Organization news and notes

When Pearland traveled to Clute to play the Brazoswood Buccaneers in 2005, the Oilers dominated the game in every way possible in front of their home crowd. In fact, Brazoswood didn't get a first down until there was 6:21 remaining in the third quarter. The Bucs had only 20 total yards on 12 plays in the first half. The final score was 42-0 with head coach Tony Heath reeling in his starters after the first series of the third quarter. The Bucs never crossed the mid-field stripe until there was 10:11 remaining in the game.

Brazoswood finished 3-7 overall and 1-6 in district play.

This year, the Bucs entered the game with a revitalized spirit after winning their first four games of the season and opening District 24-5A action against defending district champion Pearland who was 7-0 in district and 10-0 for the regular season.

Not only has Brazoswood coach Dean DeAtley seen a renewed commitment from his players, but he invited the Oilers to be their homecoming guest to begin league play much to the surprise of everyone in the community. While Pearland used to be a regular homecoming opponent, that virtually ceased in 1999.

It looked like the game was going to be a re-run of last year as the Oilers dominated the first half for a 15-0 lead.

The time of possession in the first half was lopsided as Pearland had the ball 17:46 compared to Brazoswood's 6:14.

The Oilers outgained the Bucs 224 yards to 74 yards in the first half.

Pearland had 12 first downs and Brazoswood had only four in the first 24 minutes of action. The Oilers were also playing without starting quarterback Sam Proctor who suffered a sprain against Clear Lake. Backup Reid Wendell did more than enough to guide the Pearland offense in controlling the game.
Pearland scored on their second possession of the game using a 11-play, 80-yard drive capped off by a sensational 29-yard run by Fozzy Whittaker.

Robbie Hersh missed the extra point to the right leaving Pearland ahead 6-0 with 10:27 remaining in the second quarter.

Brazoswood tossed an interception on their second possession as Vincent Abron came up with the ball at the Oilers' 21.

It took 17 plays for the Oilers to march 79 yards to paydirt as Whittaker scored on a five-yard run around the right end. The two-point pass attempt was incomplete leaving Pearland ahead 12-0 with 3:16 left before intermission.

The Oilers held Brazoswood to three plays before getting one more possession with 1:07 remaining before halftime.

Quarterback Reid Wendell completed a pass to Kevin Miller for 19 yards, Whittaker reeled off an 11-yard run, Wendell and Karlton Johnson connected for 10 yards to the 18 before Wendell ran for seven-yards to the Bucs 11 with two seconds left on the clock.

Hersh booted the 28-yard field goal on the final play of the first half giving Pearland a comfortable 15-0 lead at the half.

The second half began with Brazoswood running three plays for a negative three yards before punting on fourth down.

The Oilers offense took up where they had ended in the first half with a 54-yard, nine-play scoring drive capped off with a one-yard plunge by James Williford. Hersh nailed the extra point and the Oilers were ahead 22-0 with 5:19 left in the third quarter while taking off 4:21 off the game clock.

But someone forgot to tell the Buccaneers that the game was over.

The Bucs began at the Pearland 41 following an outstanding kickoff return of 49 yards by Freddie Brown. Four plays later, the Bucs found the endzone on a 26-yard scoring dash by junior running back Yobes Walker. Brazoswood went for the two-point conversion as Walker rammed the ball across the goal line leaving the score 22-8 in favor of the Oilers with 3:22 remaining in the third period.

The Oilers recovered the onside kick attempt at their own 50 and proceeded to march to the Brazoswood 26 before a fourth down play halted the drive giving Brazoswood the ball with 9:46 remaining in the game.

Pearland's defense came up with two plays resulting in losses of 11 yards to force another Brazoswood punt.

The Oilers began on their own 33 with 8:05 left in the game, but Wendell was picked off on third down by Freddie Brown who returned the ball to the Pearland 24.

Quarterback Chase Player scrambled for 11 and 6 yards placing the ball at the Oilers' seven-yard line. Walker scored two plays later on a three-yard run. The extra point by Will Bedell was good leaving the Oilers ahead 22-15 with 5:43 remaining in the game.

The fired-up Brazoswood defense limited the Oilers to three yards to force a punt less with 4:42 left in the contest.

Setting up at their own 33, Brazoswood moved the ball to their own 46 on a 13 yard run by Walker. After two plays lost three yards, the Bucs faced third-down and 13. Walker once again got loose for a 17 yard gain to the Pearland 40. The Bucs completed a 12-yard pass to the 28 before Andrew Lamb rambled 24 yards to the Oilers' four-yard line. Walker capped off the drive with a four-yard run. The extra point was good knotting up the game at 22-22 with 1:58 still on the game clock.

Pearland moved from their own 20 to the Bucs 45 before time ran out sending the game into overtime.

The momentum definitely shifted to the Brazoswood side as Pearland got the first possession of the extra period. The Oilers moved from the 25 to the Brazoswood eight-yard line. Facing fourth-and-three, Pearland opted for a 25-yard field by Hersh for a 25-22 lead.

Brazoswood got their shot and proceeded to score in only five plays as Walker was the workhorse with runs of 5, 4, and 14 yards before Player cashed in the winning run on a one-yard burst up the middle for the shocking 28-25 win.

The final statistics showed Pearland outgained the Bucs 364 yards to 184 yards. The Oilers had 21 first downs while Brazoswood had 11. And the Oilers had control of the game for twice the amount of time as the Bucs, but there are no statistics measuring the heart of a player.

Whittaker led the offensive attack for the Oilers with 34 carries for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Reid Wendall was 12-of-22 passing for 135 yards and one interception. Kevin Miller had five catches for 64 yards and Karlton Johnson had four grabs for 43 yards.

Brazoswood wilted last year and gave up, but not this time. The Oilers are now 0-2 in district play and find themselves in danger of not making the playoffs unless there is some soul-searching among the players.

Pearland got the help they needed after last week's upset to Clear Lake as Clear Creek upset the Falcons 35-32. But the Oilers couldn't take advantage of the help and now have lost two games in a row -- something they haven't done since 1998.

The Oilers will have this week open to re-group and get ready to host Clear Creek at The Rig on Friday, October 20 at 6:30 p.m. Pearland (4-2, 0-2) can't afford to lose another game if they hope to advance to the post-season. While a loss might not eliminate them from the playoffs, the pressure to win out is upon them and the Oilers have too good a team to squander the season away.