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| Fall 2009 |
| November 11th update: SHS - 12 Memorial - 9 The Stratford Sophomore team avenged their only district loss with a 12-9 victory over Memorial on Thursday evening at Darrell Tully Stadium. Brian Skulski led all rushers with 143 yards on 29 carries and Cameron Johnson added several spectacular catches, the last one good for the go- ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Spartans finished the season with a 6-3-1 overall record and a 5-1 mark in District 18-5A play, good enough for a share of the district title. On their first offensive series, the Spartans were forced to punt when their drive broke down at mid- field. Parker Tennet’s punt went to the MHS 15-yard line where Memorial promptly went three and out after Anthony Osso, Don Szumksi and Jeffery Bourdon managed to contain the Mustang running game. Following a 5-yard penalty, Stratford took over at midfield. Brian Skulski picked up a first down with a 9-yard run and then Johnson hauled in his first acrobatic reception of the night from Hayden Barnett, which was good for 20 yards and another first down. Unfortunately, the Spartans turned the ball back over to Memorial on a fumbled snap at the 20 yard line. Memorial picked up a first down on a pass to their Tight End but the drive was short-lived as Daniel Pugliano recovered a Mustang fumble. The Spartans could not move the ball and Memorial picked off a pass at their own 37-yard line. The drive concluded with a 31-yard touchdown run and after the extra point was good, the Mustangs led 7-0. On the next series, Barnett completed consecutive passes to Dontrell Britton (14 yards) and Sullivan Barnes (11 yards). However, Memorial intercepted another pass on a tipped ball to snuff out the Spartan drive. Led by David Brown and Marshall Settegast, the Mustangs failed to move the ball on their next possession and were forced to punt. Penalties continued to plaque the Spartans, as a nice return by Max Bredthauer to the Memorial 45-yard line was wiped out by a holding call. Barnett completed another pass to Barnes but the Spartan drive ended at mid-field. Tennet then boomed a 43-yard punt to the Mustang 7-yard line and the half ended with Memorial clinging to a 7- 0 lead. The first break of the game for Stratford occurred on the kickoff to begin the second half. The Mustangs had problems fielding Tennet’s kick and the Spartans hopped on the fumble, giving them good field position at the Memorial 30-yard line. Skulski continued his hard running, picking up the next 23 yards to the Mustang 7-yard line. The Spartans got on the board when Barnett found Britton on a bootleg pass for a touchdown. The PAT was blocked but Stratford had cut the lead to 7-6. Memorial began their next offensive drive and moved the ball down the field into Spartan territory. It looked like the Mustangs might score but Bredthauer picked off a pass at the Spartan 1-yard line to end the drive. On the next play from scrimmage, Skulski could not avoid the Mustang defenders and was tackled in the end zone for a safety and the Mustangs led 9-6. The Spartans had a free kick on the safety and kickoff team did a good job of keeping the ball in Mustang territory at the 35- yard line. Trey Miller, Joe Johns, Kimo Jones, Settegast and Szumski then went back to work on defense and when a fourth down pass fell incomplete for the Mustangs, Stratford took over on their own 21 as the third quarter ended. Led by Skulski’s 52 yards rushing in the quarter, the Spartans marched the ball to the Mustang 11- yard line. On third down, a loss of 8 to the Memorial 19-yard line set up the Barnett to Johnson fourth down heroics. Facing fourth and 18, Barnett fired a strike to Johnson between three defenders in the end zone. Johnson was hammered by the Mustang secondary but managed to hold on for the score, completing the 79-yard drive. Johnson was slow to get up on the play and was greeted by his teammates on the sideline on what was arguably the best play of the season. While the two-point conversion failed, the Spartans had their first lead of the game, 12-9. After Tennet’s kickoff, Memorial took over at the 27-yard line. Trey Miller then provided back-to-back tackles, the second coming on a hard stick on the Mustang tight end who coughed the ball up back to the Spartans. Stratford could not move the ball and were forced to punt to the Mustang 19-yard line. Not known for their ability to play from behind or work the clock, Memorial was penalized 5 times on delay of game calls. The