Indians never back down from 6A Bruins
Posted on Aug 22, 2014
by Gabe Pruett
Anytime his Port Neches-Groves Indians can outscore a 6A school with the talent Beaumont West Brook has, Brandon Faircloth is sure to smile like he did Friday night.
Especially considering his team fell behind 14-0 in the first of three live quarters in a the Indians last scrimmage of the year.
PN-G never backed down and eventually put up 28 points compared to West Brook’s 21.
The last play of the game came with seconds left on the clock and the scrimmage tied at 21.
PN-G signal caller Adam Morse found junior receiver Jack Giblin wide open in the endzone for the go-ahead 25-yard touchdown.
Morse, who was limited in last week’s scrimmage due to back spasms, was 11-for-22 for 181 yards and two scores.
“I knew I had to get out there tonight,” Morse said. “I needed the work with my teammates before next week’s opener. It felt great because West Brook is a great team. They were fast and talented.”
Faircloth was impressed how his team came back to tie the game at 14 right before the half after digging the early hole.
The Bruins then gave up a touchdown in the fourth before Kody Cropper tied the game again with a 15-yard run.
Cropper rushed for 55 yards on 15 carries. He and Jace Runnels filled in for usual starter Brant Halfin. Halfin sat out with a very minor injury to his hip. Faircloth said if Friday would have been a real game, Halfin would have seen action.
“We know what Brant can do,” Faircloth said. “He is our guy but it was nice seeing those other two guys get some work and produce. They both looked real good. We are never worried if we have tailbacks this year.”
Runnels had 44 yards on seven rushes.
Giblin led the PN-G receivers with five catches for 77 yards and Keynel McZeal added four grabs for 31 yards.
Giblin also had the Indians first touchdown of the night from 12 yards out.
Cropper tied the game at 14 with a 16 yard touchdown scamper, his first of the night.
Logan LeJune came away with PN-G’s lone turnover of the scrimmage, an interception in the endzone to stall a West Brook drive.
West Brook finished with 220 yards of offense, 113 rushing and 107 passing.
Bruins quarterback Justin Essex threw for 99 yards against the Indians secondary.
“The beauty was it was a scrimmage,” Faircloth said. “I say that because we did some good things and we also did some knucklehead things out there. We showed up a never give up attitude tonight. We were able to get some stops and changed the momentum.”
PN-G was charged with about 10 penalties on the night. Faircloth never fully agreed but it was obvious some of the calls against the Indians were questionable.
“That wasn’t as bad as it would seem,” Faircloth said. “It created a little adversity for our team. It put us in some different situations.”
The Indians will now try start the regular season 1-0 for the fourth season in a row next Friday when the team hosts Clear Lake.
