Pearland rushes past Lamar 35-14

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Current and archived news - 2011 Season

OFF AND RUNNING -- Pearland senior running back Jackie Robinson (25) got a block by John Gibberman (behind) and found a huge hole to score on a 93-yard jaunt against Houston Lamar on the first play of the game for the Oilers for a quick 7-0 lead. Robinson finished with 241 yards on 27 carries and one TD. Pearland took care of business 35-14 to advance to defend their 5A Region III Division I title against Hightower on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 4:00 p.m. at Tully Stadium. (Photo by Keith Ordeneaux)

Robinson, Garner, defense step up
The rain was coming down, the wind was blowing, and the temperature was dropping. But head coach Tony Heath reminded his players that it was the same way on the other side of the line of scrimmage as both teams would have to battle the elements as well as each other.
In the end, it would be the Oilers (11-2) who would emerge victorious with a 35-14 win over the Houston Lamar Redskins (10-3) at Galena Park ISD Stadium.

A strong Pearland fan base made their presence known and were willing to sit in the elements to cheer the defending 5A Division I state champions on to victory. By the second half, most of the rain had dissipated and the Oilers were well on their way to the 5A Region III Division I state quarterfinals that will be played on Saturday, December 3 at 4:00 p.m. at Tully Stadium against the Hightower Hurricanes.

There are only eight teams left in the Class 5A Division I road to the 2011 state championship and for the second straight year, the Pearland Oilers are in the hunt to claim another state title.

But Heath will never let his team look past Hightower who stands in the way of the Oilers advancing to the 5A Division I state semifinals.

"We have no other team that we are focusing on except Hightower," Heath said. "It is one game at a time and all of our attention will be on the Hurricanes."

That focus was evident when Pearland faced Lamar who came off a thrilling 35-34 come-from-behind win over Cypress-Falls the week before.

After Lamar was forced to punt on their opening possession, the Oilers began their first drive at their own three yard line with 8:20 left in the first period.

Despite the nasty weather, senior running back Jackie Robinson got the ball, found a huge hole created by his offensive line, and then burst out in the open to outrun the Lamar secondary for a sensational 93-yard touchdown giving Pearland an early 7-0 lead while taking only 13 seconds to score. Michael Winstead added the extra point.

Pearland would add another touchdown in the first quarter as QB Jacob Garner would slip across the goal line for a 1-yard sneak. Winstead hit the PAT and Pearland was out to a quick 14-0 advantage at the 2:22 mark.

The touchdown took five plays and 66 yards highlighted by a 43-yard run by Robinson to the Lamar seven-yard line. At this point in the game, Robinson had 150 yards on four carries.

After Lamar moved to the Pearland 35 in a couple of plays following the kickoff, the Redskins fumble and Henry Flanagan recovers the ball for the Oilers at their own 35.

On the first play, Garner finds another big hole created by the Pearland offensive line, breaks three tackles, and races to the Lamar end zone before being pushed out at the 2-yard line. The junior signal-caller scored on the next play to give Pearland a 21-0 advantage with 11:56 left in the second quarter.

After Lamar was forced to punt again, Pearland wasn't able to get a first down and had to punt for the first time in the game.

Because of the slick weather, Pearland mishandled the punt and Lamar's Chima Uzowhilie picked up the fumble and rambled for a 14-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-7 at intermission.

Pearland would fumble a second punt attempt that didn't result in any harm, but those two plays were the only hiccups that the Oilers would encounter considering the weather conditions.

While Pearland's offense was controlling their side of the line of scrimmage, the defense was nothing short of spectacular as the Redskins were held to only 39 total yards in the first half. Led by All-State linebacker Kendall Erhlich and defensive tackle Chris Alexander, the Oilers were all over the field wrecking havoc to the Lamar offense.

Neither teams scored in the third quarter, but the Oilers began putting some distance from the Redskins when Garner scored on a 10-yard run with 5:55 left in the game for a 28-7 lead.

With 1:39 left in the contest and Pearland clearly in front, Lamar scored on a 32-yard pass play to narrow the score to 28-14.

But Pearland recovered the onside kick and Adam Saunders ripped off a 42-yard scoring run 14 seconds later to post the 35-14 final score sending the Oilers to the 5A Region III Division I finals.

Pearland dominated from start to finish allowing the Redskins only 141 total yards while the Oilers racked up 425 total yards including 384 yards on the ground.

Robinson had another monster game as he rushed for 241 on 27 carries for one score. Garner had 13 carries for 97 yards and three TDs. Saunders had six totes for 64 yards and one score.

Garner completed 5-of-8 passing for 43 yards while Cole Staudt had one catch for 23 yards. Jared Mapps had two grabs for 17 yards.

Robinson now has 1,491 yards on the season with 12 TDs. Garner has thrown for 1,870 yards and 19 TDs.

Pearland fans need to be at the game this coming Saturday, December 3 at 4:00 p.m. at Tully Stadium.

Directions are: Get on Beltway 8; take I-10 (toward San Antonio); Exit Dairy-Ashford - turn left - Tully Stadium will be on the left about 1/2 mile from I-10.

If you want to go early - there is a great Chinese Buffet on the right before you get to the stadium. Only about 1/4 mile from Tully Stadium.

If you can't go to the game -- go to: www.reporternewssports.com and click on the Live Blog icon and join us for the live chat during the game. You can see the play-by-play action, ask questions, or add your own thoughts during the game.