Mustangs managed to move the ball to their own 35-yard line but time expired, and Stratford celebrated the 12-9 win over their district rivals. Editor’s Note: Good luck to all of the sophomores for the rest of 2009 and throughout the off- season. Continue to work hard. PLEASE COME OUT TO RHODES STADIUM ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON TO SUPPORT THE VARSITY IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS VS. KATY. GAME TIME IS 1:00PM. November 4th update: SHS - 22 Elsik - 8 Rain and wind could not slow the Stratford running game as the Spartans defeated the Elsik Rams 22-8 at Darrell Tully Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Brian Skulski rushed for 153 yards on 19 carries and three touchdown, sending Stratford to a 5-3-1 record overall and 4-1-0 in district 18-5A. Elsik opened the game with an impressive running game including a 45-yard dash for a touchdown. When the Rams converted the two point conversion, the Spartans were in an early hole 8-0. It proved to be the last time the Rams would find the end zone for the rest of the afternoon. Max Bredthauer returned the ensuing kickoff 40-yards but lost the ball at the Elsik 38-yard line. With the rain coming down in sheets, Elsik gave the ball right back to Stratford on the next play. Several plays later, Skulski rambled 19 yards for the touchdown and when the Spartans converted the two- point conversion, the game was tied 8-8. The Spartan defense held on the next possession and Elsik punted the ball to the Stratford 40-yard line. The Spartan then engineered a 60-yard drive which concluded with a 3-yard run by Skulksi for the second touchdown of the afternoon. Hayden Barnett's attempted pass to Dontrell Britton fell short on the PAT but Stratford had the lead 14-8. On the kickoff, Parker Tennet hit a perfect high floater into the wind which the Rams could not handle. Bredthauer jumped on the fumble and Stratford had the ball back on the Elsik 31-yard line. The Spartans drove the ball to the Elsik 10 but a flea-flicker play went awry on fourth down and the Ram defense held. Elsik then moved the ball to the Spartan 30-yard line where a 4th and 5 phantom interference penalty kept the drive alive. The Rams could not capitalize, however, and the Spartans held onto their 14-8 lead entering halftime. Lightning forced the second half to be delayed and when the game resumed, the third and fourth quarters were shortened to 7 minutes each. The Spartans could not move the ball on their opening series and were forced to punt. After Tennet boomed the punt into the end zone, Elsik began their first series of the half. Several plays later, the Rams coughed the ball up again and Kimo Jones recovered the fumble at the Spartan 41-yard line. The Spartans moved the chains on an Isiah Glover reverse and a Barnett quarterback sneak. Skulski then tallied his third touchdown on the afternoon with a 38-yard run. He added the two point extra point and Stratford had increased their lead to 22-8. Ball control and defense was the key to the fourth quarter and Stratford did a good job with both to win the game 22-8. Defensively, Anthony Osso, Marshall Settegast, Matt Lien, Trey Miller and Tennet led the way for the Spartans in stopping the Elsik running game. Next game: A re-match with Memorial scheduled for 6:15pm Thursday, November 5th at Tully Stadium. October 28th update: SHS – 35 Spring Woods – 6 The Stratford Sophomore put on their best offensive attack since opening week, strumming the Spring Woods Tigers 35-6 on Thursday evening at Darrell Tully Stadium. Brian Skulski again led the Stratford rushing with 149 yards on 15 carries. Skulski also tallied two touchdowns on the night, one of which came on a 76 yard kickoff return. Jordon Gugenheim added another 60 yards rushing on 12 carries and Hayden Barnett did a nice job spreading the field with passes to multiple receivers. Stratford is now 4-3-1 overall and 3-1-0 in district play. The Spartan defense forced a three and out on the Tigers first possession. Max Bredthauer’s 25 yard punt return to the Spring Woods 34 yard line gave the offense good field position and the Spartans quickly responded. Barnett’s 9 yard scramble moved the ball to the Spring Woods 13- yard line. Barnett then hit Isiah Glover on a slant route for the first score of the game. Parker Tennet’ s extra point kick was good and Stratford had an early 7-0 lead with 7:07 to go in the first quarter. Trey Miller, Joe Johns and Tommy Maranuk led the defense on the next series and the Tigers were again forced to