Delbert Spell and a few of his Nederland defenders remembered just how awful it seemed on that long bus ride home last September from Waller.

Nederland’s second-to-none defensive coordinator could only feel embarrassed. His unit had tackle so badly. Waller had rushed for 515 yards, captured a 41-38 win and blemished Micah Mosley’s chance to celebrate a 318-yard, four-touchdown performance.

“It hurt so bad,” Spell recalled. “It had been pretty frustrating. Tonight was just the opposite feeling.”

When Delbert added the gutsy labors of Chris Gutierrez, Dravannti Johnson, Wareall Grogan and company, this long-time NHS coach probably watched one of the most impressive all-around defensive displays in head coach Larry Neumann’s 15-year tenure.

Neumann packaged it as an ultimate team win but Larry’s defense basically delivered this soggy triumph with its determination to atone for last year.

Nederland somehow prevailed 21-14 before 7,000 at Bulldog Stadium and finished the pre-district schedule a perfect 3-0, with the heart of a true blue Bulldog.

Perhaps it fell somewhat short of an artistic masterpiece, but it came close enough to perfect for Nederland with one noteworthy exception. Senior defensive tackle Jeremy Stewart hobbled off early in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.

Head trainer Larry Southard termed the injury a medial collateral ligament strain. The standout Nederland defender will be examined further by Dr. Gene Isbell. Losing Stewart would be a big blow.

Especially after that agonizing three-point loss at Waller last year, Nederland’s head coach definitely will take Friday’s outcome.

“I believe football is the ultimate team sport,” said Neumann, waxing philosophically. “This is the ultimate team win. The team won the game.

“We were less than impressive offensively... We must have changed defensive assignments several times on containing the option, maybe about a half-dozen times.”

The Bulldogs were on the short end of total yards (354-203) and possession time (24:51-23:09) and were without an offensive touchdown in a 14-14 game until Kirby Bellow hit Asa Cardenas on a 37-yard game winner with 55 seconds left.

Although Jeremy Phillips has received at least three Division 1 offers, the Waller quarterback-free safety probably departed this venue with the same sort of frustration that Nederland had a year ago.

Phillips went for the interception as Bellow hit Cardenas on a slightly underthrown ball to the Waller sideline. Bellow called the play a ‘64 Fly’ and Phillips tried in vain to play takeaway around the Waller 22-yard line. When Phillips missed the interception, Cardenas headed to the end zone and Nederland’s new jumbo scoreboard started its career on a winning note.

Nederland’s defense had played second fiddle to the two quarterbacks in the Bulldogs’ two previous victories. Ryan Sampere had a hand in four TDs against Brenham. Bellow threw four TD passes last week at Forest Brook.

Spell devised a 3-3 stack alignment with Gutierrez, Johnson and Landry in the linebacker roles. The approach was designed to confuse and contain Waller’s Phillips, a powerful threat on the option. Arguably the game’s most significant offensive weapon, Phillips rushed 18 times for 140 yards and dashed 49 and 36 yards on touchdown option keepers.

But Gutierrez, Johnson and Grogan often made Waller’s quarterback pay, jarring the ball loose and helping themselves to fumble returns. Grogan rambled 80 yards with a fumble, taking it from Jeremy’s hands. That score evened the count at 7-all after three quarters.

Then a high snap complicated the efforts of Phillips to complete a handoff to Waller’s fine running back Dexter McKee. The handoff hit high off McKee’s chest and went right to the alert Dravannti who took it 28 yards for a 14-7 lead on the first snap of the fourth quarter.

Painful cramps seemed to plague Dravannti through much of the second half but the University of Texas pledge kept on playing. Plenty of the load funneled to middle backer Gutierrez, who has started this season with an all-state type of season.

Gutierrez called Waller his best game to date.

“This probably was my best game,” Gutierrez said. “Stopping the quarterback on the option was the key. Their quarterback did pretty good. He got us sometimes.”

Along with his double-digit tackle performance, Gutierrez got Phillips a few times, too. He recovered two Waller fumbles, including the one at Nederland’s 9 with 2:55 to play. That enabled Nederland to set sail on a 91-yard, nine-play drive for its only offensive touchdown.

As well as Spell’s defense had performed, that last pass proved to be all the Bulldogs needed. The night appropriately would end with Landry tipping an interception to Justin Krautz at Waller’s 47 with 30 seconds to go. Call it one last curtain call for a superb Nederland defense.