Waskom Routs Rival Elysian Fields 60-13 to Clinch First Playoff Berth in 21 Years

[By Anthony Hawthorne, Special to ETSN.fm]

ELYSIAN FIELDS -- It’s not often a head coach gets the Gatorade bath in just the district’s fourth game.

Then again, it’s not often that the Waskom Wildcats defeat nearby rival Elysian Fields and clinch a playoff berth.

The Wildcats did both Friday night, thumping the Yellow Jackets 60-13 behind a rushing attack that pounded out 495 yards and clinched the school's first playoff birth in 21 years.

Waskom (7-0, 4-0) scored the game's first 21 points in just under eight minutes and never looked back, tallying a whopping 512 yards at the break en route to a 54-7 lead at the half.

Kevin Johnson led the way on the ground with 140 yards on just six carries, scoring twice while do-it-all speedster June Bug Johnson had 66 yards on seven carries, completed 1 of 2 passes for 13 yards, and caught two passes for 102 yards, both touchdowns.

The Wildcats, who doused head coach Whitney Keeling with Gatorade in the game's final moments, spread the ball around on the ground with nine different players getting a carry as it was evident early that they would stick to their customary rushing attack.

Dillon Benton found the endzone on Waskom’s first two possessions, from 23 and five yards out, on drives that went 50 and 60 yards with all of the yardage coming on the ground. The Wildcats went with some trickery on the next possession with a double-reverse that was pitched back to quarterback Trace Carter, who found a streaking June Bug Johnson down the middle for a 47-yard touchdown strike.

Carter finished the night 2 of 3 passing for 102 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 89 yards on the ground on only seven carries.

Elysian Fields (3-4, 3-1) got its lone first-half score on a pass from freshman quarterback Logan Hughes to Ray-shawn Willie, who advanced the ball to the 12-yard line before fumbling it. Teammate Dylan Parker scooped up the ball and covered the final 10-plus yards for the touchdown.

Waskom found the end zone on its next five possessions to blow the game wide open. Consecutive scores by Kevin Johnson from 57 and 59 yards pushed the lead to 42-7 early in the second quarter.

The Wildcats just kept scoring as Carter hit June Bug Johnson on a well-executed play-action pass for a 55-yard score on the next possession, while both Lucas Norton and Eric Stephens III scored before the break for a 54-7 halftime advantage.

Hughes got the Yellow Jackets' lone second-half score on an 18-yard run. He finished with 29 yards on the ground and completed 6 of 20 passes for 122 yards.

Tanner Davis led Elysian Fields with 40 yards on 16 carries just a week after his 329-yard performance against DeKalb as the Waskom front dominated throughout the night. Davis' 40 yards allowed him to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the season.

Waskom hosts DeKalb next week, while Elysian Fields will travel to Hughes Springs.

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District 9-2A Division II

Waskom 60, Elysian Fields 13

Jacket Stadium, Elysian Fields

Waskom -- 28 26 0 6 -- 60
Elysian Fields -- 7 0 6 0 -- 13

First Quarter
WAS – Dillon Benton 23-yard run (Manny Munoz Kick) -- 9:15
WAS – Dillon Benton 5-yard run (Munoz Kick) -- 6:36
WAS – Trace Carter 47-yard pass to June Bug Johnson (Munoz Kick) -- 4:47
EF – Dylan Parker 12-yard fumble recovery (Ivan Berlin Kick) -- 3:21
WAS – Kevin Johnson 57-yard run (Munoz Kick) -- 1:51
Second Quarter
WAS – Kevin Johnson 59-yard run (Munoz Kick) -- 11:49
WAS – Trace Carter 55-yard pass to June Bug Johnson (Munoz Kick) -- 9:32
WAS – Lucas Norton 6-yard run (Kick Failed) -- 6:47
WAS – Eric Stephens III 38-yard run (Kick Failed) -- 4:19
Third Quarter
EF – Logan Hughes 18-yard run (Kick Failed) -- 4:31
Fourth Quarter
WAS – Tony Ratclif 1-yard run (Kick Failed) -- 9:11

                              WAS                  EF
First downs                16                     7
Total Yards                610                 210
Rushes-Yards           51-495           31-88
Pass Yards                 115                 122
Comp-Att-Int             3-5-0              6-20-0
Penalties-Yards         4-41                4-35
Fumbles-Lost             1-0                  4-0
Punts-Avg                  0-0                  6-36

Individual Stats
Rushing – Waskom: Kevin Johnson 6-140 (2 TD), Lucas Norton 6-60 (1 TD), Eric Stephens III 2-54 (1 TD), June Bug Johnson 7-66, Jose Agundiz 1-1, Keileon Johnson 7-29, Trace Carter 7-89, Dillon Benton 5-41 (2 TD), Tony Ratclif 7-21 (1 TD). Elysian Fields: Tanner Davis 16-40, Logan Hughes 11-29 (1 TD), Dylan Parker 1-12 (1 TD), Jakobe Owens 1-(-4), Ray-shawn Willie 2-11.
Passing – Waskom: Trace Carter 2-3-0 102 (1 TD), Junebug Johnson 1-2-0 13. Elysian Fields: Logan Hughes 6-20-0 122.
Receiving – Waskom Junebug Johnson 2-102 (2 TD) Eric Stephens III 1-13 Elysian Fields Tanner Davis 1-15 Ray-shawn Willie 2-33 Drake Davis 1-14 Sean Owens 1-10 Dylan Parker 1-50