NEDERLAND-Sometimes you play a great game and win a nail-biter. Other times you win big, but don't necessarily play well.

The latter was the case for Nederland Friday night, as it tuned up for arch-rival Port Neches-Groves with a 38-13 win over Lumberton on Senior Night at Bulldog Stadium.

On the positive side, Nederland clinched a playoff spot for the ninth straight season. The Bulldogs defense intercepted three passes, equaling their season total, and forced a fumble. The defense also limited Lumberton to zero passing yards and 137 total yards.

"We knew we had a goal on the line tonight," said Nederland coach Larry Neumann of clinching a playoff spot. "One of the goals we set in our off-season was to get into the playoffs and tonight we clinched that opportunity. I'm very proud of our team and coaching staff in the job they did in preparing ourselves and attaining that goal."

On the negative side, Nederland managed just 183 yards of total offense, including just 85 on the ground. The Bulldogs entered the game as the district leader in total offense, averaging 408.5 yards per game.

 

Part of the offensive woes could be attributed to the Bulldogs opportunistic defense. Nederland turned the four Raider turnovers into 21 points, including two scoring drives that took just one play each.

"I'm proud of our defense, especially for the turnovers," Neumann said. "We have not been on the long end of the turnover ratio this year, but tonight we got more than any game this year. Now's the time to start getting them.

"We knew they (Lumberton) were going to be a challenge for us defensively because of all the formations they present. They hurt us with some runs when we were rushing the passer and on the draw play a couple of times. Overall, I thought our secondary and defensive line played well."

Nederland (6-3, 4-1 in District 20-4A) took the opening kickoff and drove 70 yards in eight plays for the game's first score. Senior quarterback Dustin Hood was a perfect 4-of-4 for 59 yards on the drive. He hit Micah Mosley for 10 and 20 yard completions and Michael Young for 14 yards.

Hood, who finished the game 7-of-14 for 100 yards, hit Ryan Butler for a 15-yard scoring strike to put the Bulldogs up 7-0.

On Lumberton's first play from scrimmage, Andrew Ferguson intercepted quarterback Sean Gilley and returned it 15 yards. Micah Mosley scored from 16 yards out on the very next play from scrimmage to give Nederland a quick 14-0 lead.

Lumberton (3-5, 1-3) mounted a scoring drive on its second possession. The drive stalled at the Nederland 10 with Wade Abercrombie attempting a 27-yard field goal. The kick was partially blocked, but the Bulldogs were flagged for roughing the kicker, giving the Raiders first-and-goal at the five.

Gilley called his own number on a quarterback draw and scored on a 5-yard run to cut the lead in half, 14-7.

Clint Whitaker's interception of Gilley put the Bulldogs at the Lumberton 29 early in the second quarter. Mosley's 18-yard run, his longest carry of the night, gave Nederland first-and-goal at the 1. Mosley, who finished the game with a season-low 58 yards on 11 carries, dove over the pile for a 1-yard touchdown plunge to make the score 21-7.

The Bulldogs were back in the end zone 61 seconds later. Darin Smith grabbed Nederland's third interception of the night. Smith returned his first career interception in 34 games 20 yards to the Raiders 1. Hood scored on a quarterback sneak on the next play to push the lead to 28-7.

The Bulldogs closed out the first half scoring on Whitaker's 41-yard field goal. That made it 31-7.

Lumberton's futility continued in the second half. Forced to punt from their own 43 on the first possession of the third quarter, Gilley shanked the punt off the side of his foot back, resulting in a punt for zero yards.

Taking over at the Lumberton 43, Hood connected with Butler again on the Bulldogs first offensive play of the third quarter for a 43-yard scoring strike to make the score 38-7.

The Raiders closed out the scoring on Hunter Bittle's 1-yard plunge on the first play of the fourth quarter. Bittle led all rushers with 97 yards on 20 carries.

"I was proud of the way the kids prepared this week," commented Neumann. "They didn't have a distant look in their eyes like they were thinking about next week. They were focused on Lumberton as best they could with what was riding on the game (playoff spot).

"With having Port Neches-Groves right behind like that, you wonder sometimes if the focus is going to be what it should be. But I thought we had really good practices this week."

With a playoff spot already clinched and a chance to share the district championship, the Bulldogs can focus all their attention to PN-G this week. Instead of downplaying the rivalry, Neumann relishes the opportunity and what it means to his team and the community.

"It's fun to prepare for Port Neches-Groves because you don't have to do anything but go to practice," Neumann said. "The kids are thin lipped, beady eyed and all ears. They want to soak up anything that's being said and are very coachable.

"The atmosphere changes. It is a district game. It counts the same. But it is not just another game. It's a great rivalry, maybe one of the best in the state. We don't even try to not play it that way. It's going to be a big week for us. We look forward to everything that goes with it."