punt. Following an 11-yard run by Barnett and a 17-yard run by Skulski, Barnett found Cameron Johnson on a 21-yard completion for a touchdown. Tennet added the PAT and Stratford had increased their lead to 14-0. Kimo Jones provided a nice stick on the ensuing kickoff and the Spartan defense forced another 3 and out. Barnett went back to work, hitting Johnson on a nice 25-yard completion for a first down. Skulski added a 16-yard run to the Tiger 14-yard line but Barnett’s QB draw to the 2-yard line was not enough and the Tiger defense held the Spartans to no points on the drive. Spring Woods then mounted their best offensive possession on a nice run to midfield but Marshall Settegast, Anthony Osso and John Lundell led the charge on defense forcing a loss on a fourth down. Barnett then completed consecutive passes to Dontrell Britton but the drive broke down and Tennet was forced to punt. The Tigers then moved the ball to the Spartan 35-yard line but Bredthauer picked off a halfback pass and Stratford took a 14-0 lead into intermission. Skulski opened the second half with a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and when Tennet added the extra point, Stratford led 21-0. On the next defensive series, Don Szumksi, Fredie Jordan and Miller forced another Tiger three and out. Glover then picked up 17 yards on a reverse and a personal foul on the Tigers tacked on another 15 yards. Skulski finished the drive with a 9-yard scamper for a touchdown and Tennet’s PAT made the score 28-0. On the ensuing kickoff, Kyle Jackson recovered a Tiger fumble but the offensive drive stalled at the Tiger 33. Spring Woods then moved the ball to the Stratford 1-yard line but another fumble gave the ball back to Spartans. Skulski then ripped off runs of 16, 39 and 14 and Gugenheim added runs to the Tiger 2 yard line where Barnett finished the drive with a 2-yard QB sneak for a touchdown. Tennet’s PAT was good and Stratford led 35-0. Spring Woods added a late touchdown but the game was well in hand as the Spartans won their third district contest. October 21st update: SHS – 21 Cinco Ranch – 21 The Stratford Sophomore team traveled west to take on the Cinco Ranch Cougars in a non-district contest on Wednesday with the game ending in a hard fought 21-21 tie. Isiah Glover had a monster game at wide receiver, hauling in 4 catches for 215 yards and one touchdown. Hayden Barnett finished the game with 233 yards passing and Brian Skulski led the Spartan in rushing with 110 yards on 20 carries. The Spartans are now 3-3-1 overall and 2-1 in district play. Cinco Ranch returned the opening kickoff to the SHS 15 yard line but the Spartan defense held the Cougars to -3 yards on their first possession. A field goal attempt from 35 yards sailed wide left and the Spartans had dodged a bullet. Stratford started quickly on offense with Barnett hitting Glover on his first pass attempt, a slant which went for 26 yards to midfield. The drive stalled there and when a bad snap on Parker Tennet’s punt attempt resulted in a loss, the Cougars set up in good field position on the Spartan 35 yard line. Led by Anthony Osso, Jeffery Bourdon and Giavanni Gomez, Cinco could not muster a first down and were forced to punt. The Spartans took over at their own 20 yard line but proceeded to lose 12 yards and were forced to punt once again. It got worse for the Stratford special teams as the Cougars blocked the punt and recovered in their own end zone for their first score of the game. Cinco added the PAT and jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 41 seconds left in the first quarter. The lead lasted all of 18 seconds. Barnett found Glover on the same slant route who eluded the Cougar secondary in route to a 74 yard touchdown. Parker Tennet added the PAT and the Spartans had tied the score 7-7 with 23 seconds to go in the first quarter. The Spartan defense forced another three and out and Cinco had yet to gain a first down in the game. Tennet and David Brown led the defense and the Cougars’ punt traveled to the SHS 20 yard line. A holding penalty moved the ball back to the 10 yard line and the Spartans and a loss of 5 yards on the first play pinned Stratford even further back to the 5-yard line. Barnett and Glover then hooked up on the play of the game. On second down, Barnett heaved a deep pass down the sideline where Glover managed to make an acrobatic catch and rambled 85 yards to the Cinco 10- yard line. Skulski took over from there, scoring on a 10-yard run and when Tennet’s extra point was good, the Spartans had the lead 14-7 with 6:53 