FRIENDSWOOD - Ouch! What a painful orientation for the Nederland Bulldogs to receive on higher education into the ins and outs of high school overtime football.

When Nederland's first-ever trip into the land of overtime ended, Friendswood ushered the Dogs away with a tough, but entertaining 32-29 double-overtime verdict to have to stomach.

A standing-room, overflow Henry Winston Stadium crowd of 5,000 finally watched this marathon end after more than three hours when Mustangs senior place kicker Kyle Miller was transformed from goat into hero after booting a 20-yard field goal at the end of the second overtime.

Miller had missed three field goals, including a potential game-winner from 26 yards with six seconds left in regulation. That's when Friendswood 10th-year head coach Steve Van Meter entered the prediction business.

Van Meter accurately forecasted to his kicker, as a means of raising his spirits, that he would kick a game-winning field goal in overtime.

 

"I told him, 'You're going to win it for us in overtime' and he did," Van Meter said. "I would have liked for him to have ended it in regulation. But he struggled. He had been in a little bit of a slump."

Miller was wide right on two 37-yard attempts in the second quarter, but the real nightmarish kick came from the middle of the field after Nederland deliberately tried to freeze him with time-outs. The Bulldogs' tactic worked and the Mustangs' coaches could have ridiculed him.

Instead, they stuck with him.

"I really didn't know how the coaches felt about me before tonight," Friendswood's kicker said. "Now I know how they feel. They really gave me confidence."

Although they compete in District 23-4A with defending 4A Division II state champion La Marque, the Mustangs move to 4-0 and rate a decent chance to enter their league race as one of the favorites.

The 20-4A affairs also begin next week at home for Nederland (2-2) against Beaumont Central. Dogs head coach Larry Neumann certainly believed his team reached that juncture with a high caliber of pre-district preparation.

"The kind of opponents we've been playing has got to help us in our district race," Neumann said. "I'm real proud of their effort and the desire we showed. We will come back. The heart of this team is in good standing. If you need to get tested before district, we certainly got tested."

Miller's double-overtime points were simplified because the Mustangs were allowed to begin their winning possession on the NHS 12, instead of the 25, due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

NHS quarterback Dustin Hood raised his hands, signaling touchdown when officials ruled Mustangs defender Tad Norris stopped Dogs runner Micah Mosley a few inches short of the goal on fourth and 2. The strongside sweep from the power I completed Mosley's 22-carry, 90-yard rushing night.

Hood and many of the Bulldogs offensive players obviously appeared disappointed that a touchdown was not signaled.

"To be a good football team, you've got to be under control and not let that happen," Neumann said of the unsportsmanlike foul.

Regardless of the frustration, Hood delivered another outstanding performance, completing 15 of 25 for 235 yards, with three touchdown passes and another rushing TD to end the first overtime.

Hood sneakedbehind center Brock Lemire to cap an eight-play, 25-yard scoring series. The game's leading rusher, Friendswood's Scott Fournier (22 for 94) took a pitchout seven yards to cap a three-play, 25-yard series at the beginning of the overtime.

Fournier led the Mustangs receivers, too, with five catches for 107 yards. His acrobatic grab split defenders Tyler Thompson and Andrew Ferguson in the middle of Nederland's secondary for a 53-yard reception to the NHS 11 with 2:01 to play.

That's before the Friendswood kicker failed to make the 26-yard field goal with six seconds to play.

Hood had delivered a near-flawless opening half, guiding the Bulldogs ahead at intermission 14-7. Dustin completed 9 of 11 first-half tosses for 156 yards and two touchdowns.

His out-and-up to Thompson (4 for 77) covered 17 yards for the game's first score. Only 24 seconds later, a 37-yard Hood-to-Ferguson lob made it 14-0, with 46 seconds left in the opening quarter.

"I thought we really missed an opportunity to get the game in good shape after that," Neumann lamented.

Two fumbles kept the Bulldogs from owning more than a one-touchdown halftime edge. Friendswood strong safety Brett Moore crashed into Hood's helmet, forcing the ball loose. Defensive end John Brown scooped up the ball and sprinted 18 yards for Friendswood's lone first-half score with 8:44 left in the half.

Nederland bounced right back and looked ready to command a two-score cushion when Mosley did not secure Hood's pitchout. Friendswood soph linebacker Bo Mosley claimed the free ball 12 yards from his goal line.

Kicking game woes jumped up and strangled Nederland for a second straight loss. The kicking related problems occurred in the second half. A low snap forced NHS punter Cody Deitz to grab the ball in his end zone with a knee on the ground. Officials called it a safety, slicing the halftime gap from 14-7 to 14-9.

Later in the same third quarter, a fair catch attempt of a FHS punt glanced off Micah Mosley's hands and Friendswood's Paul Stuart covered the loose ball at the NHS 7.

Friendswood quarterback T.J. Jordan (14 of 31 for 228 yards) followed with two second-half touchdown plays. Jordan connected with Jordan Callahan on an out route, lifting the hosts ahead 15-14 with 1:04 left in the third quarter.

Jordan sneaked one yard, fattening the lead to 22-14 with 10 minutes to play. The sneak capped a five-play, 24-yard drive triggered by Trey Brezina's 32-yard interception runback of Hood's pass for Michael Young at the end of the third quarter.

The interception marked Nederland's fourth and final turnover of a night sprinkled with too much generosity. Turnovers, kicking game mistakes and penalties had mounted a bit too high.

Perhaps the tough pre-district regimen will benefit Nederland down the road, but it didn't Friday night.