In the end, the Killeen Shoemaker Grey Wolves held on for a 49-35 win over the Killeen Ellison Eagles.
Shoemaker (4-5) improved to 3-3 in district and will be in no worse than a tie for fourth with at least Ellison (5-4) heading into next week’s regular-season finale.
“It was just the kind of game I thought it would be,” Shoemaker coach Ken Gray said. “Tough, close. It was a big win for us.”
It was a big-play night for both teams. Shoemaker scored on plays of 80, 67, 33 yards in addition to a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Ellison scored on plays of 37 and 59 yards and had a 55-yard run to get into scoring position.
But, strangely, it may have been the defense that made the difference for the Grey Wolves.
After Shoemaker running back Dion Demers scored from 13 yards out to tie it at 28 on the opening drive of the second half, Ellison looked like it would be able to keep up the frantic pace.
On second-and-9 at the Eagles 38-yard line, Ellison running back David Cobb took a handoff on a dive play to the right, then cut back and found open field. His 55-yard scamper gave Ellison first-and-goal at the Shoemaker 7.
A penalty, two sacks and an incomplete pass left the Eagles facing fourth down on the 22. Knowing a 39-yard field goal attempt probably wouldn’t be worth much the way Shoemaker had been moving the ball, the Eagles went for broke. And broke they got.
Shoemaker’s R.J. Allen broke through the line to sack quarterback Kyle Skinner, and the Grey Wolves took over on their 26.
In the first half, Shoemaker had been successful burning the Ellison defense immediately after a turnover or big stop. In the first quarter, the Grey Wolves got the ball on an interception, then completed an 80-yard pass from Jamiell Showers to M.J. Porter to take a 14-0 lead.
Having stuffed the Eagles in the third quarter, the Grey Wolves tried again. Showers looked for Eric Moore on the left side, but Ellison’s Marquavius James read it perfectly and snared the Eagles’ only interception of the night at midfield.
But Shoemaker held Ellison to a three-and-out, giving a sense that the tide was about to turn for good.
The Grey Wolves failed to capitalize again, and the Eagles took advantage of a short punt to take a 35-28 lead. Daniel Cobb’s 33-yard run highlighted a six play, 49-yard drive that was capped with a 7-yard touchdown run by Jaron Turner.
But the Grey Wolves had already proved they were in charge of the second half, and a seven-point lead wasn’t about to slow them down.
“At halftime I just called the offense and defense together and said ‘Hey choose your attitude,’” Gray said. “‘Let’s make a decision. What are we going to do in the second half?’”
What they did was answer.
Showers, who passed for 352 yards, continued to hit open receivers and capped a seven-play, 78-yard drive with a screen pass to Demers for a 33-yard touchdown to tie it at 35.
After another Ellison punt, Shoemaker had the ball at its 12 before Showers hit Moore for a 22-yard completion in the middle of the field. Two plays later, he found Porter streaking down the right side for a 67-yard touchdown pass that gave the Grey Wolves a 42-35 lead with 3:01 to play.
“We didn’t execute like we needed to,” Ellison coach Buddy McBryde said. “This was a big game for Shoemaker. They had their playoffs on the line."
While neither team has clinched or been eliminated from playoff contention, both know they need to win next week, or it’s all but done.
“This was a playoff game for us,” Gray said. “Now we have a very good Temple team to focus on next week."
mhood@temple-telegram.com
