Houston overwhelms Valdez, earns first football win of season

BY BRIAN O’CONNOR

Frontiersman.com

HOUSTON — Everything seemed to go right at times for the Houston Hawks Friday evening, even when things went wrong during a 36-6 victory over visiting Valdez.

For example, junior second-string quarterback Noah Griffeth was hit in the pocket and fumbled the ball on the second play in the second quarter, when the Hawks were two yards away from adding six points onto an offensive game that was already arguably lopsided.

Houston head coach Glenn Nelson loudly disputed the call, but the ruling stood.

The resulting Buccaneers possession travelled all of 13 yards down field, and was punctuated by a blocked punt. Houston took over again on Valdez’s 16-yard line, and needed just two running plays to tack on eight points more when fullback Tanner Barclay improvised a two-point conversion after the pocket collapsed around senior kicker Aaron Drake on the PAT.

Another example: when the Hawks faced a 3rd-and-30 situation late after two consecutive penalties, one of which negated a 21-yard rush by sophomore running back Vanu Mose in the third quarter, they improvised.

“We don’t have a play for third and 30, so I called a time out and said ‘just spread it out, snap it to Vanu and try to get back to the line of scrimmage,’” he said.

Mose broke to the outside and ran 49 yards for a first down, setting up a score five plays later.

On one play, however, things went about as wrong as they can go in a high school football game. Starting senior quarterback Wyatt Cyphers took the ball on a rushing play through the line with 5:27 remaining in the second quarter. He made it about as far as the 20-yard line before being laid out in a tackle.

When Cypher’s mangled right ankle broke free of the huddle, horrified gasps and silence fell over the home bench and stands. Cyphers would eventually leave the game on a stretcher, and the school grounds in the back of an ambulance. No word on his condition was immediately available, school officials said.

While the injury drew the team together, it was a coach’s nightmare, Nelson said.

“You never want to see it,” he said. “Hopefully it turns out better than it was. For the most part, you (the coach) want to get him off and get healthy and get treatment. Then you want to make sure the team doesn’t get down on themselves, that they finish the game and they finish for the kid. They did that and they’re happy and they’re gonna say some prayers for him tonight.”

Nelson praised the Barclay’s consistent grinding presence. Barclay would eventually score 14 points altogether, a pair of touchdowns on short runs through the line in addition to the 2-point conversion.

“He runs those dives,” Nelson said, of Barclay. “He’s amazing. He was built for Alabama football with Bear Bryant.”

Cyphers scored Houston’s second touchdown on a run. Mose also scored. Junior defensive back Kellii VanTyler would seal the deal after picking off Valdez junior quarterback Preston Fifarek and returning the interception for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The Valdez visitors struggled offensively throughout the first half, and never once crossed the large red logo in the middle of Terry Shurtleff Field. Its lone score came in the third quarter on the back of an 80-yard drive, of which 66 yards were completed passes to Valdez junior tight end Mickey Radotich. By the time Radotich caught the short pass to score the touchdown, the Hawks had already racked up 29 points.

The win marked the first of the season for the Hawks (1-2). Houston had opened the season with losses to Seward and Nikiski. Valdez dropped to 1-2 with the loss.

Houston 36, Valdez 6

Friday, Houston High School

First quarter:

Houston — Barclay 1 run (Drake kick) 7:34.

Second quarter:

Houston — Cyphers 9 run (Barclay 10 rush) 7:35

Houston — Mose 20 run (Drake kick) 4:25

Third quarter:

Houston — Barclay 6 run (Drake kick) 3:33

Valdez — Radotich 1 pass (Kick no good) 0:39

Fourth quarter:

Houston — VanTyler 50 interception return (Drake kick) 9:31

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING —Houston: Barclay 20-87, Griffeth 15-73, Mose 6-117, Isaac Jirik 4-28, Will Croghan 2-16, Kendal Ruta 1-(-1); Valdez: Howard 8-25.

PASSING — Houston: Cyphers 0-1-0, Griffeth 0-2-0; Valdez: Fifarek 12-28-1.

RECEIVING — Houston: none. Valdez: Radotich 5-78, Coats 3-28, Hansen 3-24.