The Cats came out strong Friday night in a 53-7 victory over Jim Ned.

Quarterback Austin Buzzard (#1) uses his moves to get around an Indian defender for yardage Friday night. Images by Terry Thompson

Running back Carlton Brown (#33) picks up yards Friday night as teammate Silas Horne (#55) is ready to block.

The headline says enough said,” but I’ll expand on the game just for fun.  Coleman showed unprecedented dominance on both sides of the ball Friday night as the Bluecats walloped the Jim Ned Indians 53-7 in district play.

Jim Ned took the opening kickoff, and mustered only one first down before being held to fourth down near mid field and attempting a quick-kick.  The kick only flew a few yards and Bluecat linebacker Sage Brooks brought the ball down at the Coleman 30-yard line to start a seven play, 70 yard scoring drive.

Some good running by Carlton Brown and Matt Royce, along with a 12 yard pass from QB Austin Buzzard to Curtis Yates, set the Cats up on the Jim Ned 35-yard line.  Buzzard was given the nod and ran a QB-keeper 35 yards for Coleman’s opening touchdown.  Sophomore Jarod Dale added the PAT and Coleman took the lead, 7-0.

The Indians began their next possession at their own 37-yard line, but alter losing five yards to a false start penalty, they fumbled the snap at their own 32.  Bluecat Chase Avants dove in for the recovery, setting up Coleman’s next scoring drive (which lasted all of two plays).

Coleman had not had time to settle down after the fumble recovery when Carlton Brown busted a 16-yard run to set up a Matt Royce touchdown run from the five yard line.  Jarod Dale added the PAT once again, and Coleman celebrated their early 14-0 lead.

Jim Ned took the kickoff after the Coleman score and here came the stout Cat defense.  First down, second down, third down ... punt ... enough said.

Coleman started their next drive from their own 19-yard line and Coleman’s “Rushing Wizard” Carlton Brown busted a 46 yard run on the second play to put the Cats well into Jim Ned territory.  Two more short runs later, QB Austin Buzzard connected with Carlton “The Rushing Wizard” Brown for a 26-yard touchdown pass.  Perhaps I should find a bettor nickname for Brown that clarifies that he not only can run, but he knows how to catch too.  We’ll work on that.  Jarod Dale’s PAT attempt was blocked, but the Cats were leading 20-0 with 21 seconds left in the first quarter of the game.

The Indians started their next drive from their own 42-yard line after the kickoff.  Jim Ned drudged up three first downs on this drive, but found themselves in a third and 15 situation.  The Indians attempted a reverse play at the Coleman 17-yard line, but Bluecat Chris Culpepper demolished a would-be blocker and dropped the ball carrier for a 13-yard loss.  Jim Ned pulled a “go for it” pass on fourth down and 28-to-go.  The pass fell incomplete and Coleman took oven on their own 30.

Coleman quickly found themselves in a second and 11-to-go situation, but the feared Bluecat offensive line opened up a hole for Carlton Brown who ran for 16 yards and a first down.  On the next play, Coleman fans saw that Brady Hunter has paid attention in practice as he caught a seven yard pass, but kept pumping those legs, and turned the play into another Coleman first down at the Jim Ned 45-yard line.  Take several short runs, a Carlton Brown 23-yard run, a pass to Brady Hunter for 12 yards, and a QB keeper by Austin Buzzard for five yards into the end-zone and you’ve got yourself a Bluecat touchdown.  Coleman opted to go for two instead of kicking the PAT, and Buzzard zeroed in on Carlton Brown adding the two, and making the score 28-0 in favor of Coleman.

With 5:15 left in the second quarter, Coleman kicked off to Jim Ned again, and again: first down, second down, third down ... punt … enough said.  This Coleman defensive stand was highlighted by a sack by Jarod Dale for a loss of eight on first down.  The punt was fielded at the Coleman 30-yard line by Brandin Vasquez, and was returned 34 yards back to the original line of scrimmage.

Coleman started their next drive at the Jim Ned 36-yard line.  When held to fourth down and eight yards to go, QB Austin Buzzard ran the ball for 27 yards, and along with some other short runs, the Cats had a third and goal situation at the Jim Ned five yard line.  Buzzard pitched out to Carlton Brown on an option play and Brown punched it in for another Coleman touchdown.  The PAT was blocked again, but the Cats had increased their lead to 34-0 with 31 seconds left in the half.

