When Pearland lost to Brazoswood in overtime last year, after building up a 22-0 lead in the middle of the third quarter, there was a message that the players heard all week prior to the Buccaneers coming to The Rig for this year's contest.

"We must play 48 minutes! Anything else will not be acceptable!"
And that is exactly what the Oilers had to do to claim the 28-16 victory to move into a tie for first place with Clear Creek at the top of the District 24-5A leaderboard.

This time last year - the Oilers dropped their first two league games to Clear Lake and Brazoswood to fall in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1999. But Pearland reeled off eight straight wins to advance to the 5A Division I state semifinals before coming up short against Austin Westlake 35-32 at Kyle Field in College Station.

While the 2007 model of the Pearland football team has had one blip in the road with the 6-3 loss to La Marque -- the Oilers have improved dramatically over the past two weeks to prove they are the team to beat to win the district crown.

Brazoswood scored on the game’s opening possession to take a quick 7-0 lead. They went 52 yards in seven plays after a nice kickoff return to the Pearland 48. Quarterback Shawn Gore scored from the one-yard line, but Pearland’s Gary Robertson blocked his first extra point leaving the Bucs with a 6-0 lead.

The Oilers responded by scoring 23 unanswered points in the second quarter, taking advantage of two Bucs’ turnovers and a blocked extra-point attempt that was returned for two. Robertson blocked all three of Brazoswood kicker Will Bedell’s point-after attempts in the game.

Pearland scored on their second possession of the game by going 76 yards in 11 plays as junior fullback Josh Gonzales leaped over the offensive line for a two-yard touchdown. Robbie Hersh’s extra point made it 7-6 Oilers.

Gonzales took over the running duties for junior running back Kasey Carrier who tweaked his ankle on the Oilers' first possession. The hard-charging Gonzales stepped up in championship form to rush for 165 yards on 31 carries for two touchdowns.

"Josh accepted the challenge and came through when we needed it the most," head coach Tony Heath said. "He proved he is a tough competitor and wasn't going to back down to the opposition. His play inspired others to step up."

Brazoswood fumbled the kickoff by the Oilers after their first score as Blake Smith recovered for Pearland at the Bucs' 36.

It took only six plays for Gonzales to add his second score on a one-yard plunge. Hersh booted the extra point for a 14-6 lead with 7:21 left in the second period.

Brazoswood began their third drive of the first half and quickly fumbled the ball which was recovered by Dennis Walls putting the Oilers' offensive machine back in business at the Bucs' 28.

Facing third-and-13, quarterback Sam Allen lofted a perfect pass to the end zone where defensive back temporarily converted wide receiver Nick Saenz leaped high in the air to grab the ball for the touchdown with 5:10 left in the opening half. Hersh hit the extra point giving the Oilers a 21-6 advantage.

Brazoswood wasn't going to go away as they rallied to score with 1:45 left in the first half. However, Robertson blocked his second extra point and the ball was picked up by Saenz who sprinted 83-yards for the two-points leaving the score at 25-12 at intermission.

The Oilers began the second half at their own 20. The offense took 7:27 off the game clock while running 14 plays which was capped off by a 25-yard field goal by Hersh to make the score 28-12.

The Bucs offense controlled the rest of the third quarter and scored on a one-yard sneak by Gore. The extra point was blocked again by Robertson leaving the score at 28-16 with 8:59 left in the game.

Pearland was forced to punt on their next possession with the Bucs taking over at their own 37. Brazoswood moved the ball to the Oilers' 15, but a fourth down pass was knocked down by Matt Sanders.

With 2:30 left in the game, Pearland took over at their own 15, but had to punt for the first time in the game with 36 seconds remaining in the contest.
Brazoswood took over at their 45 setting up a long pass attempt that was intercepted by Saenz who returned the ball 60 yards before being brought down with no time left on the clock giving the Oilers the 28-16 victory.

"I think our execution on both sides of the ball in that second quarter just showed what we have been doing in practice and how much these kids are improving this year," Heath said.

Pearland is now 2-0 in district play while defending District 24-5A champion Brazoswood drops to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in league action.

The win gives the Oilers redemption for the two losses they suffered last year to Clear Lake and Brazoswood to open up district play.

Allen had another strong showing hitting 9-of-11 passing for 107 yards and one touchdown. Kevin Miller had three catches for 49 yards.

The Oilers will have a bye week this Friday. They will travel to District Stadium in League City to face Clear Creek on Friday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. Clear Creek is 3-3 overall and currently 2-0 in the 24-5A standings and tied with the Oilers for first place.