Heading into Friday’s game against Prosser, Aberdeen head coach Todd Bridge and his staff’s theme for the Bobcats was this: Flip the tables.
Mission accomplished.
The Bobcats broke big plays to jump out to a 13-point lead then held off a late Mustangs stampede to emerge with 27-25 victory at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.
The game started ominously enough for Aberdeen (3-1 overall) as eighth-ranked Prosser (2-2) took the opening kickoff and charged straight down the field, needing just five plays to take a 7-0 lead, eliciting shades of the Cats’ 52-14 injury-filled drubbing at the hands of the Mustangs last season.
The Bobcats’ first offensive possession stalled out at midfield, giving the ball back to the Mustangs offense. But the Aberdeen defense settled in and held Prosser to a three-and-out, forcing a punt.
Needing a spark, Aberdeen got one in the form of defenders Paul Baltazar and Nolan Cook. Baltazar, a senior defensive lineman, burst through the line on a pooch punt from Mustangs quarterback Troy McClure and extended his arms to block the kick. Cook, a linebacker, scooped up the loose ball and ran it 15 yards into the end zone for a touchdown that ignited the Bobcats and their fans.
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen senior Nolan Cook (58) is surrounded by teammates Marcus Hale (2), Paul Baltazar (55) and JaBron Brooks (77) after scoring on a blocked punt during a 27-25 win over Prosser on Friday in Aberdeen.
“Big games like this, there are those opportunities and you don’t know when they are going to happen, whether it’s going to be the first play of the last play,” Aberdeen head coach Todd Bridge said. “That blocked punt by Paul Baltazar and scoop-and-score from Nolan Cook was huge. Obviously, it sent ripples out and put Prosser on its heels.”
Aberdeen carried the momentum through on its next offensive drive and lit up the crowd once again when quarterback Grady Springer hit running back Aidan Watkins on a pass over the middle. Watkins did the rest, torching the Mustangs defense for a 54-yard touchdown.
The remainder of the first half was dominated by the defenses, with the Bobcats having a chance to extend the lead with a second-quarter drive inside the Prosser red zone. But after Aberdeen failed to pick up a first down, Bobcats junior kicker Edmond Brown’s 28-yard field goal attempt sailed wide, giving the ball back to Prosser with 1:49 left in the half.
Aberdeen’s defense held the Mustangs to a three-and-out, forcing a punt.
The Bobcats would take a 14-7 lead into the break.
In the third quarter, Aberdeen made a statement on its opening drive. On the third play from scrimmage, Springer hit sophomore Micah Schroeder in the seam for a 44-yard pass play that moved the ball to the Prosser 2-yard line.
After a false-start penalty and a short Schroeder run, Springer ran the ball in from four yards away for a touchdown, putting Aberdeen up 20-7 at the 8:15 mark.
With the Bobcats driving into Prosser territory later in the quarter, a Springer pass was intercepted by defensive back Aaron Gonzalez. But just two plays later, Aberdeen sophomore Dylan Carroll intercepted a McClure pass near midfield that was tipped.
Down 13 entering the third quarter, the Mustangs ramped up the urgency, switching to a hurry-up offense that utilized screen passes and quarterback scrambles effectively.
Prosser would cap off a seven-play, 57-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge from fullback Gayge Thiemann.
On the ensuing extra point, junior kicker Hans VerMulm’s kick appeared to be deflected before clanging off the left post. It would be a point Prosser would eventually sorely miss.
With the game suddenly within one score, Aberdeen’s offense charged downfield again – bolstered by another long pass play from Springer to Schroeder – and would score in the strangest of ways.
On third down from the Mustangs 11-yard line, Watkins found a hole on the left side of the Mustangs defense and charged toward the goal line, hauling Prosser defenders with him. The senior reached out with the ball to break the plane, but the ball came loose just before Watkins crossed into the end zone.
The ball bounced a few yards across the goal line, where Brown alertly dove on the ball for the touchdown. Brown drilled the extra point to put Aberdeen up 27-13 with 7:30 remaining in the game.
Brown’s extra point would turn out to be critical.
