Sandies Hand Unbeaten Cushing Its First Loss, 29-7

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

CUSHING — Grapeland’s defense had a clear assignment against a Cushing team that had won its first four games: stop the run. The Sandies did enough of that Friday, Sept. 25, to leave with a 29-7 victory and their first district win of the season.

Cushing had scored at least 27 points in each of its four victories. Against Grapeland, the Bearkats reached the end zone once.

“The defense played really well,” Grapeland Coach Jordan Wood said. “We wanted to stop the run because we knew that’s what they did.”

Wood said Cushing ran the ball on more than 70% of its plays coming into the game. The Bearkats also tested Grapeland through the air, but their only scoring drive was a long possession kept alive by several fourth-down conversions.

“They had one drive where it was a long drive, and they converted multiple fourth downs,” Wood said. “Hats off to them for being able to do that. Other than that, they didn’t score.”

The Bearkats still moved the ball at times, Wood said, but Grapeland stayed with its assignments and tackled well enough to keep those gains from becoming points.

“Our defense did a really good job of just playing assignment football and tackling them well,” he said.

On offense, Diego Fajardo carried 18 times for 111 yards and three touchdowns. Traylon Gaines added a rushing touchdown among his five carries for 23 yards. Quarterback Eli Deleon completed 11 of 17 passes for 116 yards, with Jalen Woods making eight catches for 78 yards and Dan Newman adding two catches for 39 yards.

Grapeland finished with 133 rushing yards and 116 passing yards. The Sandies scored on their opening possession, though Wood said the final margin made the rest of the night look more comfortable than it felt on the sideline.

“We scored on our first drive, and then we had a turnover,” he said.

Grapeland turned the ball over twice, Wood said, and had another stretch in which the offense got behind schedule and failed to execute. Meanwhile, Cushing’s ability to keep possession limited the Sandies’ opportunities.

“The way they played keep away with their offense, it kept the game really close,” Wood said.

The win was Grapeland’s second straight after a 52-6 victory over Groveton the previous week. Wood had cautioned before the season that his young team would need time to settle in. He now sees players growing more comfortable with their assignments and the coaching staff finding the right positions for them.

“We like playing tough competition earlier, and it’s paying off,” Wood said. “Our guys are starting to figure out how to play their positions.”

The Sandies return home for another district game against Alto at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, at Jerry Richards Field.

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]