After a six game winning streak, the Brahmas fell just short last night as they lost to the Shorthorns 37-27.
The following story is from the Fort Bend Herald...
BY DON MUNSCH dmunsch@fbherald.com
GIDDINGS - Schulenburg offers school spirit gear emblazoned with an orange S that resembles the Superman logo.
Kyle Bludau didn't don a cape, but he might as well have been wearing the rest of the Superman outfit for the Schulenburg Friday night, as the junior quarterback provided all the offense for the Shorthorns in a 37-27 victory over East Bernard at Buffalo Stadium. The Shorthorns (12-0) now play Refugio next week in the fourth round of the playoffs.
East Bernard finished the season at 8-5. They had won six straight games going into Friday night.
Bludau threw four touchdowns, ran for another score and kicked a field goal for the Shorthorns' 37 points.
Fans actually saw a battle of quarterbacks Friday night, as EB sophomore signal-caller Ty Slanina accounted for three of the Brahmas' touchdowns. EB running back Jermaine Perkins scored the other touchdown.
The game was close late in the fourth quarter. EB scored a touchdown on a Slanina 48-yard run with 8:07 left, cutting the score to 30-27.
Schulenburg then took over at its own 34 after the kickoff and seemed to on the verge of punting it away twice on the possession. But Bludau completed a 21-yard pass to receiver Nolan Besetzny for a first down on a third and 14 play to move the ball to the Brahma 49, and then with the Shorthorns facing third and nine from the Brahma 37, EB was flagged for pass interference on a Bludau pass thrown to a receiver in double coverage.
The Shorthorns then drove from the 22 to the Brahma 5 on the next play on a 17-yard run by Brandon Strickland, and Bludau would score three plays later on a 2-yard run to give Schulenburg a 10-point lead with 2:21 left to play. A Brahma rally would fall short.
East Bernard had to play catchup all night. The Brahmas never led, and had trailed 27-13 at halftime. Bludau kept them off balance with his passing and running.
"He's the guy, and we knew that coming in," East Bernard coach Jerry Long said about Bludau. "We had a couple of breaks here late, and the kids came out in the second half and played their tails off, and that's what we asked them to do. That's what we didn't do the first time we played these guys. We just kind of dug ourselves a hole in the first half. It was hard to come back out of (that).
"I'm real proud of our kids," he said. "They don't want to hear it right now, but they turned this thing around about halfway through the year and ended up having a really good season and a season to be proud of. We just wish we were still playing."
The Shorthorns wasted little time in scoring their first touchdown, receiving the opening kickoff and moving 57 yards in four plays and getting on the board on a Bludau 34-yard pass to wide-open running back Jacob Langhamer with 10:05 left in the first quarter. The extra point was missed and the score remained 6-0. The Shorthorns started the drive after a squib kick by East Bernard.
East Bernard responded on its second possession, following a Zach Castillo interception at the Shorthorn 40. The Brahmas drove the 40 yards in seven plays, scoring on a Perkins 5-yard run with 3:03 left in the first quarter. The extra point was missed, leaving the game tied at 6.
The Shorthorns received another short kick, taking over at their 37, and then drove 63 yards in seven plays and scoring on a Bludau 14-yard pass to Langhamer, who was wide open on the left side of the field. Bludau found Langhamer after bootlegging to his left and just got the ball away before being hit. The extra point was good, and Schulenburg led, 13-6, with 11:12 left in the second quarter.
The Brahmas found themselves in a hole on their next possession, as they faced a third down and 14 on their own 37. Perkins then rushed for a first down, but he fumbled just past midfield and Schulenburg recovered.
On the next play from scrimmage, Bludau hit an open Besetzny on a 56-yard TD pass. Besetzny got behind the EB coverage and outran the secondary down the left sideline. The extra point was good and the Shorthorns took a 20-6 lead with 6:34 left.
Slanina got the Brahmas back on the board on the fourth play of their next series, as he scampered 53 yards for a TD. Slanina scored on the play after he dropped back on a second and two play and found no one open and then just ran past defenders, running first to his right and then cutting back to the middle of the field and bolting past defenders to the end zone. EB trailed 20-13 after the extra point with 4:23 left in the half.
Bludau threw his fourth touchdown pass of the half, this time on a 20-yard fade to receiver Ryan Havrda in the end zone with 55 seconds left in the half.
Slanina cut the lead to seven with a 43-yard run with 3:47 left in the third quarter. Bludau kicked a 34-yard field goal with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter to give the Shorthorns a 30-20 lead.
