And a 38-13 loss to the Killeen Kangaroos certainly wasn’t how they envisioned their opening game ending. But thanks in large part to Shoemaker miscues, that is what happened at Leo Buckley Stadium on Thursday evening.
“It was a great rivalry game and I’m glad we came out on the winning end of it,” Killeen coach Sam Jones said.
The Kangaroos (1-1) won by allowing their defense to feast on a Grey Wolves offense that had 11 players making their first varsity start, with Texas A&M-committed quarterback Jameill Showers out with a collarbone injury. The inexperience showed as the Wolves gained only 20 yards of offense in the opening half and gave up a fumble that Killeen’s Michael Vicker returned for a 5-yard touchdown.
“We are not a school blessed with linemen,” Shoemaker coach Ken Gray said. “We do the best with what we have and that became apparent when they were running through us.”
The Shoemaker defense did its best to keep its team in the game by containing the Roos’ playmakers - quarterback Michael Cummings and running back Jaquail Haskins. The duo gained 57 yards in the opening half but had to earn every bit.
“The Shoemaker defense is a tough defense,” Jones said. “They will find a way to win some games.”
The Roos’ opening drive began at the Shoemaker 42-yard line. It took the Roos nine plays to drive to the 1, where Cummings powered in to score on fourth down. The drive was highlighted by a 25-yard pass from Cummings to Rodney Brown on the right sideline.
The Roos’ next drive began at their 28, and after 10 plays they had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Christian McCain.
But after that the Grey Wolves settled in, forcing a three-and-out series, followed by a turnover on downs in four plays and three straight incompletions to go into halftime.
Between that, the offense started to pick it up slightly. Gray switched from a spread attack to an old-school wishbone to better utilize the talents of quarterback Darrien Nicholas, who was starting in place of Showers, out at least two more weeks.
“The option allows us to utilize Nicholas’ talent better as he’s more of an option guy,” Gray said. “But we are a young team and still learning.”
The change was working until Mother Nature got in the way. The Grey Wolves began a drive on their 21 and by using a good combination of dives and options they moved to the Roos 41. Then a flash of lightning just north of the stadium forced the game to be delayed.
And when the Grey Wolves got back, their first play was a bad snap that resulted in a 14-yard loss, and their offense went backward the rest of the half, losing a total of 8 yards in their final two series to leave Shoemaker trailing 17-0 at half.
In the third quarter, the Roos put the game away.
Cummings hit tight end Anthony Jenkins on a play-action pass for a 36-yard touchdown on the fourth play of the half.
Then, Vicker came up big again on the Grey Wolves first drive by intercepting a Nicholas pass at the Roos’ 24. Five plays into that drive Cummings connected with Da’Juan Sylvester on the right sideline for a 47-yard touchdown pass and a 31-0 lead, and the Roos coasted to the victory.
“It was good to see our kids bounce back,” said Jones, whose Roos lost their season opener 20-14 in overtime to rival Killeen Ellison last Friday. “We just passed and ran for four quarters. We were able to pass and run (vs. Ellison) for one quarter, but tonight we maintained it throughout.”
mhood@temple-telegram.com
