Strong second half powers Busters-audio highlights

Cisco, TX (westernkansasnews.com)-Mother nature has a tendency of slowing man down. So when Garden City Community College Head Coach Matt Miller told his players to drown themselves in water all week, they listened. 

In the sweltering Texas heat, the Buster defense bent-but didn’t break-forcing three turnovers, one going for a score in a 35-21 win over Cisco College at Chesley Field Saturday night. 

“Our defense stepped up again,” an exhausted Miller said after the game. “Our defensive coaches did one heck of a job.”

But first the defense stood and watched Akeem Jones engineer an eight-play, 70-yard drive on the game’s opening possession that resulted in the freshman’s fourth touchdown pass of the season–a five-yard slant to Brandon Snell giving the Busters an early 7-0 lead.

“Freak (Jones) is a big time player for us,” Miller said. “He started the game very hot.”

Sizzling was more like it as Jones, who finished the night 14-of-28, 206 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, completed 3-of-4 passes for 45 yards, including a 33-yard hookup with Nile Daniel on the opening drive.

But Cisco (0-1, 0-0) didn’t blink. The Wrangers responded with their own six-play, 75-yard scoring drive that was capped off when freshman quarterback Jacorey McQueen hit Tre Johnson for a 13-yard touchdown that tied the game 7-7. 

Cisco then grabbed the lead when Jones option pitch caromed off the fingertips of Tyreek Hill, right into the hands of safety Robert Gardner, who returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. 

“We let them hang around too long,” Miller said. “When you come Texas, you have to come out with a victory; no excuses.”

Facing a deficit for the first time this season, Garden City (2-0, 1-0) would go on a time-consuming march that consumed more than five minutes of the first-quarter clock. On the first play, Jones hit Hill on a seam route right up the middle for 43 yards and a first down to the Wranger 32. Four plays later it seemed like the drive would stall when Tyler Peterson’s 44-yard field attempt bounced ten yards shy of the goal posts. But a personal foul penalty gave the Busters a first down inside the Wrangler 20. 

Cisco learned not to give Jones a second chance, whose one-yard plunge six plays later tied the game at 14 with 4:55 remaining in the first quarter. 

The tie score lasted less than two minutes, when a bad snap from center Zach Byers to McQueen squirted loose into the end zone where Wonderful Terry fell on it to give the Busters a 21-14 lead. 

As they did all night, the Wranglers took a blow, but got right back up off the canvas. Facing a 2nd and 8 at their own 32 yard line, McQueen rolled to his left and floated a pass to Jerad Mapps up the left sideline. Maps grabbed it, reversed field and outraced Terry to end zone for a 68-yard catch and run that knotted the game 14-14. 

“We were in perfect position,” Miller said. “The ball went right through our DB’s hands.”

Cisco had a chance to take the lead before the half, but Jacob Harler’s 54-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by linebacker Earl Clark. 

In the second half, the Buster defense bowed up, holding the Wrangers under 100 total yards. 

While the defense stiffened, the offense was revving up. Jones 43-yard missile to Daniel early in the third quarter, gave the Busters a 28-21 lead. Daniel finished with his first 100-yard receiving game (6 rec, 102 yds, td).

The freshman capped the night with a one-yard touchdown run, finishing off a 10-play, 67-yard drive at the beginning of the fourth. 

 Week 2 audio highlights

Notes: Scott Taylor deployed three quarterbacks: McQueen, Jonathan Bowen and Tanner Rodgers; Garden City’s defense forced three turnovers-intercepting both McQueen; plus Terry’s fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown. Terry played sparingly in the second half after suffering an injury in the first half; Snell had the wind knocked out of him in the fourth quarter, but appeared okay after the game. 

Next up: Garden City at Hutch-September 7; 7 pm on KBUF 1030 AM (westernkansasnews.com)

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