The Aubrey Chaparrals football team went on the road to Wildcat Stadium and left with their second loss of the season, falling to the Kennedale Wildcats 17-10.
Both teams struggled to sustain drives, but the Wildcats were able to take the lead before the game was canceled because of lightning.
“We made some plays at times and strung together a few drives in there, but we’re still just way too inconsistent,” said Keith Ivy, Aubrey athletic director and head football coach. “That was my message this morning, and consistency is the word of the week. We have to be able to string plays and series together and be able to develop our chemistry and that consistency across the board in order for us to be suc- cessful.”
The Chaps opened up the scoring on the night with a 22-yard field goal from kicker Peyton Campbell, taking a 3-0 lead early in the opening quarter.
The Wildcats responded with a field goal of their own, tying the score at 3.
Aubrey quarterback Will Storey put the Chaps back on top 10-3 with a 55yard touchdown pass to receiver Luke Hellman near the end of the first.
Kennedale answered Aubrey’s touchdown with one of their own on a 43-yard touchdown run, tying the score at 10 in the second quarter.
The two teams traded possessions for the remainder of the second period, ending with the two teams going into the locker room with the score tied at 10 all at the half.
The Wildcats were able to capitalize on a drive in the third quarter to punch the ball in the end zone again, putting Kennedale up 17-10.
Kennedale was ahead with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter when Kennedale’s weather warning system detected lightning strikes within a 10-mile radius of Wildcat Stadium, sending both teams into the locker rooms and emptying the stands.
The teams waited 45 minutes for the storm cell to clear before the coaches decided not to continue the game.
“We looked at the radar, and we said, ‘We’re going to take about a 40-45-minute break there,’ but the more we looked at the radar, we knew it was pretty well set in,” Ivy said. “… We always err on the side of safety for coaches, players and our fans, so we decided to go, but it was a good battle on both sides and a very close game, and we had a little over three quarters of it, so we were thankful to have that.”
Despite the loss, defensive end Logan Gannon, who finished with 14 tackles, 8 TFL, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble, was a bright spot for the Chaps.
“Logan Gannon was a big leader for us the other night,” Ivy said. “… When our guys aren’t having as much success as we’d like, and we need somebody to show them how to be a varsity football player, [Logan] is taking on that role. He’s embraced it, and we need it at a time like this.”
Ivy emphasized the Chaps have already moved on from the loss as they return home to prepare for Friday’s matchup with the Brock Eagles.
“The biggest thing we need right now is some confidence,” he said. “We haven’t had a great deal of confidence on a Friday night. One, they’re trying to figure out the size and the speed of the guys they’re playing against and the magnitude of all the fans, the bands and the cheerleaders— all these things that they haven’t seen before as a player. Now, we just need to win a play or a series here and there and help us gain a little confidence, which could turn into big things for us down the road.”