to go in the half. The Cougars offense finally got into gear on their next possession, moving the ball to the Spartan 19 yard line. Stratford had two golden opportunities to intercept back-to-back passes but could not make the plays. It wound up costing them and on third and ten, the Cinco quarterback found an open receiver in the corner of the end zone for the score. The PAT was good and the score was tied at 14-14. The Spartan offense went right back to work. Barnett hit Dontrell Britton with a 14-yard pass and then Skulski ripped off a 42 yard run for his second touchdown of the game. Tennet’s PAT was good and the Spartans had the lead back 21-14. Cinco again moved the ball on their next series but Max Bredthauer’s tackle jarred the ball loose from the Cougar running back and the Spartans recovered on their own 38 yard line. The Spartans managed to pick up one more first down but time expired and Stratford went into halftime with a 21- 14 lead. The second half started slower than the first. The Spartans were penalized on their first two plays and then turned the ball over on an interception. Kimo Jones and Brown led the defense on the next series, forcing another 3 and out for the Cougars. On the next offensive series, Barnett scrambled for 15 yards and Skulski added another 10 yard run but the drive broke down at the Stratford 40 yard line. The Spartans had another special team adventure which went awry and Cinco recovered the ball on the Stratford 35-yard line. It looked like the Cougars were going to tie the game up on a quarterback draw but Bredthauer managed to strip the ball from the Cinco quarterback and the Spartans recovered on their own 4- yard line. A 3 and out and punt to the Stratford 19 yard line again set up the Cougars with good field position and this time, they took advantage of it. A 10 yard run and the extra point tied the game at 21-21. Both teams traded possessions for the rest of the game. Don Szumki’s tackle for a loss gave the Spartans one last chance to score. Glover completed his day with a 30 yard reception from Barnett but it was not enough. Cinco got the ball back for 2 final plays but the defense held and the game ended in a 21-21 tie. Next game: Thursday, October 22nd vs. Spring Woods – 7:00pm at Tully Stadium October 14th update: SHS – 21 Alief Hastings – 0 Following a disappointing loss to Memorial last week, the Stratford Sophomore team rebounded with a 21-0 win over the Hastings Bears on Thursday afternoon at Crump Stadium. After missing last week’s game with the flu, Brian Skulski responded with his best game of the season rushing for 185 yards on 18 carries. The Spartan defense also continued their solid play and has not surrendered an offensive point for the last two games. Stratford is now 2-1 in District 18-5A play and 3-3 overall. The Spartans held the Bears to a three and out on their first series. Anthony Osso and John Lundell made their presense known early in the game and the Bears were forced to punt. On the second offensive play from scrimmage, Skulski ripped off a 50-yard run for a touchdown and Parker Tennet kicked the PAT for an early 7-0 lead. After another Bear punt, Skulski continued to pound the outside behind the line blocking of Giovanni Gomez, Jacob Soto, Cole Edwards, Andrew D’Armond and Sloan Braband along with Isiah Glover on the outside. Stratford moved the ball to the Hastings 5-yard line, where Hayden Barnett finished the drive on a quarterback draw for a touchdown. Tennet nailed the PAT and the Spartans had increased their lead to 14-0. Skulski finished the quarter with 84 yards rushing on 8 carries. The Spartans were never threatened the rest of the game. On the ensuing kickoff, John Martinez made a nice open field tackle to keep the Bears in their own territory. Hastings managed to move the ball, picking up two first downs but failed to convert on a 4th and 14. Austin Stephens, Trey Miller, Kyle Jackson, Freddy Jordon and Osso led the defensive series and the Spartans took over at their own 43 yard line. Both teams traded possessions in the second quarter. Hastings moved the ball to the SHS 21 yard line but Ricardo Maa had several nice tackles for the Spartan defense and once again, the Bears could not turn the drive into any points. On the next offensive drive, back to back penalties hampered the offense and when the Bears intercepted a pass at mid-field and penalty moved the ball to the Spartan 35 yard line, the Bears took over with good field possession before halftime. However, the defense recovered a fumble and Stratford