabine 46. Two plays later, Ware jolted 76 yards down the field to extend the visitors' lead, 56-20, with 7:46 left.

The Roughnecks outgained the Cardinals 594 to 311, all of their yardage coming on the ground.

White Oak finishes the season with an 8-2 record and first place in District 18-2A. Sabine finishes the season with a 2-8 record and 0-7 in district play.