Comanches earn spot in quarterfinals with rout of Blizzards
Saturday, November 26, 2011
by Albert Alvarado, Advocate Sports Writer
VictoriaAdvocate.com Article | Shiner Comanche Football | Return to Shiner Home Page
MARBLE FALLS - Marlon Wallace may not be a distance runner, but you wouldn't know that by his runs against Winters on Saturday.
Shiner QB Jacob Stafford scores six during the second quarter. 
Winters RB Cristian Sandoval is stopped by Shiner's Jacob Stafford (L) and Derek Duke (R). Shiner Head Coach Steve Cerny during a timeout in the 4th quarter. 
Shiner LB Zach Lawrence gets a grip on Winters QB Riley Ripley. 
Senior Shiner RB, Marlon Wallace, scrambles for a gain in the second quarter Saturday night against Winters. 
Shiner defensive lineman Marlon Wallace celebrates another Shiner victory. photos by Gabe Wolf, Lone Wolf Photography
The senior running back ran for 260 yards and Caleb Curtis added three rushing touchdowns to help the Shiner Comanches beat the Winters Blizzards 42-14 Saturday at Mustang Stadium in the Class 1A, Div. I regional playoffs.
Wallace had six separate runs of 20 yards or more and his touchdown gave Shiner its first lead of the game.
"Coach kept calling the sweep and I got so tired, but I kept telling myself I had to keep going," Wallace said.
The Comanches are now 8-5 and play Mason, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season, in the regional quarterfinals.
The win gives Shiner head coach Steven Cerny his 100th career win at Shiner.
"He really read the blocking, he let it develop and he got through the holes," Cerny said about Wallace.
With the temperatures in the low 60s and upper 50s most of the night, the strong wind made it necessary for a the run game to develop.
The Comanches took advantage of a Blizzards' defense playing a Cover Two most of the game as four different runners combined to rush for 391 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the Comanche defense gave the Blizzards offense, especially quarterback Riley Ripley, the cold shoulder all night.
Shiner held Winters to just 158 yards rushing and sacked Ripley five times keeping the mobile quarterback's yardage number to -31.
"We got a good solid D," said wide receiver and corner back Evel Jones. "Good linebackers that flock to the ball, good line, good secondary that gets the ball when we need it."
Added Cerny: "We used our quickness tonight."
In the first half the Shiner offense moved the ball at will and their defense stymied Winters, forcing four punts.
The only problem was the Comanches only led 20-14 at halftime.
The Blizzard were opportunistic on Saturday, scoring both their touchdowns on two of three Shiner fumbles in the first half.
Despite going three-and-out on their first possession, Winters got on the scoreboard after Jones fumbled on the Comanches 32 and Cristian Sandoval recovered to give the Blizzards great field position. Four plays later, Riley Ripley hit Strait Daniel for a 19-yard touchdown that put Winters up 6-0 midway through the first quarter.
It didn't take Jones long to make up for that blunder. On the third play of the ensuing Comanche drive, the senior running back got behind the defense on a pass route and hauled in a 67-yard receiving touchdown from Jacob Stafford.
"I knew I had to come back and do something big for my team," Jones said.
That completion was Stafford's only one of the night and it turned out the only one the Comanches needed.
That score got Shiner on the board and the Comanches extended their lead to 14-6 three minutes later when Wallace ran 39 yards for a touchdown.
"The sweep was our play tonight," Cerny said.
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