had one final chance before the half. Barnett hit Glover on a 20-yard completion but time expired and the Spartans went into the break with a 14-0 lead. Skulski picked up where he had left off to begin the second half and the Spartan offense moved the ball deep into Bear territory. However, a holding penalty brought back a nice run and the Spartans could not convert a 4th and 15. Hastings took over but failed to convert a 4th and 7 thanks to big hit by Lundell for no gain. On the next offensive series, Stratford moved the chains when Barnett hit Dontrell Britton for a first down. The offense moved the ball to the Bear 17 yard line but Glover could not get loose on a 4th down reverse and the Spartans turned the ball over on downs at the Hastings 12 yard line. Miller and Jeffery Bourdon led the defense on the next series and when a Hastings punt went for -5 yards, the Spartan offense set up shop inside the Bear 10-yard line. Barnett moved the ball to the 1-yard line on a 9-yard roll-out but the Bears defense stiffened and held the Spartans to no points. On the last Hastings possession, Marshall Settegast and Lundell sacked the Bear quarterback and Hastings was forced to punt once again. With inside a minute left in the game, Max Bredthauer completed the Spartan scoring going untouched on a 42-yard punt return for a touchdown. Tennet added the PAT for a final score of 21-0. Next game: Wednesday, October 14th at 4:30pm vs. Cinco Ranch at CRHS October 7th update: Memorial – 7 SHS – 0 After coming off a well played game against a solid Alief Taylor team last week, the Stratford Sophomore team laid the proverbial egg against district rival Memorial Thursday afternoon at Spring Forest. Both teams struggled to move the ball offensively, with multiple three-and-outs throughout the game. The only score came on a Memorial interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter. Defensively, the Spartans played well, allowing Memorial to penetrate the red zone only twice. Anthony Osso and Kimo Jones led the way, while David Brown, Joe Johns, Don Szumksi, Max Bredthauer and John Lundell all had solid games. Parker Tennet continued his excellent punting this season, averaging over 40 yards on 5 punts. Next game: Thursday, October 8th vs. Alief Hastings at 4:30pm at Crump Stadium. September 30th update: SHS - 28 Alief Taylor – 13 The Stratford Sophomore team got back in the winning column with a 28-13 victory over the Alief Taylor Lions at Spring Forest on Thursday afternoon. The Spartans are now 2-2 overall and 1-0 in district play. In the first quarter, the Spartan defense forced a three and out on Taylor’s first offensive possession. A bad deep snap on the punt by the Lions gave the Spartans offense the ball on the Taylor 2-yard line and on the first play from scrimmage, Brian Skulski scored his first touchdown of the afternoon. Parker Tennet’s PAT was good and Stratford had an early 7-0 lead. On the next series, a Taylor receiver got behind the Spartan secondary on a third and long, scoring on a 70-yard pass. The PAT was no good but Stratford’s lead was cut to 7-6. Max Bredthauer returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards, giving the offense good field position on their next series. An interference call on Taylor gave the Spartans first and goal from the 2-yard line and on third down, Hayden Barnett hit a wide open Sullivan Barnes on a nice slant rout for the score. Tennet booted the PAT and the Spartans were up 14-6. Aided by an interference call and a personal foul, Taylor managed to move the chains on their next possession but the defense held once again and the Lions were forced to punt on a 4th and 22. The best hit of the day came on the punt return, when Tommy Maranuk laid out a Taylor defender on a vicious block. Barnett then hit Michael Oddo for a first down and then came back to Barnes on a 7- yard completion. A Lion late hit moved the ball to the 23-yard line and two plays later, Barnett found Cameron Johnson on a crossing route for the Spartan’s third score of the day. Tennet was good again from PAT land and Stratford had increased their lead, 21-6. Taylor’s best drive of the day came right before the half ended. The Lions managed to move the ball to the Stratford one yard line but could not push the ball across for a score. Led by the front line of David Brown, Joe Johns, John Lundell and Tennet, the Spartans held at the goal line and went into the half with a 21-6 lead. The two teams traded possessions to begin the second half. Don Szumski recovered a Taylor fumble but the