Plainview wins battle of No. 1 vs No. 2

By DRUW GIAMALVA, Sports Editor

GERALDINE — The Sand Mountain community wasn’t disappointed on Thursday night as a packed house at Coolidge-Isbell Field witnessed an incredible battle between the Class 3A No. 1 Plainview Bears and the No. 2 Geraldine Bulldogs. The showcase between the two powerhouses would be won by the Dale Pruitt’s Bears who put on a defensive showcase in the 17-6 victory over Geraldine. 

“I thought we played hard,” Pruitt said. “I said it before the game that the team that turns it over will be in trouble. We had two turnovers that got us in trouble but they had some to even it out. It was a hard fought football game. I am proud of our team as we just kept playing. That’s what it’s all about.” 

The win for the Bears clears the way at the top of the Class 3A, Region 8 standings where the Bears now stand alone as the only team undefeated in region play at 4-0. The win also improves Plainview to 6-0 overall. 

The Bulldogs fall to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in region play. 

“We played our tails off,” Geraldine head coach Michael Davis said. “We did some really good things tonight and there is some stuff we need to clean up. We played really hard and I can’t ask more out of them as far as effort. It was a very good football game.” 

Geraldine quarterback Jon Beck Wade runs for a gain during Thursday’s matchup against Plainview. DRUW GIAMALVA l The Leader

The battle of No. 1 vs No. 2 kicked off with Plainview on offense first. With the ball at the 24-yard line, the Bears got off to a rough start as a false start penalty would push Plainview back. After a short run and two incomplete passes, the Bears first drive would end on a three-and-out.

With a punt, the Bulldogs would seize control of the football at the 24-yard line. Geraldine would get their run game going early as running back Jordon Lankford and quarterback Jon Beck Wade would control the drive with multiple first down runs. To cap off their opening drive, Lankford would rush in a long 38-yard touchdown to put Geraldine up 6-0. The Bulldogs would miss the PAT. 

Plainview’s next drive would begin at the 36-yard line. The Bears would put together their first positive plays as running back Kylen Johnson would rush for a 12-yard first down run. The Bulldog defense would force their first turnover on Plainview as Geraldine’s Braxton Franklin would strip the ball out and recover it for the Bulldogs. Geraldine would exit the first quarter with a 6-0 lead over Plainview. 

After two short possessions by each team to start the second quarter, the Bears finally put together their first scoring drive which was highlighted by a long 36-yard rushing touchdown  by quarterback Mac Long. A good PAT by the Bears would put them up 7-6 over Geraldine. 

On the next Geraldine drive, the Bulldogs would drive down the field as Wade and Lankford continued to dominate in the run game. A first down pass by Wade to Lankford would put the Bulldogs inside Plainview’s 20-yard line but the Bears would stop Geraldine on a fourth down and three to force a turnover on downs. 

With just three minutes remaining in the quarter, it was Plainview’s turn to drive down the field as Long would toss a pass to Johnson for 25 yards. Long would toss another first down pass to Janzen Currie to put the Bears in field goal range. Plainview kicker Josue Altamirano would make a 31-yard attempt at the buzzer to give Plainview a 10-6 halftime lead. 

To kick off the second half, the Bulldogs would be on offense first. Geraldine would go on to have a long drive that would eat up nearly 10 minutes of game time. The drive started out with a first down pass by Wade to receiver AJ Carter and was followed up by two more first down runs by Wade and Lankford. With the Bulldogs driving all the way down inside the red zone, Geraldine’s drive would end on a flat note as their attempt at a 29-yard field goal would be no good. 

The next drive for both teams would end in fumbles with Geraldine’s Tucker Warner producing a recovery for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs would end up giving it right back as the Plainview defense would jump on a fumble at midfield. 

With a chance to make it a double possession lead, the Bears would create big plays as senior running back Rylan Guess would rush for consecutive first downs for Plainview. After another first down run by Currie, Long would quarterback sneak in from 2-yards out to put Plainview up 17-6 in the fourth quarter. 

After another turnover on downs by the Bulldogs, the Bears would go on to win 17-6 in an all-time classic. 

“We just want to go 1-0 each week,” Pruitt said. “This is the sixth game of the season and we have to play better each week. It is all about getting better each week.” 

The Bears were led by Long who finished 8-12 passing for 80 yards. Long’s impact would come from the run game where he finished with six carries for 73 yards and two touchdowns. 

“We came out with a spark in the second half,” Long said. “We fought harder and we didn’t allow them to score in the second half.”

Guess would finish with eight carries for 46 yards while Currie would finish with 26 rushing yards on six attempts. 

The Bulldogs would be led by Lankford who finished with 18 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown. Wade would go 10-11 for 52 passing yards while rushing for 58 yards on 19 attempts. 

Plainview will look to add on another region win next week as they host the Sylvania Rams. 

Geraldine will look to bounce back with a region win next week as they travel to face Asbury.

Plainview quarterback Mac Long would rush for two touchdowns in the 17-6 victory over No. 2 Geraldine on Thursday night. DRUW GIAMALVA l The Leader