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It was all gas, no brakes for the Elgin Wildcats on Friday night. Head coach Heath Clawson’s squad steamrolled the visiting Akins Eagles 47-0 to earn their first win of the season, bouncing back from a tough loss to Lampasas the week prior. The Wildcats now hold a 1-1 record and have two more weeks of non-district competition.
The Elgin defense set the tone early, forcing a quick stop on Akins’ opening possession and sending the offense onto the field. Quarterback Nathen Lewis capped off the Wildcats’ first drive with a 23-yard rushing score. On a designed quarterback run, the senior leader shook off a few tacklers and dashed down the left sideline to give the home team a 7-0 lead.
The remainder of the first quarter was scoreless, partly because of a few penalties that prevented the Wildcats from increasing the lead. The Elgin defense was playing lights out, making it difficult even to get a first down.
Early in the second, the offense took the field at their own 44-yard line. Several plays later, on fourth-and-short, Lewis connected with wide receiver Blake Courtney on a deep pass down the right sideline, setting up first-and-goal. Running back Darren Harper finished off the drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown.
The first half ended in dramatic fashion. The Eagles' offense was finally able to move the ball near red zone territory. Still, a big-time sack by Tanner Magnuson, followed by an athletic pass break-up by Isaac Carter, pushed Akins back to a fourth-and-20 situation. Desperate for points, the Eagles offense remained on the field.
A questionable defensive pass interference call on the next play propelled Akins to the Wildcats’ 6-yard line, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But on fourth-and-goal at the 3-yard line, and with just 10 seconds remaining, linebacker Jackson Clowdus hammered an Eagles ball carrier for a loss of yards. Elgin held a 14-0 lead going into halftime.
“We had a good halftime discussion about playing smarter and cleaner football,” Clawson said. “Nathen took charge of the offense and trusted our system. We have a lot of guys who can make plays so it's fun to see them all have a piece of the pie.”
It was pure domination the rest of the way. The Wildcats marched down the field to start the third quarter, highlighted by a couple of first-down snags by wide receiver Blake Thames. Lewis ultimately found the end zone once again, walking in for a four-yard score.
The Elgin offense was back on the field in no time, thanks to a three-and-out forced by the defense. Lewis made a dazzling throw on the first play of the possession. With pressure in his face, he climbed the pocket and launched a beautiful deep pass to sophomore Gary Jefferson, who caught it perfectly in stride for a 58-yard score. The lead was 28-0 in the blink of an eye.
Elgin continued to play suffocating defense, and the offense rewarded them. Zaire Nuells showcased his dazzling speed on the ensuing drive, catching a screen pass over the middle and zooming past enclosing defenders on his way to a 66-yard touchdown.
The Wildcats cashed in another scoring drive to end the third quarter, capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown by Jefferson. Up 41-0, most of the starters were then pulled.
“I'm very proud of where we are due to the development of several players,” Clawson said. “Courtney, Nuells, Harper, Thames, and Owens have grown so much over these two-plus years. Jefferson has worked hard after missing most of last season with an ankle injury from summer training. Not to mention how our OL has matured. So many guys to brag about!”
Next up, Elgin will host the Rudder Rangers on Friday, Sept. 8. Kickoff starts at 7:30 p.m.
“We are going to have to be more disciplined than we were Friday night,” Clawson said. “Rudder does a lot of boom-or-bust things in all three phases of the game. They are very aggressive and very athletic. I believe this staff and our game plan will prevail if we are disciplined and stay within ourselves.”
