Sanderson football
FILE PHOTO
Senior Kevin Ott (right) hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass in Sanderson's 42-10 defeat to Brougthon Friday night. The Spartans finish the season with a 2-9 record.
Spartans fall in frigid finaleA week after an exhilarating 38-24 victory over Enloe, the Sanderson football team couldn't build on their recent success, falling 42-10 in its season finale against Broughton Friday night.
It was a bittersweet night for the Sanderson seniors — playing in their final high school game — as they were honored on the field at halftime, trailing 21-3.
But the score can be misleading as these Spartans fought in a manner befitting their warrior namesake.
It must have been the cold weather — temperatures were in the 40s Friday — as both squads struggled to hold onto ball.
But senior QB Sam Bauckham got the Spartans rolling in the right direction early, using his quick feet to gain a couple of first downs in the first quarter.
Sanderson then caught the Capitals blitzing, and punished them with a beautifully executed screen to senior Derrick Powell. While the Spartans seemed to be building momentum, Broughton's Anthony Colon halted the drive, hauling in an interception and racing 55 yards for a touchdown. With the PAT, the Capitals led 7-0.
During the Spartans' next possession, Bauckham ran a misleading play-action play, enabling Powell to break a huge run from midfield down to the Capitals’ 15-yard line. But the play was negated by a block-in-the-back penalty.
The drive then stalled, and the Spartans were forced to punt. But the defense stepped up and forced Broughton off the field.
Later in the first quarter, the Spartans seemed mounting a drive when a fumbled option pitch landed in the hands of Broughton’s Clay Jones, who dashed 44 yards for another Capital defensive touchdown.
The Capitals managed to take a two-touchdown lead without a single point from its offense.
The Spartans' defense held strong, and forced a turnover on downs on their own 29-yard line, but the offense again sputtered as a costly personal foul forced the kicking unit back on the field.
On their next possession, the Spartans continued to show their resiliency as Bauckham — with a blitzer in his face — contacted with junior wide receiver Chris Lampkins for a 36-yard gain. Later in the drive, senior Paul Houston booted a 40-yard field goal, putting the Spartans on the board, but trailing 14-3.
After the squads exchanged possessions, Broughton managed to mount a touchdown-scoring drive at the end of the first half. Despite a strong goal-line stand by the Spartans, Caps' QB Will Turner dive in from one yard out.
Broughton tacked on two more touchdowns in the third quarter, and another in the fourth.
In the final quarter, the Spartans finally reached the end zone as freshman Evan Parker connected with Kevin Ott on a 15-yard TD pass.
While disappointed with Friday's outcome, Sanderson head coach Tony Lewis remains optimistic for the future of his football program.
“I saw some great things from a young group of guys,” he said, praising sophomore JR Soto and his ball-hawking skills and Parker's athleticism and accuracy.
Bauckham finished with more than 150 yards passing, and 17 rushing yards. Powell racked-up more than 100 all-purpose yards. Lampkins hauled in four catches for nearly 70 yards.
With the defeat, the Spartans close out the season with a record of 2-9.
“I’m happy with our progress,” Lewis said. “We’ll build on this and do some great things next year.”
