Published: October 15, 2007 10:55 pm      

District win puts 'Cats in control

By SCOTT TYLER

H-P Sports Editor



Throughout the week, Palestine head coach Glen Tunstall talked about getting into the district’s driver’s seat.

After a wild and crazy finish that resulted in a 41-38 Palestine win, are in that driver’s seat as the Wildcast have started District 19-3A with a win.

“You always want to get that first district win,” Tunstall said. “This is a big step towards making the playoffs and defending our district title.”

Palestine nearly saw a 28-6 halftime lead slip away Friday as Westwood scored 32 second half points and had one last chance for the win when a ball was tipped away in the end zone with time expiring.

“The character of our football team really came through,” Tunstall said. “There was never any quit from our guys and I think the last two games we have seen our confidence continue to grow.”

In a wild game, the difference came down to special teams, which went Palestine’s way.

Palestine’s Asa Davidson made 6-of-7 extra points with his only miss coming when the sole of his shoe blew out while he was kicking the ball. On the other side, Westwood could not convert on its two kicking attempts as the first was blocked and the second was short.

“Special teams was a big factor last night,” Tunstall said. “We have a very good kicker in Asa and he came through for us.”

With Westwood struggling in the kicking game, the Panthers went for two-point conversions four times but the Palestine defense held them out of the end zone on three of the attempts.

“Stopping a two-point conversion is like a goal line stand,” Tunstall said. “As explosive as they are on offense, I thought they would have the upper hand on the two-point conversions but our defense came through.”

While Palestine’s defense did allow 38 points and 496 yards of offense, the Wildcats seemed to make critical plays when need be.

In the fourth quarter, with Palestine clinging to a 34-26 lead, the Wildcats threw an interception inside Westwood’s 10-yard line.

Westwood had scored on its previous three possessions, but the Palestine defense forced a three and out.

“That was a huge stop for us,” Palestine defensive coordinator Robert Ivey said Friday night. “Our kids found a way to make the plays when we most needed them.”

After the defensive stop, Palestine scored on the next possession on an Alex Powell 37-yard to give the Wildcats a 41-26 lead with 6:29 left.

It was a critical score as Westwood scored 12 points in the final six minutes of the game.

Because of the Westwood comeback, Palestine’s offensive success in the first three quarters became critical.

“We knew we were going to need every point because of Westwood’s offense,” Palestine offensive coordinator Jamie Driskell said. “Scoring early was huge even though we did not know it at the time.

“Our offensive line did a great job controlling the line of scrimmage and we were able to mix it up with the run and pass.”

Palestine scored on its first four possessions as Olin Terry threw three touchdown passes and rushed for the fourth score.

The first touchdown pass came on fourth down when E.J. Spurlock caught a 18-yard pass on fourth-and-13.

Palestine’s next touchdown pass came on a flea flicker as Powell took the handoff then flipped back to Terry, who found Darius Simmon for a wide open 33-yard touchdown.

“We put that play in for this week because we saw how aggressive Westwood’s defense was,” Driskell said. “We knew if we showed the run, they might bite and it worked.”

Palestine’s third score also came on a big play as the Wildcats faced a third-and-23 when Larry Jackson leapt over a defender to catch a 27-yard touchdown pass.

Palestine’s 545 yards was a season-high as the Wildcats rushed for 391 yards and threw for 154 yards.

“Coach Driskell and his offensive coaches did a great job putting in the time and coming up with a game plan that worked well,” Tunstall said. “This was a a great team win.”

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Scott Tyler may be contacted via e-mail at styler@palestineherald.com