It wasn’t the night that the 16 Wildcat senior football players had envisioned as they faced the expanse of empty seats during introductions prior to kickoff on Senior Night at Wildcat Stadium.
It wasn’t the outcome they hoped for, either, as the Pittsburg Pirates dealt Paris its fourth straight loss, 48-30, Friday under a steady light rain and before a sparse turnout due to an imminent threat of severe weather.
Mother Nature allowed completion of the District 7-4A-1 contest which leaves the Cats with the stark reality that their next loss could end a season that began with dreams of a state title. Paris, now 4-4 overall, remains winless in district play at 0-3.
The Cats travel to Quinlan Ford (1-7, 0-3) to try to regain their winning touch next Friday, Oct. 30, before returning to Wildcat Stadium on Nov. 6 for another true Crosstown Showdown against North Lamar. Barring shocking upsets, the implications for the Paris-NL game should be a repeat from 2014: Loser goes home, winner goes on (to the playoffs).
While the Paris defense showed some improvement from previous weeks (when opponents averaged 280 yards rushing per game), it was the Pitt defense which never let an explosive Wildcat offense get untracked.
Paris closed to within 14-10 on a Zach Lamb field goal just three minutes into the second half when the Brian Baca-led Pirate attack took control of the game.
Pitt, now 7-1 for the season and 2-1 in district, scored 20 unanswered points to take a 34-10 lead with 10 minutes remaining. The schools then combined for a bizarre 34 total points over the course of the next two minutes to provide the false impression that this game was an offensive slugfest. It wasn’t.
Paris quarterback Quez Allen had a pair of TD runs that bookend the scoring among his 22 carries for 129 yards rushing, but he didn’t find his rhythm until late after the outcome was decided. He completed just 12 of 31 attempts for 186 yards and 2 TDs.
Both Paris scoring receptions were by junior wideout Jalon Pipkins for 90 of those yards. Junior JaKerrion Brown caught 5 passes for 46 yards.
Pitt held Paris to 354 total yards and a 5.1 average per play. Only Argyle has managed a better defensive showing this season against the Cats (287 yards, 4.1 average).
The Paris defense forced three Pitt punts in the first half, thanks partly to several dropped balls by open Pirate receivers. Once they started hanging onto Baca’s passes, the balanced Pitt attack finished for 396 combined yards (189 rushing, 207 passing)
Senior Diarva Brown recorded his fourth interception of the year for the Cats, who can be reasonably optimistic that recent history is on their side. Following an upset loss to Pitt last season, the Cats were on the verge of playoff elimination as they headed into their final two games and needed to beat Quinlan Ford and North Lamar to qualify.
They got their second wind and used a strong finishing kick to advance three rounds into the state playoffs.
Scoring Summary:
- Paris 7, Pittsburg 0. Quez Allen 4 run (Zach Lamb kick), 6:20, 1q. Cats use a strong south win and Pirate holding call on the game’s first punt to start with excellent field position at the Pitt 38. They need 9 plays (all runs) to score, as the right side of the Paris O-line collapses the Pirate front to clear a clean path to the end zone for Allen.
- Pitt 7, Paris 7. Brian Baca 47 run (Alex Rodriguez kick), 3:38, 1q. Pirates go 69 yards in 4 plays, including a Paris personal foul, and Baca completely fools the defense on a QB counter around the left side.
- Pitt 14, Paris 7. Dejour Dowell 31 pass from Baca (Rodriguez kick), 6:51, 2q. Pirates grind out 9 play, 60-yard drive, running from some power sets. Then, Baca fakes a handoff and catches Cats in single coverage. The 6-2 Dowell leaps to make the catch over his head falling backwards into the end zone.
- Paris 10, Pitt 14. Lamb 32 FG, 9:19, 3q. Cats start the second half from midfield after a short kickoff return. A 24-yard run by Allen to the Pitt 19 sets up a first down but a false start curbs the momentum and Paris settles for Lamb’s second field goal of the year. Drive covers 35 yards in 8 plays.
- Pitt 20, Paris 10. Fre’zarian Harrison 6 run (kick failed), 4:44, 3q. Perhaps the weirdest drive of the night as Pirates go 64 yards in 12 plays. Cats called for pass interference on play that saw the best throw of the evening as the Pitt side judge was able to hurl his flag 25 yards into the wind to overrule the back judge standing within 5 yards of the play. Pirates also overcome a holding call and unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the drive. The EP kick is foiled by a bobbled snap and wild melee for the loose ball.
- Pitt 27, Paris 10. Damien Porter 13 pass from Baca (Rodriguez kick), 0:58, 3q. Baca finds Porter in right flat on bubble screen, and he sidesteps one defender at the Paris 5 and bulls over another at the goalline. It completes a 57-yard drive in 7 plays.
- Pitt 34, Paris 10. Harrison 3 run (Rodriguez kick), 10:01, 4q. Pirates are pulling away now following this 56-yard, 6-play drive that includes a couple of Baca completions.
- Paris 16, Pitt 34. Jalon Pipkins 38 pass from Allen (pass failed), 7:32, 4q. Allen finds Pipkins wide open down the right sidelines to finish this 7-play, 80-yard drive set up by a Diarva Brown interception. Allen keeps the drive going with a 26-yard completion under heavy duress to Treavon Sims on 4th-and-7. Cats attempt to draw within two scores on the conversion attempt, but fail.
- Pitt 41, Paris 16. Porter 49 pass from Baca (Rodriguez kick), 6:44, 4q. Porter slips through a pair of teammate blocks on the bubble screen in the right flat to put the game out of reach. Drive takes just 3 plays and 54 yards after recovering an onside kick.
- Paris 22, Pitt 41. Pipkins 52 pass from Allen (pass failed), 6:07, 4q. Allen hits Pipkins in stride on the fly pattern down the right sidelines. It takes Paris just 2 plays to go 60 yards.
- Pitt 48, Paris 22. Harrison 10 run (Rodriguez kick), 5:54, 4q. Harrison picks up his third score after Dowell returns an onside kick 42 yards to the Paris 10.
- Paris 30, Pitt 48. Allen 58 run (Allen run), 5:29, 4q. It’s Vintage Allen as he breaks through 4 Pitt tacklers on a scramble to the end zone. Cats go 58 yards in 2 plays following a kickoff return and Pirate personal foul. Allen runs for the two extra points.
How Wildcat Opponents Fared:
- Mount Pleasant (2-6), lost to Longview, 51-0
- Melissa (1-7), lost to Canton, 33-14
- Tyler Chapel Hill (2-5), played Kilgore Saturday
- Palestine (1-7), lost to Henderson, 41-0
- Argyle (7-1), beat Dallas Carter, 49-21
- Liberty-Eylau (7-1), beat Quinlan Ford, 48-7
- Princeton (7-1), beat North Lamar, 49-28
- Pittsburg (7-1), beat Paris, 48-30
- Quinlan Ford (1-7), lost to Liberty-Eylau, 48-7
- North Lamar (5-3), lost to Princeton, 49-28