There’s nothing like a shift in momentum to fire up a football team.
On Sept. 6 at Mercer Stadium the Varsity Football Cardinals defeated the Fort Bend Travis Tigers 48-35 in their first away game of the season.
After a sluggish start in the first quarter, the Cardinals fought through a 20 point deficit with a major momentum shift in the second quarter. The Cardinals offense marched up the field converting three first downs, and a pass interference call on sophomore wide receiver Courtney Lark brought the ball within yards of the goal line. Junior quarterback Treyvon Smith then snuck into the end zone to put Bellaire on the board.
This offensive spark gave the defense a second wind. The Cardinals defense kept Travis from scoring for the rest of the half with great pressure on the quarterback and tight coverage in the secondary.
Senior wide receiver and kick returner Ryheem Malone and the rest of the special teams gave the offense a boost with consistently strong returns to create great field position for the Cardinals. Smith, junior running back Xavier Campbell and senior running back Reshard Waddel anchored an explosive running game while Lark and Malone shined on the receiving end.
Smith and his offense drove down the field with two minutes left in the half. When they were stopped trying to convert on fourth down, the defense stepped in immediately. Junior defensive back Jaylon Stiner came up with a huge sack on Travis’ quarterback, forcing a fumble that Bellaire picked up in the end zone for a touchdown to end the half with a score of 20-14.
The Cardinals came out of the gates firing in the third quarter with Smith’s touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jacob Thompson and extra point to take the lead 21-20.
Fort Bend Travis answered back immediately with a 60 yard touchdown pass to regain the lead 27-21. But Campbell retaliated, rushing down the field, converting two first downs. Waddel finished off the offensive surge with a 5-yard touchdown run to put the Cardinals up 28-27.
A pumped defense stopped Fort Bend in four plays, and senior defensive lineman IJ Stevens blocked a punt on the Cardinal’s 37 yard line. After a couple carries by Waddel and Campbell, Smith snuck into the end zone once again. The Cardinals celebrated a 35-27 advantage.
Travis was not giving up. They converted for a first down on 4th down and 4 with a 15-yard run into the end zone. A successful 2-point conversion tied the game 35-35.
Bellaire entered the fourth quarter still battling. With the help of an offsides penalty against the Tigers on 4th and 2 and another pass interference on Lark at the Tigers 15-yard line, Smith rushed for another touchdown. A fumbled snap on the extra point made the score 41-35.
Time winded down as the Cardinals defense held its ground. In the final seconds of the game after a Tigers failed fourth down conversion, Smith threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Thompson to end the night 48-35.
The 1-1 Cardinals will look to keep the winning momentum going when they play Furr High School at 7:00 p.m. next Thursday at Butler Stadium.
