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BI-DISTRICT GAME

BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFF GAME

OMAHA PAUL PEWITT BRAHMAS
School Colors are Royal Blue/Silver/White

NORTHEAST TEXAS PLAYOFF PREVIEW

PAUL PEWITT (10-0) vs.FARMERSVILLE (7-3)

WHAT:

Class 2A, Division I bidistrict playoff.

TIME, SITE:

7 p.m., Meredith Memorial Stadium, Mineola

TEAM FACTS:

Top-ranked Paul Pewitt, which has won 20 straight games over two seasons, opens defense of its Division I state title in a rematch of last year's bidistrict game won by the Brahmas, 49-21. In winning their second straight District 14-2A title, the Bulls were pushed only once-in a 13-9 victory over Cooper in Week 8.

Farmersville finished third in District 13 behind unbeaten Grand Saline and Lone Oak.

KEY PLAYERS:

Pewitt TB Kenny Boyd has rushed for 1,368 yards and is averaging more than 12 yards per carry. QB Jimmy Wilkerson, still not 100 percent from a hamstring injury suffered in Game 3, is still a threat running and throwing. Defensively, Wilkerson and Hercules Tarver give the Brahmas a linebacking duo comparable to any in the area, and Anthony Stanley has blossomed after being moved from tackle to nose guard.

Farmersville's leading rusher, Cecil Simpkins, won't play because of an ankle injury, but he has alternated all season with junior Tony Rains and freshman Broderick Henderson. Together the three have rushed for more than 1,600 yards. QB Josh Howard has thrown for 869 yards, while linebacker Jarred Erwin leads the defense.

COACHES' COMMENTS:

Paul Pewitt's Ronnie Bickham:

"Farmersville has been up and down defensively, but they're a little better offensively than last year, although they do lack the big-play receiver they had. They also run the ball more, so we can't just concentrate on rushing the passer. Practice has gone real well this week. The kids seem to be getting a little bit of that playoff fever and they should be ready to go when they turn the lights on."

Farmersville's Phil Blue:

"Paul Pewitt is very deserving of their ranking. Their defense is better than last year and I think it's because of the kid at nose guard (Stanley). They've got some Division I prospects on that team and they're well-coached. That combination usually means they've got a chance to win a lot of games. I saw all their playoff games last year but one and I thought we could have beaten a couple of those teams. Trouble is, you have to get past Pewitt to play those other teams. We've had a lot of injuries lately, but we should have all but one (Simpkins) back for this game."

Brahmas Coast To 53-0 Win

By LOUIE AVERY/Gazette Staff

MINEOLA, Texas-Paul Pewitt's first playoff test in defense of its Class 2A Division I state championship was "Open Book."

In other words, the Brahmas were not challenged in beating Farmersville here Friday night at Meredith Memorial Stadium, 53-0.

The Brahmas started slow, but took command with a 26-point second quarter. Paul Pewitt, 11-0 and ranked No. 1 in most state polls, advances to play Rio Vista next Saturday night at Garland's Homer Johnson Stadium.

Senior Mitch Gibson quickly silenced any optimistic Farmers with a 53-yard scoring run 64 seconds into the second half.

Halfback Kenny Boyd nailed the coffin shut with his second and third touchdowns of the game on runs of 6 and 39 yards, the latter one coming with 8:38 left in the fourth quarter. Boyd led the Brahmas' explosive ground assault with 145 yards on 13 carries.

Paul Pewitt finished with 456 total yards.

Farmersville managed only 24 yards on the ground, with junior quarterback Josh Howard sacked five times for a minus 31.

Howard did complete 13 of 25 passes for 126 yards, most coming on the Farmers' first possession of the game.

The Brahmas teased the Farmers early, allowing them to take the opening kickoff and gain 90 yards before Mario Duran missed a 25-yard field goal with 4:54 left in the quarter.

Farmersville quarterback Josh Howard completed all eight of his passes on the drive for 70 yards, four to Donte' Simpkins.

The Farmers were threatening again seconds later after holding Paul Pewitt on its first offensive possession. A Brahma punt was shanked and sailed out of bounds 4 yards shy of the line of scrimmage at the Pewitt 37.

The game's momentum turned for good four plays later when Wilkerson intercepted Howard after nine straight completions and returned the ball 30 yards to the Farmers' 45.

Two runs by sophomore Desmond Jones and Boyd set up the game's first points-a 2-yard plunge by Wilkerson on the first play of the second quarter.

Paul Pewitt also scored on its next three possessions. A four-play drive was climaxed by a 26-yard touchdown pass from Wilkerson to Ryan Forrest. It only took the Brahmas three plays the next time they touched the ball, Boyd plowing over from 5 yards with 3:06 left in the half.

The Brahmas' defense pushed Farmersville backwards on its next possession, and a 21-yard punt return by Kedrick Wright to the Farmers' 33 set up his own 33-yard TD reception from Wilkerson with 33 seconds still left in the half.

Farmersville finished the first two quarters with 119 total years, nearly 50 more than the Brahmas had been allowing per game.

Boyd's 84 yards on the ground and Wilkerson's 59 via the airways accounted for most of Paul Pewitt's 206 yards in the first half.

