Organization news and notes

Whittaker's 415 yards sets new PHS rushing mark
For the first time since 2000, the Pearland Oilers took the field fighting for their playoff lives. After suffering two straight losses since 1998, head coach Tony Heath knew that starting 0-3 in district play would put his chargers in a deep hole in a run for a seventh straight playoff berth.

Little did anyone know that Pearland fans would be treated to one of the most historical nights, not only in Pearland football history, but Class 5A Texas football history.

Because the game remained close, Heath was forced to leave running back Fozzy Whittaker in the game. And like the Energizer Bunny, the more Whittaker carried the ball, the stronger he got as he kept going, and going, and going -- all the way into the record books as only the third 5A ball carrier in Texas football history to rush for more than 400 yards in a single-game.

Needless to say, the UT pledge broke the single-game PHS record formerly held by All-State running back Brandon Roberson (Northwestern) who rushed for 347 yards against Baytown Lee in 2003 in the area round of the playoffs sending the Oilers to the Region III semifinals.

The entire Pearland squad rallied together to beat an improved Clear Creek team who had wins over Clear Brook [35-17] and Clear Lake [35-32], but were shocked by Brazoswood the previous week 27-0 leaving them at 2-1 in district play before coming to The Rig.

Pearland wasted little time in setting the tone for the game as they used a 11-play, 64-yard drive to score the game's first touchdown. Whittaker carried six times for 54 yards including a three-yard burst through the Clear Creek defense for the score. Robbie Hersh hit the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 7:14 remaining in the opening period.

On the first play for Clear Creek following the ensuing kickoff, Nick Saenz came up with his fifth interception of the season picking off junior quarterback Neal Warden to give Pearland the ball at the Creek 47.

Quarterback Sam Proctor scored on a 10-yard run four plays later. The extra point missed to the right leaving Pearland ahead 13-0 with 5:22 left in the first quarter. The 47-yard drive was sparked by a 30-yard run by Whittaker.

Clear Creek finally got their offense untracked moving from their own 34 to score on a one-yard run by Nathan Baggs with 11:57 left in the second period. A bad snap on the extra point left the Wildcats trailing 13-6.

It took Pearland only 3:43 to answer as Whittaker scored on a one-yard run to complete a eight-play, 63-yard drive. Hersh nailed the extra point giving the Oilers a 20-6 lead with 8:09 left before intermission.

Both teams traded punts before sophomore free safety Jarrad Stewart came up with another interception before intermission.

The Wildcats got the second half kickoff and started on their own 42. It took only one play as J.J. Mullins broke through the Pearland defense and raced 58 yards for a score. The extra point hit the mark and Clear Creek narrowed the score to 20-13 with only 12 seconds gone in the third quarter.

Neither team could move the ball on their next possession. Clear Creek punted and the ball was stopped at the Pearland one-yard line.

With 8:29 remaining in the third quarter, the Oilers' primary concern was getting out of the hole and not turning the ball over deep in their end of the field that would allow Creek to tie up the game.

After Proctor and James Williford each gained two yards, Whittaker slithered through a small hole for six yards and a first down by half the length of a ball.
Whittaker got the call for three straight carries to the 20. On the fourth carry, the speedster got two good blocks by the right side of the line, bounced off one defender, and then used his quickness to break to the right sideline for a sensational 80-yard scoring jaunt. The extra point was good by Hersh giving the Oilers a 27-13 advantage with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter.

Clear Creek wasn't going to give in and came back on their next possession to score on a Warden to Jereme Brooks scoring toss coving eight yards. The extra point was good to narrow the score to 27-20 with 11:53 left in the fourth period.

But Pearland accepted the challenge from their own 32 and used seven-plays to find the end zone on a one-yard run by Whittaker with 8:37 left in the game. Whittaker carried the ball six times for 64 yards. Hersh booted the extra point for a 34-20 lead.

The Wildcats continued to stay in the game with a 13-play, 80-yard drive capped by a one-yard quarterback sneak by Warden. The two-point conversion was good leaving Clear Creek a pulse to win the game at 34-28 with 3:22 left in the contest.

But Pearland recovered the critical onside kick attempt and then turned to their energizer bunny who carried five straight times for two first downs before Proctor kneeled on the final play as time expired for the Pearland victory.

When the final stats were tallied, Whittaker had 36 carries for 415 rushing yards and the Oilers had their first district win to get back into the playoff hunt.

Pearland had 474 yards on the ground while Proctor was 1-for-2 passing for 13 yards giving the Oilers 487 total yards.

Clear Creek had a balanced attack with 156 yards on the ground and 153 through the air for 309 total yards. Warden was 17-of-23 for 153 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. Mullins finished with 12 carries for 133 yards and one score.

Pearland travels to face Alvin on Friday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Alvin Memorial Stadium. The Yellowjackets are 2-6 overall and 1-4 in district, but are coming off a shocking 24-21 win over Brazoswood in Freeport to hand the Bucs their first loss of the season.