With an intense home crowd it would be a true test to see what the Lions were made of.
The stadium at Belton was packed as the night would feature not only an intense athletic competition but also the Bears homecoming. Daniel was expecting a hostile crowd, but they brought fans of their own that came out full force in spite of the distance.
The game would render a new undefeated team in class AAA West and would also allow Daniel to keep their undefeated title as they came in the game with a record of (7-1)(2-0) against BHP’s ( 6-1)(2-0).
If anyone was unsure about the outcome of this game, Daniel didn’t take long getting right down to business. In the first quarter alone Daniel’s powerhouse Deandre Hopkins made an immediate statement. On a punt from Belton, the senior made a bold move by not only finding the ball but running it in for an 84 yard touchdown that would bust the game open from the start. While it didn’t necessarily cost the Bears the game, it gave the full momentum to Daniel from the go.
BHP seemed stunned by the immediate scoring, which ended up at 14-0 just before the half, but the Bears didn’t give up easily. Although Daniel would end up with four interceptions on the game the Bears included one of their own just before the end of the second quarter, leading to their one and only touchdown of the night.
At the Daniel 40 Senior Stephon Williams snagged an interception from the Daniel quarterback. The Bears then set up for a 6-yard play from Senior Nino Woolridge with only 37 seconds remaining that would put Belton at 7-14 at the sound of the buzzer.
Returning for the third quarter the game was still very much in reach for the eager Bears, but it was not to be. A combination of plays by Daniel running back C.J. Davidson and linebacker Bubba Bryant in the first minutes of the new half would put the game completely out of reach.
With Davidson having an outstanding game which included 25 carries, his play at the 4:41 minute mark with a 42 yard drive would result in a touchdown down for the Lions. With 159 yards Davidson was making up beautifully for the still injured Brandon Anderson whose performance has always made a large impact for the Lions.
Turning around two plays later Senior Bubba Bryant read the BHP play and sprang into action with an interception that easily led him into the end zone. The combination of both plays left the Belton stadium in a hush as Daniel held the Bears from scoring further.
As for the Daniel defense, Coach Robinson gave them full credit for helping bring home the win.
“It was one miscue after another,” he said.
“It was either a holding penalty, blown assignment, dropped pass, bad throw, we had a little bit of everything the first half. It was a fiasco offensively but our defense is solid.”
The win leaves Daniel with a still untarnished 8-0 record while putting them as the lone first place team in AAA West. The Bears will be tied for second with both Seneca and West-Oak who are both now 2-1.
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