Edna Cowboys playoff run ends in semifinals
Submitted by jcht2010 on
By Jeremy Shapiro
Special to the Herald-Tribune
CYPRESS – An emotional playoff run filled with almost unimaginable sadness and stirring triumphs for the Edna Cowboys came to a close Friday one week short of the state championship game.
Junior wide receiver Marquis Bates said Edna ran out of gas in the second half of Friday’s 70-34 loss to Cameron Yoe in a Class 3A, Division 1 semifinal game at Berry Stadium in Cypress. After going toe-to-toe with the two-time defending state champions in the first half, the Cowboy defense could not keep up with the Yoemen attack.
“We played our hardest for all four quarters, but Cameron Yoe is a very good team,” Bates said. “They came out in the second half and found our weaknesses.”
Huey Chancellor, who completed his first year as Edna head coach, said emotions may have played a role in Friday’s loss. But Cameron Yoe played a bigger role.
“The biggest thing tonight was how good a football team we faced,” Chancellor said. “I give Cameron Yoe all the credit. We tried to stress during the week how good a team we’d be playing. We needed a little more attention to detail.”
The Cowboys ended the season 9-6, advancing to the state semifinals for the first time in 23 years. After a 5-5 regular season, the Cowboys won four playoff games, helping unite a community still grieving.
Noah Ortiz, 15, a starting sophomore defensive lineman, lost his life in a mobile home fire on Nov. 25 in Edna along with four of his siblings. Ortiz’s younger brothers Nicholas, 13, Julian, 9, and his younger sisters, Areyanah, 6, and Lilyana, 5, also were killed in the fire. The youngest sibling, Johnny Hernandez III, 4, survived along with
his mother, Annabel Ortiz, and father, Johnny Hernandez Jr.
The Cowboys paid tribute to Ortiz in many different ways. For example, a cross with the Cowboys’ colors made by students from the high school has been displayed in the locker rooms, on the field and as part of a team picture. Perhaps the biggest tribute came on the field as Edna knocked off Ingram Moore 50-28 and then beat Hallettsville 28-21 in the state quarterfinals, a day before Ortiz‘s funeral.
“This has been a big deal for Edna,” Bates said. “We’re from a small town, and we hadn’t made it this deep in the playoffs since 1991.”
Cameron Yoe struck first when Aaron Sims scored on a 24-yard touchdown run. Edna punted on its first possession, but they quickly got the ball back when Marquis Broussard recovered a Sims fumble. On the next play, quarterback Landon O’Connor went over the top to connect with DeOntae Jones on a 26-yard touchdown pass.
The Yoemen (11-4) answered with a 1-yard score by quarterback Reid Nickerson. Edna needed just two plays to score its second touchdowns. Jones took the handoff, made a cut and was off to the races. His 55-yard score gave the Cowboys a 14-13 lead. Broussard extended the lead when he returned a Cameron Yoe fumble 40 yards for a defensive touchdown.
For the rest of the article, pick up a copy of the Dec. 17 Jackson County Herald-Tribune.
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