ABC Channel 13 sports announcer Bob Slovak, long-time radio sports personality Cecil Cooper, and former Houston Texan linebacker Kailee Wong were in the broadcast booth to announce the televised game between the No. 10 Pearland Oilers and the No. 9 Clear Lake Falcons at Veteran's Memorial Stadium in League City.

With television cameras posted at different places around the stadium, the Oilers looked like a much different team than the one that played the week before at La Marque in a stunning 6-3 loss.

There is no question that if the Oilers had played La Marque the way they played Clear Lake, the outcome would have been much different. But that is the nature of the beast.

"We try to teach our kids to take one game at a time," head coach Tony Heath said. "The loss to La Marque is on me. I limited quarterback Sam Allen and I decided to turn him loose against Clear Lake and he came through like a champion."

The Oilers were also focused to avenge the 40-20 loss they suffered last year which was only the third time that Pearland had dropped a home game since moving into The Rig in 2001. In that game - Pearland lost two fumbles inside their own 20 while the Clear Lake wishbone ran through the Oilers' defense.

What a difference a year makes as a more experienced defense and a potent offense took the field to take on the Falcons who entered the game with a perfect 4-0 mark after blowing out their four previous opponents.

The Oilers took the opening kickoff from their 20 to the Clear Lake 45, but lost a fumble at midfield.

Despite the turnover, the Oilers defense made a statement early that they weren't going to be intimidated by the wishbone. A nervous Clear Lake team suffered two illegal procedure penalties while Pearland defensive end Mario Turner sacked quarterback Drew Decker to force the Falcons to punt.

Pearland took over at their own 41-yard line and proceeded to march down the field in 11 plays capped off by a 14-yard Allen to Kevin Miller touchdown pass with 2:46 left in the first quarter. Robbie Hersh added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

But Clear Lake responded with a drive of their own as Michael Grant scored on a seven-yard run to knot up the game 7-7 with 11:16 left in the second period. The drive was sparked by a 64-yard run by Eric Canas.

Pearland was forced to punt on their next possession and the Falcons began their next drive at their own 45. Three plays later, Jarred Mack raced down the left sideline for a 34-yard scoring scamper to give the Falcons a 14-7 lead.

But the Oilers were ready for the challenge and came back with a 13-play, 80-yard drive as Kasey Carrier scored on a one-yard run to knot up the game 14-14 with 2:37 left in the second quarter.

However, the Pearland defense stiffened and forced Clear Lake to punt after three quick plays.

Pearland got a break as the Lake shanked the punt giving the Oilers the ball at the Falcons' 30 with 1:00 left before intermission.

It took the Oilers only three plays as Allen hit Nick Saenz and Miller with two quick passes to the Lake 7.

Carrier got the call and hit the right side of the line, but bounced outside and strolled across the goal line giving the Oilers a 21-14 lead at halftime.

It appeared the the Falcons were going to do what La Marque did the previous week. They got the second half kickoff and erased 8:50 off the game clock in the 15-play drive that also included four Clear Lake penalties.
With a first down at the Pearland nine-yard line, the Falcons got to the four-yard marker before having to settle for a 20-yard field goal with 2:10 left in the third period to narrow the score 21-17.

Despite scoring, the momentum shifted to the Pearland side after the tremendous defensive stand.

That sparked the Oilers offense to drive from their own 20 to the Clear Lake 22 in 12-plays. Allen faked to Carrier and then dropped back to loft a soft pass to Miller who had faked out his defender on a sideline route. The 22-yard scoring pass with 9:01 left in the game gave the Oilers some breathing room at 28-17 while forcing the Falcons to score twice if they were going to win the game.

But the Pearland defense broke down the wishbone to force a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Gary Robertson at the Pearland 48.

The Oilers were forced to punt giving Clear Lake another opportunity.
Facing fourth-and-13 from their 18, Clear Lake was forced to punt but a bad snap resulted in a sack and the Oilers had the ball at the Falcons' 16.

It took only two plays for Carrier to score his third touchdown of the game on a five-yard run around left end. Hersh nailed the extra point for a 35-17 lead with 3:01 remaining in the game.

The Oilers got another late turnover that allowed Alex Deason to score on a four-yard run with 1:45 left on the clock. Hersh booted the extra point and the 42-17 final score was posted.

Pearland improves to 4-1 on the season and begin their quest to the District 24-5A throne room at 1-0 while Clear Lake drops to 4-1 overall and 0-1 in district play.

Carrier had another outstanding game with 131 yards rushing on 22 carries and four TDs. Allen hit 11-of-19 passing for 109 yards. Miller was the top receiver with six grabs for 68 yards and two scores.

The Oilers seek to avenge another loss they suffered last season to Brazoswood. The Buccaneers will invade The Rig on Friday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.