Tyran Betts + Paul Pewitt Hand Winona 34-25 Bi-District Defeat

[By Anthony Hawthorne, Special to ETSN.fm]

LONGVIEW -- Paul Pewitt senior quarterback Tyran Betts made a promise to his coach this week.

He delivered Friday night, leading the Brahmas to a 34-25 victory over Winona in a Class 3A Division II bi-district matchup at Lobo Stadium.

Betts finished the night with 241 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, and completed both of his passes for 35 yards and a score.

“He told me, 'If you will put the ball in my hands, we’ll win,'” Paul Pewitt coach Ryan Gentry said of his quarterback. “He did it, and I’m very proud of him.”

Lamon Hillis added 69 yards and a touchdown for the Brahmas.

“Our quarterback wouldn’t get a yard if it wasn’t for our offensive line,” Gentry said. “They (Winona) were bringing pressure and lining up in places we weren’t sure they would be. Our offensive line communicated well and picked everything up.”

Paul Pewitt (7-4) advances to play Leonard, a 29-26 winner over Alba-Golden on Friday night, while Winona finished its season at 7-4.

The Brahmas defense forced three turnovers, two of them in the second half and applied a steady amount of pressure to elusive Winona quarterback Braxton Kincade. Paul Pewitt gave up just 112 yards after the break.

“Those turnovers were huge,” Gentry said. “Any time you can get the ball back to your offense, especially with good field position, then it gives us a chance to put it back in the end zone and win the football game.

"Coach Kincade and the Kincade family gave us fits. That quarterback is a really good athlete and Coach Kincade does an awesome job with those guys.”

Betts started the second half much like he finished the first, bowling over and running through defenders.

He picked up 27 yards on third-and-3 on the opening drive of the second half, then took to the air for the first time on the night, a 30-yard play-action pass that worked to perfection to a wide-open Tray Hillis.

Paul Pewitt led 28-17 at that point, but Winona managed to hang around.

Kincade hit KJ Kincade for 17 yards and Chase Boyd for 21 yards on the ensuing drive to move to the Brahmas' 34-yard line. Jeremiah Bolton then ran for 17 yards to the 3-yard line, setting up Deundre Wheeler for a score.

Wheeler was the force behind the Winona offense throughout, picking up 98 yards on 20 carries and finding the end zone three times.

The Brahmas used a steady dose of Betts on the ensuing drive. After a Winona personal foul penalty moved the ball to midfield, Betts took six straight carries, accumulating 40 yards -- the last a 21-yard score. The two-point attempt failed and Paul Pewitt led 34-25.

The Brahmas defense did the rest, forcing a punt and then consecutive interceptions.

Tyshun Mitchell snatched a KJ Kincade reverse-pass out of the air and Kolby Slatton ended things with his pick along the sideline with 3:14 remaining.

Winona took a brief lead to open the game.

After it appeared its opening possession would end in a three-and-out, the Wildcats' ensuing punt was fumbled and recovered by Dakota Pullum, giving them prime field position at the Brahmas' 14.

Two plays later Wheeler scored from 14 yards out for a quick 7-0 lead.

Both teams traded punts, but Pewitt’s Jonah Hunderford made a play, blocking the punt attempt of the Wildcats and falling on the ball at the 26-yard line.

After picking up a first down, a pair of penalties knocked the Brahmas back. On fourth-and-8 at the 13, Paul Pewitt elected to keep it on the ground, handing it to Lamon Hillis who did the rest up the middle for the score.

Tyshun Mitchell tacked on the 2-point conversion and Paul Pewitt had the lead at 8-7.

Alex Jones’ fumble recovery two plays later set up the next score for the Brahmas.

It took just three plays to go 39 yards, with Betts doing the damage with a 32-yard score. Mitchell added his second two-point conversion, giving the Brahmas a 16-7 advantage.

Winona responded, with Kincade rushing for 14 yards and hitting Bryan Mcnown for 9 more to move the ball across midfield. Jeremiah Bolton picked up 14 yards on third-and-6 and three plays later Wheeler found the end zone for a second time from 12 yards out to cut the lead to 16-14.

But Paul Pewitt came right back.

Betts was once again tough to bring down, picking up 10 yards for a first down and finding his way to the end zone from 54 yards out on third-and-2.

Both teams traded punts and then Winona put together its longest drive of the half.

Kincade connected with Bolton for 17 yards and Joseph Hart for 14 more to move the ball to the Paul Pewitt 39-yard line. Wheeler added 18 more yards on third-and-4, but a false start penalty killed the drive on fourth-and-4.

The 31-yard field goal attempt was good, cutting the halftime deficit to 22-17.

Paul Pewitt 34 Winona 25

Class 3A Division II Bi-District
At Lobo Stadium, Longview

Winona 7 10 8 0 -- 34
Paul Pewitt 16 6 12 0 -- 25
First Quarter
WIN – Deundre Wheeler 14 run (Pablo Tarango kick), 10:01
PP – Lamon Hillis 13 run (Tyshun Mitchell run), 4:42
PP – Tyran Betts 32 run (Mitchell run), 2:50
Second Quarter
WIN – Wheeler 12 run (Tarango kick), 10:38
PP – Betts 54 run (run failed), 9:09
WIN – Tarango 31 FG, :41
Third Quarter
PP – Tray Hillis 30 pass from Betts (run failed), 10:00
WIN – Wheeler 7 run (Wheeler run), 5:23
PP – Betts 21 run (run failed), 1:15

WIN PP
First Downs 14 11
Total Yards 286 359
Rushes-Yards 42-189 49-324
Passing Yards 97 35
Comp-Att-Int 9-20-2 2-2-0
Penalties-Yards 4-32 8-60
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-1
Punts-Avg 2-31.0 3-41.0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Winona, Deundre Wheeler 20-98, Jeremiah Bolton 4-37, Braxton Kincade 7-31, Joseph Hart 8-24, KJ Kincade 3-(minus-1). Paul Pewitt, Labrandon Webster 5-11, Tyran Betts 27-241, Lamon Hillis 16-69, Tyshun Mitchell 1-3.
PASSING – Winona, Braxton Kincade 9-18-0--97, KJ Kincade 0-1-1--0, Stone Johnson 0-1-1--0. Paul Pewitt, Betts 2-2-0--35.
RECEIVING – Winona, Bryan Mcnown 1-9, Wheeler 1-4, Bolton 2-24, Hart 1-14, KJ Kincade 2-16, Chase Boyd 1-21, Dakota Pullum 1-9. Paul Pewitt, Tray Hillis 1-30, Mitchell 1-3.