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BASTROP – The Elgin High School varsity football team was coming off a disappointing 33-7 home loss the previous week to Bryan Rudder High School. The Wildcats put that defeat in the rearview mirror as Elgin dominated on Sept. 15 from start to finish in a 64-14 rout of host Cedar Creek High School.
Under head coach Heath Clawson, Elgin dominated Cedar Creek from start to finish with the Wildcats controlling the game against the Eagles through the air, on the ground, defensively and on special teams. Wildcats senior standout quarterback Nathen Lewis had himself a very efficient night as he only needed to complete 9-of-17 passing attempts for 118 yards and four touchdown passes. Lewis had two touchdown passes to junior wide receiver Blake Thames and threw one touchdown each to junior wide receiver Jalen Owens and fellow junior wide receiver Jonathan Richard.
“Our theme for the week was Trust,” Clawson said. “We needed to trust each other, trust yourself, trust the defense, trust the offense, trust the special teams, trust your coaches and what we have been teaching and preaching. Trust the process of our program.”
The big story for the Elgin offense Friday night vs. Cedar Creek was the running game, which was stellar as a unit with a whopping 287 yards on the ground. Elgin senior running back Curtis Mc-Farlin, who was chosen as the player of the game by Clawson, needed only six carries to rush for 136 yards and one touchdown as Cedar Creek struggled to stop the Wildcat rushing attack all night. Fellow senior running back Darren Harper was also very effective as he rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries.
“I was proud of how the offense responded to not playing very good the previous week,” Clawson said. “Our offensive line played good all night opening holes for those guys and our wide receivers blocked downfield to allow them to score. We had to trust our reads, blocks and the calls. It’s amazing how well everything works when you trust.”
Special teams were very good for the Wildcats as junior wide receiver Zaire Nuells returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown, senior Paden Maass was successful on all eight of his extra-point attempts and Owens also returned a punt for 54 yards.
The Elgin defense caused problems for the Cedar Creek offense throughout the night as the Wildcats had 10 tackles for loss, five sacks as a team and senior defensive back Anthony Alvarez had an interception that he returned for 30 yards.
“I can’t say enough about the defense and how those guys played,” Clawson said. “They shut down their offense all night and never let them get going. All those TFLs make it very difficult for an offense to move the ball consistently.”
Now with a 2-2 overall record, the Wildcats are set to begin district play at 7:30 p.m. this Friday as Elgin hosts Pflugerville Connally High School for its annual Homecoming game at Wildcat Stadium. The Cougars (2-2) are coming off a close 36-28 loss to Lampasas High School, who Elgin saw in the season opener on the road in a 31-23 defeat at the hands of the Badgers.
