'Dogs win, but have to wait to celebrate
NEDERLAND -- It was a scene unlike anything imaginable in Nederland football history.
In what seemed to be an eternity as their playoff fate hung precariously in the balance, players and students alike held hands, kneeling on the field with their heads bowed praying while listening to the final moments and afterwards of the PNG-Ozen radio broadcast over the public address system.
Nearly 1,000 stood in stunned silence while awaiting the final decision of the bizarre finish at Cardinal Stadium for nearly 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs had done their part moments earlier by taking care of business with a sound 33-0 thrashing of Vidor Friday night, but until it was announced that the Indians had indeed hung on for a 14-13 win over the Panthers, the tension on the field at Bulldog Stadium was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.
And when the final decision being beamed their way over their PA system, Bulldog Stadium turned into bedlam as Nederland earned another trip to the Class 4A playoffs, this time as the Division II runnerup District 20-4A. The Bulldogs are expected to meet New Caney next week in the first round of the playoffs.
Nederland, in a must win situation Friday night, used the passing of junior Dustin Hood (12-of-24, 235 yards and two pairs) and the three-touchdown performance of Ben Davis to move to 7-3 on the year and tie for second place in 20-4A with a 6-2 mark.
Vidor ended its season at 2-8 and 1-7 in league play.
"I don't believe anything is an accident and we talked to our players Monday about taking care of business," said an emotionally-drained Nederland head coach Larry Neumann, who stood in amazement at the happenings up in Beaumont. "We didn't want our players to get too preoccupied with what was
happening at Cardinal Stadium, but it was hard not to. I'll be honest with you.
"We really stayed focused throughout our ball game, but standing there for what seemed like about 30 minutes after our ball game trying to figure out what was happening up in Beaumont was very, very difficult. But what a relief when the final decision came down."
Neumann stated that his team's No. 1 goal entering the season was to make the playoffs and, "now we have to make something out of it."
Nederland was up to the task at hand and performed some magic on its first possession to gain control of the contest. On their first play on offense with 9:35 left in the first, quarterback Hood handed off to Davis going to the right side, but instead of barreling into the line, the Bulldog senior stopped in his tracks and turned and flipped the football back to his quarterback eight yards deep in the backfield.
Hood then fired down the middle, connecting with senior Josh Waite for 56 yards to the Pirate five. Two plays later, Davis went one yard for the first score of the contest. Waite booted the PAT and Nederland led 7-0.
Midway of the second period, Neumann's gritty Bulldogs jumped to a 14-0 lead on Davis' second TD of the half, a perfectly executed 22-yard screen pass with 4:53 before intermission. Big plays early in the 87-yard, eight-play TD march were Hood completions of 14 yards to Trent Hanley and 37 yards to Daniel Tompkins.
The Pirates appeared to get back into the contest on their next possession, driving 70 yards to the Nederland 10. Sophomore quarterback Andy Haeggquist dropped back with good protection and fired over the middle near the goal line, but Bulldog junior Andrew Ferguson made one of the biggest plays of the year for Nederland. Reading Haeggquist's eyes to perfection and intercepted at the two and went 98 yards to paydirt with 2:25 left in the half.
Instead of Vidor possibly closing Nederland's gap to a touchdown and gaining some momentum just before half, Ferguson TD sent his team to intermission with a 20-0 lead.
Early in the third, Davis, who made the most of his 52 yards on the ground, scored his third touchdown of the evening going in from the three. Nederland's Ashton Cummings closed out the scoring by dashing 37 yards for a TD with 5:47 remaining.
It was then all a waiting game as Bulldogs players, students, and fans listened to the bizarre finish at Cardinal Stadium.