The Mustangs once again charged right down the field using a mix of screen passes and quarterback scrambles out of the hurry-up.
McClure hit wide receiver Josiah Campos for a 29-yard touchdown.
Prosser lined up for the extra-point, but an Aberdeen penalty moved the ball to the 1-yard line. The Mustangs decided to go for two, but a Thiemann run was stuffed, making it a 27-19 score.
Again, the extra points – or lack thereof – would factor into the finale.
With five-plus minutes left to kill on the clock, Aberdeen earned a first down and forced Prosser to use up its remaining timeouts. But an incompletion on 3rd-and-eight from the Cats’ 47-yard line meant Aberdeen was forced to punt, giving Prosser one last shot at tying the game.
McClure ran the hurry-up offense down to the Bobcat 23, where he ran the ball into the end zone on a scramble up the middle with 40 seconds left.
Down by two, Prosser was forced to attempt a two-point conversion to tie the game and force overtime.
McClure dropped back to pass, but was forced to throw moving backwards thanks to pressure from Schroeder. The ball bounced harmlessly in front of his intended receiver in the corner of the end zone.
Aberdeen’s Adonis Hammonds secured the onside kick that followed and the Cats offense was able to take a knee to run out the clock and secure the 27-25 victory.
“We wanted it more,” Springer said of the key stop on the two-point conversion. “We were down there. We were all communicating. We just wanted it more in the end.”
Springer went 8-for-10 passing for 176 yards while McClure went 19-for-26 for 178 yards.
Schroeder (2 catches, 85 yards) and Watkins (2 catches, 77 yards) led the Aberdeen receiving corps, which broke multiple big plays throughout the contest.
Aberdeen also cut down on penalties, which had been an issue in the first three games of the season. The Bobcats had four penalties for a total of 27 yards after being flagged in the double-digits in every game leading up to Friday.
“Coming from double digits to under five penalties, that put us in the right spot,” Springer said.
“Apparently, doing 100 up-downs works,” Bridge quipped. “We better keep that up.”
RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Aberdeen linebacker Micah Schroeder, right, pursues Prosser running back Erik Delgado during the Bobcats’ 27-25 win on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.
The win was an important one for a Bobcats program searching for a signature victory against a ranked opponent.
“It means a lot,” Springer said of the win. “Last year, it wasn’t good for us. Coach Bridge has a saying, ‘Flip the table week,’ and we flipped the tables this week.”
“Big deal for us all week long was we talked about flipping the tables. Go back and flip the tables. It’s an interesting phrase if you study the origins of it,” Bridge said of the biblical reference. “Prosser’s golden coins are all over the field right now, so we’re pretty proud of that.”
Aberdeen now turns its attention to league play, with a key game against Black Hills scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Tumwater Stadium.
Prosser 7 0 0 18 – 25
Aberdeen 14 0 6 7 – 27
Scoring
First quarter
P – Delgado (McClure kick), 9:42
A – Cook 15 blocked punt return (Brown kick), 4:35
A – Watkins 54 pass from Springer (Brown kick), 1:19
Second quarter
None
Third quarter
A – Springer 4 run (kick fail), 8:15
Fourth quarter
A – Brown 1 fumble recovery (Brown kick), 7:30
P – Thiemann 1 run (run fail), 11:11
P – Campos 23 pass from McClure (run fail), 5:41
P – McClure 11 run (pass fail), 0:40
Passing leaders: Prosser – McClure 19-26-1-178. Aberdeen – Springer 8-10-1-176.
Rushing leaders: Prosser – Delgado 15-103, McClure 4-37, Montejano 3-3, Thiemann 3-9. Aberdeen – Watkins 17-60, Hale 8-38, Springer 12-31, Schroeder 2-6, Brown 1-5.
Receiving leaders: Prosser – Moreno 4-40, Bailey 3-13, Delgado 6-56, Campos 2-26, Gonzalez 2-40, Reyna 1-(-2), Morfin 1-5. Aberdeen – Watkins 2-77, Schroeder 2-85, Walsh 2-13, Hammonds 1-1.
