Vital set a Cove single-game rushing record with 327 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the ninth-ranked Bulldawgs to a 48-26 win Friday night at Floyd Casey Stadium for their second consecutive berth in the Class 4A Division I state semifinals.
“I love my linemen,” Vital said. “They are doing their jobs. I told them when they do that I promise them I’ll get to the end zone.”
And boy, did they ever get him holes as Cove claimed the Region II championship.
The Bulldawgs (11-2) got on the board first when Vital took a pitch from quarterback Robert Griffin, danced along the sideline and 53 yards later found the end zone on their first play from scrimmage.
That was the most difficult score he’d have all night. His other three scores - from 18, 69 and 31 yards out - were all just simple dive plays up the middle.
“I was kind of surprised that they were there,” he said. “But I was kind of antsy and wanted to jump because I could see how big those holes were.”
But it wasn’t just the Vital show, as Alves proved that Boyd (9-4) - in only its second season of football - was a quality foe.
After a 47-yard pass from Griffin to Josh Boyce put the Dawgs up 14-0 in the first quarter, sophomore Alves showed his stuff. He had already broken runs for 22 and 23 yards, and with the Dawgs focused on stopping him, he was able to throw a screen pass to A.J. Jones for a score with 7:24 left in the half.
Then after a Cove fumble, Alves moved the Broncos from Cove’s 41-yard line to the 1, where he had an easy run to cut it to 14-13 (with a failed extra point) with just under two minutes left in the half.
“He reminds me of Doug Flutie,” Cove coach Jack Welch said. “He’s a great example of high school football at its best. He has the heart of a giant and that’s why they got this deep.”
And while Alves finished with 221 yards on 38 carries, Cove linebacker Tanner Brock, who was assigned to spy on Alves, kept him from single-handedly making it a tight game.
“Whew,” Brock said of Alves. “He’s something different. And he’s just a sophomore. In two years, he’ll be a great athlete. But our line and linebackers did a good job on him.”
And the Bulldawgs’ offense made sure that even if the defense failed to handle Alves, they would provide enough of a cushion.
Before the half ended, Griffin worked the two-minute drill to perfection, completing two passes for 50 yards, then running two draw plays, the second of which went for a 9-yard score and a 21-13 halftime lead.
Then on the opening drive of the second half, Vital found the end zone from 18 yards out to make it 28-13 with 10:13 left in the third.
Alves answered with a 28-yard scoring run to cut the lead back to eight, then Vital got loose for a 69-yard TD run to all but seal the win.
“We spread them out a lot,” Welch added. “We ran to the left and to the right, (and) that opened up that middle. That and they still had to key on Griffin. So we had a lot of things that really worked well for us tonight.
“We were kind of surprised to see the holes open up. Usually we expect 4-5 yards on those up the middle. We had the big plays, but I tell you what, I am glad it’s over. They are tough to stop.”
The Bulldawgs, state runners-up last year, will meet the winner of today’s Wolfforth Frenship-Aledo duel in the Region I final.
When asked about possibly changing his commitment from Houston to Baylor, Vital said, “I like this field. I like (new Bears coach Art) Briles. Baylor would be my top choice right now, but we’ll see."
mhood@temple-telegram.com
