Plains Cowboys move to 4-0 with Homecoming win
For the first time in recent memory, the Plains Cowboys ran their season record to 4-0 with a 40-18 Homecoming win over the Eunice Cardinals.
The game started out on a sour note, as the Cowboy defense held Eunice to a 3 & out offensive possession, only to fumble the punt and give the ball right back to the Cardinals. The defense, however, set the tone for the rest of the night by forcing a Cardinal turnover immediately, with a fumble recovery by Cruz Marquez. Jaaron Bell then ended the first offensive drive of the night with a 6-yard touchdown run. The PAT by Edward Valdez made it 7-0.
The Cowboys scored three times in the 2nd quarter. Lupe Lara got into the end zone on an 11-yard run, Arthur Ruiz scored from 6 yards out, and Dray Debusk went untouched up the middle from 18 yards out. Valdez added one PAT, and the Cowboys were unsuccessful on two consecutive two-point attempts. Eunice scored once on a 14-yard pass to make the halftime score Plains 26, Eunice 6.
The 2nd half saw no scoring from either team in a sluggish 3rd quarter, and the beginning of the 4th saw Eunice add 6 points on a 12-yard TD pass, to close the gap to 26-12. The Cowboys then took the kickoff, and scored in 2 plays, with Josh Brock sprinting around the left side for a 50-yard TD run. The PAT was good, and the Cowboys led 33-12. The ensuing kickoff was returned for a 94-yard TD by the Cardinals, cutting the Cowboy lead to 33-18. The Cowboys finished the scoring for the night with Brock getting his 2nd TD, this one from 25 yards out, with just under 1:00 left in the game. Valdez PAT ended the scoring, with the final being Plains 40, Eunice 18.
The Cowboy defense turned in another stellar performance, allowing only 211 yards of Offense. Jaaron Bell led the charge with 15 tackles from his Linebacker spot. Josh Brock, Lupe Lara, and Brandon Craft totalled 7 tackles each, to assist the defensive effort. Offensively, the Cowboys rolled up 387 yards of offense, with all but 4 of those yards coming on the ground. Josh Brock led all rushers with 173 yards and 2 TD's on 12 carries. Arthur Ruiz gained 112 yards on 20 carries with 1 TD, to give the Cowboys their 1st 100-yard rushing games of the year.
The Cowboys have the week off, before travelling to Smyer on Oct. 2nd for the final non-district contest of the season.
