Photo by Brian McLean
By Nolan Ruth
X – @RealNolanRuth
AZLE— The Azle Hornets and the Brewer Bears are in a troublesome position midway through the high school football season. In a district with Aledo, Denton Ryan and Richland, there is really only one playoff spot left for the remaining six teams.
Azle did not get off to a good start in district, losing to Denton last week. Brewer did not get off to a good start either, but their two losses were to aforementioned Aledo and Richland. Brewer was still in good standing for the final playoff spot, but Azle was in a must win situation going into Friday’s rivalry matchup.
In a high-scoring affair, Brewer dashed any hope of Azle reaching the postseason by winning 63-42.
On the opening possession, Braylen Reed came up with an interception to give the Bears early momentum. Kameron Coleman then began his big game with a touchdown reception from quarterback Colton Ryals from 22 yards out.
Coleman rushed for 278 yards and two touchdowns in the winning effort.
Setting the tone for the rest of the game, the Hornets responded quickly. Senior quarterback Derrek Vowell found Brayden Combs over the middle for the score to tie it up. Defenses took over until three possessions later when Vowell and Combs connected again to give the Hornets a 14-7 lead.
The Bears countered when Coleman broke free and raced 51 yards to paydirt to tie it up. However, the Hornets got the last laugh of the first quarter when Vowell found Aiden Mackey in the endzone to reclaim the lead at 21-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Colman then broke two big runs to open the second quarter, setting up Devan Roberts to score out of the wildcat from one yard out. After a defensive stop, Coleman gave the Bears the lead again by scoring from 11 yards out.
Roberts scored once more just before the halftime break to give Brewer a 35-21 lead, while having all of the momentum.
The Bears extended that lead quickly in the second half when Ryals hit Triston Alexander to make it 42-21. Azle got a much needed response on the ensuing drive when Vowell kept it himself and scored with ease to cut into the deficit.
The Hornet defense then forced a big turnover, setting up King Stephens to make it a one score game on a 15 yard run for the score. Brewer then responded just before the end of the third quarter when Ryals hit Andrew Jones to extend the lead to 49-35.
On the second drive of the fourth quarter, Azle once again cut the lead to one touchdown when Brodie Clark snuck behind the defense and Vowell hit him in the back of the endzone to make it 49-42.
However, Brewer was able to put it away when Da’myrian Wash picked off Vowell and cruised into the endzone to put the game on ice. After a defensive stop, Ryals connected with Jones again for good measure to bring the final score to 63-42.
With the win, Brewer improves to 3-2 and still remains in prime position for a playoff spot with Denton High coming to town next week. On the other side, Azle drops to 0-4 and is facing a tough reality that they may not be making the playoffs this year. Mathematically, it is still possible for the Hornets, but they have to begin next week when they travel to Birdville.