Spartan offense could not move the ball and the Lions took over on the second series of the half with good field position. Taylor scored their second touchdown from the four yard line and when the PAT was good, the Spartans had their lead trimmed to 21-13. Skulski returned the ensuing kickoff, rambling for a tough 27 yards to the Stratford 47 but again, the offensive drive stalled and the Spartans were forced to punt. On the next series, Kimo Jones led the Stratford defense with a 7-yard sack of the Taylor quarterback and the Spartans held again. Stratford took over on their own 15-yard line and managed a first down when Barnett found Dontrell Britton on an 18-yard reception. The drive ended on the next set of downs and the Spartans were forced to punt again. However, the big break of the afternoon for Stratford came when Taylor muffed the punt return and Bredthauer hopped on the fumble. The offense quickly went back to work. Barnett had two nice runs and Skulski capped off the short drive, scoring his second touchdown of the afternoon from the 2-yard line. Tennet made his fourth PAT of the afternoon and the Spartans had a comfortable 28-13 lead late in the fourth quarter. Taylor was unable to move the ball on their next possession, as Marshall Settegast led the defense with a quarterback sack. When three consecutive passes fell incomplete, the Spartans regained possession with less than a minute to play. Barnett took a knee on the last play of the game and the Spartans had beaten a very tough and athletic Taylor team for their first district win, 28-13. Next game: Thursday, October 1st vs. Memorial at 4:30pm at Spring Forest Middle School. Perhaps our Memorial fan from Thursday afternoon will head over to Alief next week to cheer on the Lions. September 23rd update: Cy Woods – 21 SHS – 0 A closely fought game at halftime turned ugly in the second half, as the Stratford Sophomore team lost to the Cypress Woods Wildcats Thursday afternoon. Stratford completed non-district play with a record of 1-2 and will now turn their attention to their first district game against Alief Taylor on September 24th. Both teams traded possessions throughout the first quarter. Cameron Johnson hauled in a 16- yard reception from Hayden Barnett but several plays later, Cy Woods defense forced a fumble and the drive ended. Anthony Osso led the defense in the first quarter with several tackles and a quarterback sack. The quarter ended scoreless but Cy Woods was within striking distance. Cy Woods began the second quarter from the Spartan 10-yard line but the defense rose up and held the Wildcats. Led by David Brown, Parker Tennet and Osso, the Wildcats lost 8 yards on their first two plays. On third down, Max Bredthauer intercepted a Wildcat pass to snuff out the potential score and the Stratford offense set up shop on their own 12 yard line. Although the offense could not convert the first down, Parker Tennet's 47 yard punt created problems for the Wildcat punt return team, who fumbled the punt. Johnson recovered the fumble and Stratford had good field possession from the Wildcat 45 yard line. Johnson then made his second catch of the game, a beautiful 17 yard circus reception keeping both feet in bounds on the sideline. However, the Woods defense stiffened and the ball went over on the Wildcat 25 yard line. Another fumble by Cy Woods was recovered by Ryan Smith at the CW 43 yard line but again, the Spartans could not move the ball. On their last possession of the half, Cy Woods drove the ball down the field, scoring on a 31 yard pass with 1:18 to go in the half. The PAT was good and the Wildcats led 7-0. Led by Johnson's 35 yard reverse to the Wildcat 30, the offense mounted their first serious threat of the afternoon. When Barnett hit Dontrell Britton on a pass over the middle to the Cy Woods 5 yard line, it looked like the Spartans were going to get on the board before the half ended. However, a holding call nullified the play and Statford went into intermission trailing 7-0. Cy Woods kicked off to start the second half. Brian Skulski started the third quarter with two hard runs of 14 and 8 yards and it appeared that the Spartans were off to a good start in the second half. However, penalties continued to hamper the offense as a false start backed the Spartans up, who were once again forced to punt. Tennet bombed another punt to the Wildcat 11 yard line. On the next defensive series, Marshall Settegast, Trey Miller and Freddie Jordan led the way and when Cy Woods fumbled the snap on a fourth down, the Spartans took over