Canyon Lake Gold Lightning Strike Comfort Bobcats, 22-16
Canyon Lake’s Gold started their season off with a comeback win over the Comfort Bobcats, 22-16.
“The kids played hard,” Coach Cody Means stated. “They decided they wanted to play (during the lightning delay) and adjusted and focused for this win.”
CL Gold started the scoring with a first drive but that would be the extent of the home teams damage until a lightning delay electrified the Hawks in finishing the contest scoring twice while holding Comfort out of the end zone during the 2nd half.
That first score was set up after a Comfort fumble leaving 11 yards for a score.
A CL holding infraction increased the yardage needed for that first score from 21 yards out.
Ty Badger would take the challenge skirting around the right end for an untouched 19 yard touchdown run.
Comfort would respond with running back Jaydin Steward’s 124 yards rushing during that first half and two scores and a 10 point lead, 16-6 going into halftime.
CL’s Gold team was able to run off 11 plays and just missed a touchdown from 35 yards out after a passing play would hit the receiver but could not hold on that resulted in a 10 point deficit, 16-6.
Starting the 2nd half with the ball and a lightning delay that allowed a rejuvenated team to turn the tables that started with a 4th down conversion via the airways when QB Tristan Roberts found a streaking Mason Paananen down the middle of the field for 19 yards and a new set of downs at the Bobcat 20 yard line.
“Because of Covid, I did not play last year and then I fell behind the curve but I have been told that I am built like a quarterback and I am just happy the coaches trust me,” Roberts said like a veteran. “After the lightning delay, that energized us and the coaches said that we should not be behind to this team, so we just came out more ready and we were just more fierce than the other team.”
Three plays later Badger would score his 2nd touchdown and with a Matthew Elson two point conversion had CL looking for a chance to pull off at win trailing, 14-16.
That would have the Bobcats looking to continue with their same game plan that gave them the lead with a heavy dose of Steward getting the hand-offs.
Steward would end the game with 181 yards but a penalty and turnover would stop their two 2nd half possessions and a win for the good guys.
CL Gold would take the lead on a 10 play 56 yard drive to start the 4th quarter. This time the lighting strike came from another pass, to Dylan Albarran who barreled 18 yards with every Bobcat and their trainer having a chance to tackle Albarran who would not be denied.
Rand Ahlman was the workhorse on this drive covering 29 yards on 3 carries before Elson would take the rock on his next two carries and what would be a winning score.
“We just came out and used our cork just smashed them in the mouth,” Elson stated with resolve. “We had to focus and fix some things after we were down and got this win.”
A team that was put together without an offensive coordinator until this week when Coach John Barthels took those reins.
“Yeah, I didn’t know any of the boys,” Barthels admonished. “They were very coachable especially having a QB (Roberts) who had never been a quarterback and hadn’t played since his 7th grade.”
Not bad and a good chance to improve as the season continues and this Hawk team puts their best foot forward.
Lightning in a bottle and a chance to thunder through their next battles for more wins!!
Go Hawks!!
1 2 3 4 Final Comfort JV 8 8 0 0 16 CL Gold 6 0 8 8 22 Scoring Summary: CL-Ty Badger 19 yard run (run failed), 4:03, 1st CH-Jaydin Steward 6 yard run (Steward run), 5:23, 1st CH-Jaydin Steward 41 yard run (Steward run), 5:35, 2nd CL-Ty Badger 4 yard run (Matthew Elson run), 4:03, 3rd CL-Matthew Elson 6 yard run (Rand Ahlman run), 3:11, 4th Total Stats Comfort Hawks Total Yards 191 188 First Downs 11 13 Rush/Yards 24/191 36/153 Comp/Att/Int 0/0/0 2/5/0 Passing Yards 0 35 Punts/Average 0/0 0/0 Fumbles/Lost 2/2 2/0 Penalties-Yards 3-20 2-20 Passing Comp Att Pct Yds Int TD Tristan Roberts 2 5 40% 35 0 0 Rushing Att Yds Ave Lg TD Rand Ahlman 10 60 6.0 17 0 Ty Badger 9 53 5.9 19 2 Tristan Roberts 4 26 8.5 12 0 Matthew Elson 2 11 5.5 6 1 Ravi Singh 7 8 1.1 7 0 Mason Paanannen 1 1 1.0 1 0 Talan Smith 2 -6 — — 0 Receiving No Yds Ave Lg TD Dylan Albarran 1 18 18.0 18 0 Mason Paanennan 1 17 17.0 17 0