Jul 30, 2010
Dawson ambushes Indians 28-14; gets ready for Foster
November 10, 2009
SANTA FE — The Dawson Eagles (8-2) will head into their first playoff game in school history as the No. 2 seed from 24-4A in the Class 4A Division I playoffs. Dawson will face Richmond Foster (6-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 13 in Angleton at Wildcat Stadium.
“The kids have worked hard to get into the playoffs, and we’re excited for them and the program,” Dawson head coach Eric Wells said.
Getting to the playoffs in their second year of varsity competition shows that Dawson has one of the top coaching staffs in the Houston area while the talented players were rewarded for all of their hard work in such a short time.
There are a lot of teams who have talent, but don't make the post-season because they don't function very well as a team. Such is not the case with the Eagles as Wells and his coaching staff began preaching on day one about team and togetherness.
That message has been ringing clear over the past three years and now the Eagles will get to spread their wings to soar into the playoffs for the first time and are considered the favorites against Foster.
"We are going to have to control our nerves and keep focused at the business at hand," Wells pointed out. "We know we have the talent, but we have to keep that talent under control to not make mistakes and take advantage of what the other team gives us."
That's what Dawson did against Santa Fe, who needed a win to secure their spot in the playoffs. But the Eagles weren't going to let the Indians in that easy.
As it turned out - Santa Fe's loss resulted in a three-way time for fourth place.
After Manvel shocked the entire state with their unlikely 28-17 win at Alvin Memorial Stadium -- the three coaches from Manvel, Santa Fe, and Texas City met to flip their coins. The odd flip wins.
The coaches all flipped tails requiring another try. The second flip decided the playoff fate for the three teams as Texas City and Manvel flipped heads and Santa Fe (6-4) hit the jackpot with tails sending the Indians to the post-season for only the third time in school history.
After Santa Fe scored the first touchdown of the game against Dawson to lead 7-0 -- the Eagles answered with a 6-yard scoring pass from quarterback Darian Lazard to wide receiver Randall Weeks. Stuart Watkins added the extra point to knot up the score at 7-7 with 11:23 left in the second period.
The Indians got a 45-yard scoring burst from the district's leading ball carrier Joseph Walton for a 14-7 lead with 10:55 left before halftime.
But the Eagles would add a pair of scores as Xavier Brown scored on a 5-yard run and Lazard added another 5-yard scoring dash with 25 seconds left before intermission for a 21-14 lead.
The second half was dominated by Dawson's defense as they shut out the Indians.
Dawson would get an insurance score on an 11-yard scoring run by Lazard to make the final score 28-14 with 11:49 left in the game.
Lazard threw for 241 yards and one touchdown and ran for 43 more yards and two more scores.
Santa Fe is more than happy to see Lazard graduate as the versatile signal-caller burned Santa Fe for 503 total yards (260 passing - 243 rushing) in last year's game. Add 284 more to that total and he had an eye-popping 787 yards against the Indians alone in his two-year varsity action.
“It’s a big win for us against a very good football team,” Wells said. “It’s always great to get a win like this heading into the playoffs. The kids responded and played a great game.”
Marcus Vaughn led Dawson receivers with five catches for 102 yards, and teammate Randall Weeks had four receptions for 44 yards with a 6-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.
Dawson fans need to go to the new Wildcat Stadium in Angleton to support the Eagles. More information about the game and directions to the stadium can be found at: www.dawsoneagles.org.