RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Dissecting last weekend's 15-12 football loss to the Comfort High School Eagles, the most glaring constant for Randolph High is lack of point production. The Ro-Hawks are averaging only 14 points per game this season.
The Ro-Hawks (1-5 overall, 0-2 District 27-2A) actually moved the football well between the 20-yard lines, with quarterback Nic Walters posting five-of-10 passing numbers and tailback Deron Terrell getting 167 rushing yards.
"When we weren't making penalties or dropped passes, we moved it fine, and when we did have those mistakes, we couldn't move it," said Pete Wesp, RHS head coach.
Terrell's effort was augmented by solid running from Walters, Kyle McNally and Danny Atalig. Randolph gained more overall total yardage than Comfort (1-5, 1-2) and had more first downs than the Eagles, but still couldn't stop what is now a four-game losing streak.
"We just tell the players to keep going because that's all they can do," Wesp said. "You keep trudging along."
Comfort scored its first win of the season and gained an edge in the District 27 playoff pecking order after overcoming two deficits and holding on late at Mickler Memorial Stadium. Comfort trailed in the first half after Atalig scored on a 15-yard run, but the
Randolph extra-point kick was held up by a stiff wind and fell to the side.
Comfort got a touchdown run by freshman quarterback Joseph Carlos and an extra-point kick to go ahead 7-6, but had to rely on senior leadership from Scotty Richter late in the game to finally win. After Carlos turned an ankle, Richter took over as quarterback and directed the winning drive.
"Richter did well and we were pleased to finally win," said Keith Muehlstein, first-year Comfort head coach. "We are a really young team with very few seniors, so we are positive about the future.
"I thought Randolph played well. We knew they were a team that had a lot of speed and they hurt us with it several times out there."
Terrell scored on a 26-yard run in the fourth quarter to regain the advantage for Randolph, followed by an unsuccessful two-point conversion try. In the final five minutes, a drive by Comfort was capped with a touchdown and a conversion run to push the visitors ahead for good.
The key play on the short march was a screen pass throw from Richter to Reid Barker which got the Eagles down inside the RHS 5-yard line. Randolph progressed only to about midfield before time expired.
Cesar Ledesma led the Ro-Hawk defense with 11 tackles, plus a pair of quarterback sacks and a batted pass. Mark Hopkins and Atalig each had eight stops in the loss.
Randolph hosts fledgling Brooks Academy, a first-year charter school located at Brooks City Base, tonight. It is Homecoming Week here at Randolph and the Ro-Hawks will be up against a team that is struggling to establish an identity.
"They haven't been through any offseasons and are really just looking for a win," Wesp said. "It takes a lot of work to build a program and that's what they are going through now."