ronaldoswalt
03-12-2006, 02:53 AM
By BRIAN SIMMONS
bsimmons@katycourier.com
Copperheads kicker Whitney Hillin made the most important play of Saturday's game as a passer.
Hillin chased down a bad snap on an extra-point attempt and collected it at the 25-yard line. He chunked the ball into the end zone where Devin Rispress caught it.
The unintentional two-point conversion gave Katy its first lead of the game with less than 11 minutes left en route to a 47-40 win over Beaumont at the Merrell Center in the first game in Copperhead franchise history.
"Oh, bleep," Hillin said when asked to describe the play, which gave the Copperheads a 38-37 advantage.
Hillin said he talked to holder Ryan Breedlove about a possible direct snap on the extra point so that Hillin could drop-kick the ball for two points.
Breedlove stopped him in mid-sentence and said they'd just go for the tie.
"Lo and behold, what happened? Oh, bleep," Hillin said. "Luckily as I was running back — the ball was bouncing — I was thinking, 'This thing's oblong. It's got to bounce up one of these days' and it finally bounced up right in my hands."
The Copperheads got a 9-yard rushing touchdown from Bam Morris with 3:45 left to go up by seven.
A safety sealed the deal on the next Driller possession, giving the Copperheads a win over their instate rival.
The safety was one of two key late sacks as defensive end Kendrick Barrett nailed Beaumont quarterback Damone Scott for a six-yard loss, setting up the late touchdown run by Morris.
Morris finished the night with 72 yards on the ground with three touchdowns in his first organized football game since 2000.
Equally impressive was Copperheads receiver Darrick Wallace, who caught four passes for 41 yards and two scores.
One of Wallace's touchdowns featured a broken tackle and a spin move before he glided to the end zone to put Katy within one point in the middle of the third.
The win marks a division victory right out of the gate for the Copperheads. It also represents bragging rights for at least until April 1 when the two teams meet in Beaumont.
Katy was able to pound the ball as the Drillers grew winded down the stretch.
Morris started slowly before the Copperheads added a fullback to their formation, allowing the running back to get his shoulders square as he went through the line of scrimmage.
Copperheads quarterback Marc Saldana threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns but, like Morris, struggled early on, tossing three interceptions.
"Unfortunately in this league, we don't get a lot of exhibition games or any at all so offensively we were very rusty,"Saldana said. "I think the biggest deal is we overcame adversity and got the "W."
Saldana said he was expecting the defensive line to be quicker than they were. He said he had to adjust because he's so used to quickness in the league.
"When we were getting a lot of time, it was kind of throwing me off," Saldana said. "As the game wore on, obviously we settled down and settled down on offense, too."
The Copperheads play their second straight home game when the River City
Rage, which went 10-4 last season, visits the Merrell Center at 7:05 p.m.
March 18.
bsimmons@katycourier.com
Copperheads kicker Whitney Hillin made the most important play of Saturday's game as a passer.
Hillin chased down a bad snap on an extra-point attempt and collected it at the 25-yard line. He chunked the ball into the end zone where Devin Rispress caught it.
The unintentional two-point conversion gave Katy its first lead of the game with less than 11 minutes left en route to a 47-40 win over Beaumont at the Merrell Center in the first game in Copperhead franchise history.
"Oh, bleep," Hillin said when asked to describe the play, which gave the Copperheads a 38-37 advantage.
Hillin said he talked to holder Ryan Breedlove about a possible direct snap on the extra point so that Hillin could drop-kick the ball for two points.
Breedlove stopped him in mid-sentence and said they'd just go for the tie.
"Lo and behold, what happened? Oh, bleep," Hillin said. "Luckily as I was running back — the ball was bouncing — I was thinking, 'This thing's oblong. It's got to bounce up one of these days' and it finally bounced up right in my hands."
The Copperheads got a 9-yard rushing touchdown from Bam Morris with 3:45 left to go up by seven.
A safety sealed the deal on the next Driller possession, giving the Copperheads a win over their instate rival.
The safety was one of two key late sacks as defensive end Kendrick Barrett nailed Beaumont quarterback Damone Scott for a six-yard loss, setting up the late touchdown run by Morris.
Morris finished the night with 72 yards on the ground with three touchdowns in his first organized football game since 2000.
Equally impressive was Copperheads receiver Darrick Wallace, who caught four passes for 41 yards and two scores.
One of Wallace's touchdowns featured a broken tackle and a spin move before he glided to the end zone to put Katy within one point in the middle of the third.
The win marks a division victory right out of the gate for the Copperheads. It also represents bragging rights for at least until April 1 when the two teams meet in Beaumont.
Katy was able to pound the ball as the Drillers grew winded down the stretch.
Morris started slowly before the Copperheads added a fullback to their formation, allowing the running back to get his shoulders square as he went through the line of scrimmage.
Copperheads quarterback Marc Saldana threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns but, like Morris, struggled early on, tossing three interceptions.
"Unfortunately in this league, we don't get a lot of exhibition games or any at all so offensively we were very rusty,"Saldana said. "I think the biggest deal is we overcame adversity and got the "W."
Saldana said he was expecting the defensive line to be quicker than they were. He said he had to adjust because he's so used to quickness in the league.
"When we were getting a lot of time, it was kind of throwing me off," Saldana said. "As the game wore on, obviously we settled down and settled down on offense, too."
The Copperheads play their second straight home game when the River City
Rage, which went 10-4 last season, visits the Merrell Center at 7:05 p.m.
March 18.