on the Wildcat 41 yard line. Three straight losses forced yet another punt by Tennet, a 49 yarder to the Woods 11. From there, the Wildcats began their second scoring drive. Brown, Osso and Austin Stephens all had tackles for losses but Cy Woods was able to keep the drive alive on a big third down gain and a 4th and 1 conversion from midfield. Another third down conversion on a pass play moved the ball to the Spartan 1 yard line and on the next play, Cy Woods scored their second touchdown of the afternoon. The PAT was good making the score 14-0. On the next offensive series, Cy Woods picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown. The PAT was good and the Wildcats widened their lead to 21-0, which was where the game ended. Skulski led the Spartans on the ground with 52 yards on 15 carries. Johnson was the leading receiver with 2 catches for 33 yards. Next game: Thursday, September 24th vs. Alief Taylor at 4:30pm at Spring Forest Middle School. September 16th update: Spring – 21 SHS – 14 9/10/09: After a week off, the Stratford Sophomore team lost a tough battle with Spring last Thursday evening at Spring Forest. Turnovers, penalties and two big fourth down conversions by the Lions doomed the Spartans, who managed to hang tough until the final minute of the game. Hayden Barnett passed for 175 yards, spreading the ball to receivers Cameron Johnson, Blake Warner, Isaiah Glover, Sullivan Barnes and Brian Skulski. Johnson led all receivers with three catches for 57 yards. Marshall Settegast, David Brown, Anthony Osso and Kyle Jackson led the defense on the first series, forcing the Lions to go three and out. After a Spring punt, Barnett went immediately to work. On the first play, Brian Skulski made an incredible over the shoulder catch for a 25 yard gain. Barnett then hit Johnson over the middle, who turned a short reception into a 35 yard gain to the Spring 20 yard line. Two plays later, Skulski sprinted 18 yards for a touchdown and it looked like the Spartans were going to pick up where the left off against MacArthur. The PAT was blocked but Stratford led 6-0 with 6:32 left in the first quarter. The game quickly turned in Spring’s favor, who engineered a methodical 75-yard drive on their next series. A nice combination of a balanced running attack and play action passes kept the Spartan defense on there heals during the drive. The series was capped by a Spring touchdown and after a successful PAT, the Lions lead 7-6 with 1:59 in the quarter. It was immediately clear that Stratford was in for a much tougher game than in Zero week. A loss of 19 yards put the Spartans in a hole on the next series and they were forced to punt. Spring then took over, keeping their drive alive on a fortuitous fourth down pass to the SHS 3-yard line. The Lions scored on the next play and led 14-6 after the PAT. On the ensuing kickoff, a fumble recovery gave the Lions the ball back. However, the defense rose up when Trey Miller broke up a third down pass, forcing Spring to punt. A Barnett to Johnson throw- and-catch for 17 yards gave the Spartans a first down but the drive bogged down and the Stratford was forced to punt again. Spring’s offense could not move the ball on the next series. John Lundell, Austin Stephens, Cullen Smith and Tommy Maranuk all had nice tackles and forced the Lions to punt shortly before halftime and the game went into the break down with Stratford down 14-6. Spring kicked off to Stratford to start the half but on the second play from scrimmage, the Spartans coughed up the ball again giving the Lions the ball deep in Stratford territory. A fourth down run to the 12 yard line was nullified by a Lion holding call but on the next play, the Spring QB found his receiver in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. The PAT was good and the Lions had widened their lead to 21-6. Highlighted by a Barnett to Barnes pass and a 24 yard run on a reverse by Glover, the Spartans moved the ball to the Spring 21-yard line on the next series. However, a holding call wiped out a first down pass from Barnett to Johnson and Spring took over on the SHS 35-yard line. Don Szumksi and Giovanni Gomez led the defensive charge on the next series forcing Spring to punt and the Spartans took over at their own 47 yard line. An 11 yard Barnett run and 17 yard pass to Warner, who made a great catch, again moved the chains but the Lions held again. In the fourth quarter, Stratford got the ball back after the defense held again and on a fourth down, Barnett hit Barnes with a 25 yard strike for a touchdown. After