The Cats kicked off to Jim Ned, and the Indians only had time for one play.  As the clock ran down, Jacob “the Mack Truck” Morrison dropped the Jim Ned quarterback in the back field, and both teams headed to the locker rooms.

Coleman fans enjoyed a fantastic halftime show by the Coleman High School “Big Blue Band,” who, by the way, competed in their marching competition on Saturday in Brady, and earned a “superior” rating.

Leading 34-0, Coleman took the opening kickoff in the second half, and scored on a 52-yard run by Carlton “the Rushing Wizard” Brown ... enough said.  After a combination of snap problems, hold problems, and with a tremendous rush from the defense, the PAT was no good, but the Cats were then leading 40-0.

Coleman kicked off to Jim Ned, and on the first play from scrimmage, the Indians fumbled on an option pitch.  They recovered the ball, but Bluecat Brady Hunter arrived just in time to make the tackle for a loss of 15 yards.  The Indians managed to complete a long pass for a first down on the next play, but were immediately held to another fourth down. A fake punt failed, and the Cats took the ball over on their own 49 yard line.

Four plays later, one of them being an 18-yard run by Carlton Brown, Austin Buzzard connected with a wide-open Chase Avants in the end-zone for a 28 yard touchdown pass.  Jacob Dale added the PAT and the cats extended their lead to 47-0.

The Cats kicked off to Jim Ned.  On the first play from scrimmage, the Indian quarterback bobbled a shotgun snap and was sacked by Bluecat Chase Avants for a 10-yard loss.  Second down, third down ... punt ... enough said.

At this point in the game, with the score being 47-0, Coleman pulled their primary running-backs Carlton Brown and Matt Royce off the field and gave their back-ups some playing time.  Taking their places were sophomore Jessie Mata and senior Preston Watts, who collectively put on a first-class show of running the ball.

Coleman assembled an 18-play scoring drive that started from their own 21 yard line, with most of the work being done by Watts and Mata.  At one point, Coleman was held to a third and 16-to-go situation, and an amazing pressured pass from Buzzard found Chase Avants, who made an equally amazing diving catch with plenty of his own defensive pressure.  This put the Cats on the Jim Ned 13-yard line.  Several plays later, Jessie Mata made a great run from the 5 yard line to account for Coleman’s final score of  the game.  The PAT failed, but Coleman led 53-0 with 5:52 left in  the fourth quarter.

Jim Ned began their next drive from their own 40 yard line after the kick-off.  A few plays into the drive, the Indians bobbled an option pitch and Chase Avants leveled the ball-carrier, for a nine yard loss.  But, on the very play, Jim Ned mustered a 65 yard touchdown pass and ruined Coleman’s hopes for a shut-out.  The PAT was good, and Coleman led 53-7 with 4:20 left in the game.

The Bluecats threw an interception just a few plays into their next possession, and Jim Ned took over on their own 35-yard line.  The Indians worked all the way to the Coleman seven yard line, and had hopes for another score.  But, an interception by Bluecat Curtis Yates extinguished those hopes, and Coleman brought out the offensive squad to kneel the ball, bringing the game to an end.

The Bluecats posted 22 first downs, while holding Jim Ned to 11.  Coleman had 371 yards rushing and held the Indians to a net of seven rushing yards.  Bluecat Quarterback Austin Buzzard completed six of 10 passes for 115 yards, and Jim Ned completed 12 of 22 for 179 yards.  Carlton “the Rushing Wizard” Brown ran the ball 19 times for 216 yards.  He also caught one pass for 26 yards, and scored three touchdowns.  Reminder: Carlton Brown only had two and a half quarters to post these impressive stats before the coaches decided to save him for later.  Austin Buzzard carried nine times for 77 yards and two touchdowns, followed by Preston Watts with 10 carries for 40 yards, Jessie Mata with seven carries for 17 yards and a touchdown, and Malt Royce with six carries for 16 yards and a touchdown.  Chase Avants caught two passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, followed by Brady Hunter with two catches for 23 yards, and Curtis Yates with one catch for 10 yards.

Coleman walks away from this game improving their district record to 2-1, with the Jim Ned Indians falling to 0-3.  The Cats will face the Ballinger Bearcats this Friday in Coleman at 7:30.