WO-S defense stuns Bees, 31-15

By TOM HALLIBURTON

Port Arthur News Sports Writer

Tenth-ranked West Orange-Stark showed up with its usual jerseys and its customary method of conducting business.... blitz, blitz and smash-mouth.

Eighth-ranked Lincoln tried on new, gold halloween costumes and masqueraded as a top 10 team that it was labeled to be.

Winning the muscle wars on both sides of the ball, the underdog Mustangs schooled the favored BumbleBees in minimizing mistakes and keeping their plans simple.

WO-S welcomed five Lincoln turnovers and stunned the Bees, 31-15, Friday night before about 13,000, including LHS homecoming queen Talitha Jackson, at Memorial Stadium.

Do not let the score mislead you. Both sides bit their collective nails in this one. WO-S (7-0 and 2-0) tacked on two insurance touchdowns in the last two minutes. Lincoln (6-1 and 1-1) led at half, had plenty of chances, and self-destructed with mistakes.

What the Mustangs proved more than anything was how difficult a game can become without the ball. WO-S won the clock tug-of-war, almost two to one - a domineering 31:42 to 16:18.

Lincoln made tons of mileage from two gigantic snaps - a 73-yard pass (from Calvin Roberts to Daniel Francis) and a 58-yard run (by ShanDerrick Charles). Take away those two plays and Lincoln gained 77 more yards on 44 snaps.

That's because corners Jermaine Hope and Jeff Thibodeaux did a sticky job of containing Lincoln's wide receivers. Linebackers Turquoy Riggs and Tommy Cook basically bottled up most of the inside running game, forcing it to the outside.

In other words, the Chain-Gang defense carried out its plan even if it allowed far more than its average of 134.8 yards.

"It was spectacular," Lincoln offensive guard Emmanuel Augustine said of the WO-S defense. "It wasn't what I anticipated at first. They really brought it tonight."

WO-S defensive coordinator Cornel Thompson felt his unit "did about as well as they're capable of doing" against a diversified Lincoln offense.

"Every snap was just hold your breath," Thompson said. "We had to put a lot of heat on the quarterback."

That heat, and the Mustangs' defensive tempo, seemed to discomfort Lincoln's attacking squad, especially sophomore QB Calvin Roberts, who completed 5 of 16 for 123 yards and two interceptions. Take away the 73-yarder to Francis at the start of the second quarter and Roberts threw for only 50.

Hope took away Calvin's last first-half attempt with an outstanding interception at the Mustangs' 28 midway in the second quarter. WO-S responded with its own touchdown toss in the half's final minute as gritty QB Jonathan Feathers flipped an 11-yard out to Corey Collins, who escaped Roberts with 49 seconds left in the half.

WO-S may not have reached the office with a flashy offense but it outgained Lincoln's, 297-208. A defensive tackle on last year's team, quarterback Feathers hit 11 of 20 for 139 yards and a touchdown. He ran nine times for 25 yards and a touchdown. And he tossed the pitchouts to fast-improving soph tailback Vontear Edwards, who ran the sweep to perfection, carrying 19 times for 63 yards.

Mustangs' 20th-year head coach Dan Hooks practically predicted the exact number of carries for Edwards during Friday night's pre-game warmups.

"Vontear is really coming on," Hooks said. "He will get it (the ball) tonight about 20 times."

Lincoln's players and fans acted as if this was a big occasion. And it was. The Bees had not played a game involving two undefeated ranked teams in 29 years. WO-S was more conditioned to the event and it showed.

"I think it did (being in big games)," Hooks said. "Our coaches have been in a lot of big games like this."

Hooks' counterpart, Lincoln's Richard Williams, agreed with that opinion, sort of.

"Sure, that gave them a little edge," Williams said. "But I don't think it was enough of an edge to make a difference. You have to give them credit. They never panicked, never quit."

WO-S also benefitted from a huge no-call on the game's go-ahead drive. The 'Stangs moved ahead 14-8 with a 73-yard, nine-play TD series that consumed nearly five minutes (4:21). Mustangs' flanker Thibodeaux tugged at the jersey of LHS safety Lakemia Roberts, who had inside position on a lob in front of the Bees' sideline.

Instead of being flagged for offensive pass interference, Thibodeaux made a remarkable catch at Lincoln's 26. An offensive infraction would have moved WO-S back in its own territory. Six plays later, bullish Paul Thomas followed Donald Paul on a two-yard run with 2:18 left in the third.

Now the Bees needed an answer. Instead Lincoln found Hope in the wrong place - WO-S dazzling senior Jermaine Hope, who intercepted a Roberts misguided missile intended for Graylon Proctor. Roberts led Proctor too much on a slant and seven plays later, Frank Shuman's 34-yard field goal lifted WO-S up 17-8 with 10:33 to play.

ShanDerrick finished the night with 14 carries for 82 yards. His 58-yarder helped to slice the lead to 17-15. But linebacker Tommy Cook covered a Charles fumble with 3:53 to play, which ended any hope of a Lincoln comeback. Feathers sneaked home for a score with 1:49 to play and Cook turned out the lights at the 1:04 mark with another TD on a 46-yard interception return.

Both teams encounter big ones again next Friday when the Bees go to Port Neches-Groves and the Mustangs host Nederland.

Statistics from Houston Chronicle

	West Orange-Stark	PA Lincoln
First downs	15	10
Rushes-yards	42-154	25-69
Comp-Att-Int.	12-21-0	7-20-3
Passing yards	143	139
Punts-avg.	6-24	5-32
Fumbles-lost	1-1	3-2
Penalties-yards	6-26	4-20

 

WO-Stark (7-0, 2-0)	0	6	8	17		--	31
PA Lincoln (6-1, 1-1)	0	8	0	7		--	15

PA--Marcus Sias 5 run (ShanDerrick Charles run) 11:39, 1st

WO--Corey Collins 11 pass from Jonathan Feathers (run failed) :49, 2nd

WO --Paul Thomas 2 run (Feathers run) 2:18, 3rd

WO --FG Frank Shuman 34, 10:33, 4th

PA --ShanDerrick Charles 1 run (Coreyan Gorrer kick) 6:39, 4th

WO --Feathers 1 run (Shuman kick) 1:49, 4th

WO --Tommy Cook 46 return (Shuman kick) 1:04, 4th

Leading rushers WO --Vontear Edwards 19-64. PA --Shan-

Derrick Charles 14-82, 1 TD.

Leading passers WO --Jonathan Feathers 11-20-0,139, 1 TD. PA--Calvin Robers 5-16-2, 123 yards.

Leading receivers WO --Jeff Thibodeaux 3-42. PA --Daniel Francis 2-95.