a two point pass conversion to Glover, the Spartans had cut the lead to 21-14 with 2:12 to go in the game. Spring recovered the onsides kick attempt and after three plays, Stratford had thought they had held the Lions to a 3 and out with 1:30 to play. However, a penalty gave the Lions a first down, allowing them to drain the clock all the way down to 8 seconds. A Barnett-to-Johnson-to-Skulski hook and lateral was completed but the Spring defense made the tackle after a 15 yard gain to end the game. Next game: Thursday, September 17th at 5:00pm at Cypress Woods HS September 2nd update: SHS – 49 MacArthur – 0 The Spartan Sophomore team opened the 2009 season on Thursday, August 27 with a 49-0 drubbing of the MacArthur Generals at Spring Forest. Brian Skulski led the Stratford running attack with 132 yards on 14 carries with 4 touchdowns and Jordan Gugenheim added another touchdown while rushing for 63 yards on 9 carries. Max Bredthauer also tallied 168 total return yards, giving the offense a short field to work with for much of the afternoon. In the first series, the Spartan defense forced the Generals to go 3 and out. Led by the defensive front of David Brown, John Lundell, Matt Lien, Parker Tennet and Marshall Settegast, the Generals gained just four yards and were forced to punt. On their first offensive series, the Spartans got off to a quick start. Hayden Barnett hit Sullivan Barnes with a 39-yard strike on for a touchdown on the first play and the Spartans never looked back. Tennet’s PAT was good and the Spartans took an early 7-0 lead with 7:22 in the first quarter. The next series for the Generals looked much like the first one as the defense again stifled the MacArthur running game resulting in -2 yards. After a 34 yard punt return by Bredthauer, Stratford set up shop at the MacArthur 45 yard line. The drive concluded with a 12 yard scamper by Skulski and Tennet’s PAT made the score 14-0. On the ensuing kickoff, Tennet’s deep kick created problems for the MacArthur receiving team which resulted in a tackle in the end zone by Trey Miller and Don Szumski for the safety and a 16-0 lead. On the next series, Barnett hit Dontrell Britton for 10 yards to move the chains. Barnett then ran 12 yards for another first down to end the quarter. Gugenheim then plunged into the end zone from the one yard line to begin the second quarter. The PAT was wide right but the Spartans had widened the lead to 22-0. Things went from bad to worse for the Generals, as Ricardo Maa recovered a fumble for the Spartans on the ensuing kickoff to give the offense the ball back. Barnett quickly went back to work hitting Mark Goldie on consecutive passes for 18 and 11 yards, respectively. Behind the blocking of Sloan Braband, Atkinzon Vargas and Andrew Brown, Skulski then ripped off a 17-yard run to the 2- yard line and two plays later, added his second TD of the afternoon. The PAT was no good making the score 28-0. MacArthur managed to move the chains for the first time after a fake punt resulted in a 12 yard gain and a first down but the defense again held at the MacArthur 30 yard line and Stratford went into halftime with a 28-0 lead. Bredthauer opened the second half with a nifty 75-yard kickoff return, maneuvering his way to the MacArthur 15-yard line. Skulski then tallied his third score of the afternoon with a 10-yard run led by the blocking of Isaiah Glover. Tennet again added the PAT for a 35-0 lead with 8:46 left in the 3rd quarter. After MacArthur failed to move the ball on their next series, the Generals were forced to punt once again. A 45-yard punt return by Bredthauer gave the Spartans good field position and the series concluded with a 25-yard TD run by Skuski, his fourth of the day. After a dead-ball personal foul resulted in a 15-yard penalty, Tennet calmly stepped up and drilled the 37-yard PAT (with 10 yards to spare) making the score 42-0. The Generals continued their ineptitude on special teams, as another fumbled kickoff gave the Spartans the ball back on the MacArthur 40 yard line. Skulski's 25-yard run to the MacArthur 15 yard line set up Stratford's final score of the day. Britton got into the scoring act from his H-Back position when he sliced his way into the end zone from the 9-yard line and Tennet's PAT made the score 49- 0. MacArthur got the ball back for one final series but the defense, led by Anthony Osso's back to back sacks, forced another punt and the Spartans ran out the clock to end the game. Next game vs. Spring High School on Thursday, September 10th at 5:15pm at Spring Forest. |