Farmersville 0 0 0 0 _ 0
Paul Pewitt 0 26 13 14 _ 53

PP-Jimmy Wilkerson 2 run (Tramond Hawkins kick)

PP-Ryan Forrest 26 pass from Wilkerson (Hawkins kick)

PP-Kenny Boyd 5 run (run fails)

PP-Kedrick Wright 33 pass from Wilkerson (run fails)

PP-Mitch Gibson 53 run (kick fails)

PP-Boyd 6 run (Hawkins kick)

PP-Boyd 39 run (Adam Johnson kick)

PP-Terriance Shepherd 3 run (Johnson kick)

Farm. PP

First Downs 11 22

Yards Rushing 24 373

Yards Passing 126 83

Passes A-C-I 25-13-2 4-4-0

Fumbles-Lost 3-1 2-1

Penalties 5-22 4-30

Punts-Avg. 5-32.8 2-10.0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING:

F-Tony Raines 5-16; Brodrick Henderson 8-23; Josh Howard 6-minus 31; Jared Erwin 7-15; Jon Davis 1-1.

PP-Jimmy Wilkerson 6-36; Kenny Boyd 13-145; Dewynn Johnson 1-minus 1; Desmond Jones 6-59; Mitch Gibson 4-77; Kris Munn 1-3; Nigel Franklin 2-19; Bennie Whetstone 1-5; Terriance Shepherd 2-18; Allen Fluellen 2-12.

PASSING:

F-Howard 25-13-2-126.

PP-Wilkerson 3-3-0-71; Munn 1-1-0-12.

RECEIVING:

F-Larry Dunham 1-21; Donte Simpkins 4-44; Jared Erwin 2-5; Eric Redwine 4-37; Henderson 1-15.

PP-Ryan Forrest 1-26; Kedrick Wright 3-57.

Playoffs No Change So Far For Brahmas

By JOHNNY GREEN/Sports Director

Logic decrees that once a football team reaches the playoff level, the games are supposed to be more difficult to win.

In top-ranked Paul Pewitt's case, it was-for the better part of a quarter.

After sleep-walking through most of the first period, the Brahmas woke up with a 26-point second quarter and eventually turned Saturday night's bidistrict matchup into a 53-0 nightmare for Farmersville.

By the middle of the third quarter the playoff game appeared little different than four of the five District 14-2A contests the Bulls were involved in. In those four victories, the Brahmas won by a combined score of 239-6; Paul Pewitt's starters barely played enough to letter.

Farmersville figured to be different. Although the Farmers were 7-3 on the season and the third-place team in District 13-2A, they had played Pewitt close for a half in last year's playoffs before eventually bowing out, 49-21.

Perhaps the knowledge that they could score on the Brahmas last year gave the Farmers an early confidence boost Saturday night in Mineola. Sophomore quarterback Josh Howard completed his first eight passes for 70 yards, driving his team deep into Brahma territory. But the march stalled and a 25-yard field goal attempt went awry. It would be the Farmers' last moment of glory.

Even though Farmersville gained possession again on the Pewitt 37 after a short punt, there was never another threat. Linebacker Jimmy Wilkerson's interception and 30-yard return to the Farmersville 45 lit a fire under the Brahmas' offense, leaving the Farmers facing a long night.

By halftime the Bulls had touchdown runs of two yards by Wilkerson and five yards by Kenny Boyd, plus scoring passes of 26 and 33 yards from Wilkerson to Ryan Forrest and Kedrick Wright, respectively.

Wright set up his TD catch with a 21-yard punt return.

"When we went up 14-0 the game was over," said Pewitt coach Ronnie Bickham. "They were never in the game after that. Last year when we played them they never gave up, but I can't say that about this game."

The Farmers did manage 119 yards of total offense in the first half, nearly 50 more than the average per game the Bulls had allowed in the regular season.

"It's easy to understand how you can start slow when you face a team like them that runs from multiple formations and throws the ball practically every down," Bickham said. "Our defensive backs had to get in a groove and get comfortable with what was going on. Once they did, we started to take control."

The second half was more Brahma-like.

The heralded front five-ends James Gilmore and Jerome Cobbins, tackles Delwyn Johnson and Otis Dobbins and nose guard Anthony Stanley-padded their statistics by sacking Howard five times for 31 yards in losses. That brought Farmersville's rushing total to just 24 yards in the game. The Farmers had only 31 yards total in the second half.

"They started the game by single-blocking Otis and doubling Anthony and Delwyn," Bickham said. "That was plugging up the middle and James was dropping back in pass coverage, leaving Jerome as our one pass rusher and he was being picked up by the back before he could get to the quarterback. But once we started slanting and stunting, we didn't have any trouble getting to him and making him throw early."

Meanwhile, the Brahmas continued to pile up the yards and points, and it didn't seem to matter who was carrying the football. Boyd, who rushed for 145 yards on just 13 carries, added two more touchdowns on runs of six and 39 yards.

Senior Mitch Gibson raced 53 yards for a TD with little more than a minute gone in the second half and Terrance Shepherd had a three-yard TD run to round out the scoring.

The Bulls finished with 373 rushing yards and Wilkerson completed all three of his passes for 71 yards. Kris Munn was good on his only try for 12 yards.

Pewitt makes its first appearance of the year on artificial turf Saturday night at Garland's Homer B. Johnson Stadium with Rio Vista providing the competition-maybe.

"Rio Vista doesn't have a lot of talent, in fact not as much as Farmersville had," Bickham said. "But they will play hard. I told the kids that we can't expect what we saw from Farmersville from here on out. It's certainly not going to get any easier."

The way the Bulls are rolling, it might be hard for it to get any easier.

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