Pirates power past Bears 29-12 to remain perfect
Published 12:56 am Saturday, October 16, 2021
Tommy Mann, Jr./Orange Leader
Tommy Mann, Jr./Orange Leader
Tommy Mann, Jr./Orange Leader
Tommy Mann, Jr./Orange Leader
Tommy Mann, Jr./Orange Leader
Tommy Mann, Jr./Orange Leader
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By Caleb Adams
Orange Leader
LITTLE CYPRESS – Controlling the tempo from the onset, the Vidor Pirates remain perfect on the season as they nailed down a huge 29-12 road victory over the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Battlin’ Bears in District 10-4A Division I play at Battlin’ Bear Stadium Friday night in front of a loud, packed house.
The Vidor (6-0, 2-0) run game was exceptional as they controlled the game with their formidable Slot-T Offense. Weston Sepulvado was the leading rusher for the Pirates on the night. With 75 yards on 15 rushes, he was the focal point for the Pirate offense.
The Pirates outgained the Bears 264-193 on the night.
Da’Marion Morris would lead the way for the Bears (5-2, 1-1) rushing with nine rushes for 79 yards and a touchdown on the night. This game had the Bears passing a lot in trying to play catch-up, so Morris didn’t get all the yards he could have had, but he had a great night regardless.
The Pirate defense applied nice pressure on Bear quarterback Ashton Landry throughout the game. The Pirates kept the rush coming and kept Landry on the move in the pocket. Landry would go 13-of-24 passing with 109 yards on the night.
The Pirates were the first ones on the board with a great opening drive. The Pirates marched the ball down the field methodically, with great run blocking and the ability to break would-be tacklers. Sepulvado got the majority of the calls for the drive, including a 12 yard run for his longest of the drive. Layne Wilhelm broke a big 17-yard run to punch it in for the Pirates. After the PAT went through, the Pirates took a 7-0 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter. Wilhelm finished with 55 yards on 13 carries. Vidor quarterbaxk Elisha Simmons finished with 52 yards on nine totes.
The Bears struck back with a rushing touchdown of their own on the very next drive. Landry would get things going in the air early on. Landry would find Dean Reynolds and Keaton Rives for decent gains on the drive. Landry also called his own number and tucked the ball for five rushes, the longest being nine yards. Morris would punch it in from 11 yards out on a sweep play to the outside. The Bears missed the PAT, so the Pirates led 7-6 with 11 minutes left in the first half.
After stopping the Bears, the Pirates drove it down the field for another score. Sepulvado had a few good runs on the series, including a 10-yard run to put them into the red zone. Wilhelm would take it the rest of the way with an eight-yard run and a one-yard run to finally punch it in. Sepulvado attempted to run it in for a two point conversion, he weaved back and forth and finally dove across the goal line for the conversion as the Pirates led 15-6 with 20 seconds left in the first half.
The Bears came out of halftime and ran it right down the field in less than a minute’s time. Landry connected on a few passes on the march, the longest going for 17 yards to Gianni Huffman. Morris got a nice run off the left tackle, broke free from defenders and sprinted in for a 33-yard touchdown run for the Bears. The two-point conversion was no good, making the score 15-12 with 11 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Pirates extended their lead early in the fourth quarter. Sepulvado had two big runs, one for 11 and one for 13 to keep the drive alive for the Pirates. The Bears couldn’t slow down their run game so the Pirates kept punching it up the gut every chance they got. Wilhelm eventually punched it in from a yard out, after Sepulvado had a solid run to put them in striking distance. Sepulvado added the two-point conversion run to make the score 23-12 Pirates with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Pirates piled on more points to seal the deal late into the fourth quarter. After the Bears turned it over on downs, the Pirates had great field position and took advantage of it. Wilhelm would end up punching it in from 15 yards out for another Pirate score. They would failon the two-point conversion, but the Pirates took a 29-12 lead with just 1:30 left to play.
The Bears will hit the road to Lumberton next week to face the Raiders while the Pirates return home to face the Livingston Lions.
Lumberton (5-2, 2-0) toppled Huffman (5-2, 0-2) 24-16 Friday while Livingston (5-2, 1-1) waltzed past Splendora (4-3, 0-2) 49-14.
