Tigers Struggle to Execute, Fall 42-12 to Gonzales

By Kristen Meriwether, Publisher

In a chippy affair marred by penalties and injuries, the Smithville Tigers showed glimpses of that trademark GRIT by scoring two second-half touchdowns. But it wasn’t enough to overcome early miscues and a strong Gonzales ground game, leading the Tigers to a 42-12 loss on Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers’ defense opened strong, forcing a turnover midway through the first quarter that sophomore Dameon Fletcher recovered. But Smithville’s offense couldn’t capitalize on the ensuing possession and had to punt with 1:23 left in the first quarter.

Just three plays later, the Apaches scored on a long scamper down the sidelines for the game’s first score. They built a 21-0 lead by halftime and never looked back.

Smithville tried an onside kick to open the second half and senior Justin Gurley recovered. But a flag on the play gave the ball to Gonzales, and they marched down the field to score another touchdown, putting them up 28-0 with 7:05 left in the third quarter.

The Apaches added another score, going up 36-0 in the third quarter, but Smithville finally broke through late in the quarter when senior running back Gurley broke for a 3-yard touchdown run.

Gurley would add another score late in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers were unable to convert on the two-point conversion.

“Until we start executing, this is what we're going to get,” Smithville head coach Layne Neumann said after the game. “We have great game plans every week, but we’ve got to execute. We’ve got to execute. Execution is the key. If we can't execute, we can't score.”

Junior Rorry Johnson started at quarterback and took most of the snaps. But senior Trip Davis, who started the first four games, also took snaps. Coach Neumann said the rotation was to find a way to spark in the run game.

“We're trying to get some more quarterback runs and he [Johnson] gives us the better run aspect right now, because he's a lot more physical,” Neumann said. “We're trying to use them both to the best of our abilities.”

The game grew increasingly chippy in the second half, with multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both sides and an ejection. There was also a questionable no-call on what the crowd believed was pass interference. But Neumann didn’t pin the result on the officiating.

“We can't rely on blaming officials for a ball game not going our way,” Neumann said. “We’ve got to execute and do our job, and that won't happen.”

The Tigers will use the bye week to try and get healthy. Junior Landon Peacock had to be helped off the field during the third quarter but did return. But sophomore wide receiver Colt Copeland injured his right arm and was unable to return to the game.

“We’ve got to get our kids healthy, make sure they're healthy at all cost and just be ready to go for the home stretch, the last four games of the year," Neumann said.

The Tigers will have next week off and then travel to Lago Vista on Oct. 17 for a district match.