Jul 30, 2010
Lazard, Orisakwe key Dawson's win over Crosby
December 1, 2009
DEER PARK — When the Crosby Cougars were faced with their final drive of the game, trailing 27-20, they didn't figure they would end up running into junior defensive standout Steve Orisakwe on two plays.
Those two plays would be big in helping the Dawson Eagles get the win to advance to the Class 4A Region III Division I finals to face district foe Friendswood for the right to move on to the 4A Division I state semifinals.
Dawson and Friendswood will face off at Galena Park ISD Stadium on Saturday, September 5 at 2:00 p.m. with the winner advancing to the 4A Division I state semifinals.
“That was big,” Dawson coach Eric Wells said of his defensive effort. “There were two big plays by Steve Orisakwe. He made a great play on a screen, stays at home, reads it and makes a tackle for the loss. Then he knocked the quarterback out of bounds on the fake punt about 4 yards short. It was huge.”
There were several huge plays that Wells and Co. would look back as difference-makers in route to their region semifinal victory.
The Eagles came up big just before halftime when it appeared Crosby would tie up the game. Aided by a chop block penalty - Dawson dodged the scoring bullet by the Cougars.
Leading 14-7 at halftime - Dawson saw the Cougars even things up on their first possession of the third quarter.
Crosby opened the third quarter with a nine-play, 79-yard drive, capped by a seven-yard touchdown run by JaKacy Evans to tie the game at 14-14.
But Dawson responded with an 11-play drive, ending in a 21-yard Lazard scoring run around left end, to regain the advantage, 21-14 with 1:51 left in the third period.
Once again, Crosby came back with a 55-yard touchdown run by the 6-5 junior Crosby quarterback Dominic Merka. The snap on the extra-point was bobbled which left Dawson clinging to a 21-20 lead with 9:35 left in the game.
The Eagles then methodically moved the ball down the field while taking time off the clock. With 4:41 left in the contest - Lazard scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a 1-yard sneak. But the game got interesting when Dawson missed the extra point leaving the score 27-20.
But the defense stepped up their overall effort and made the stop forcing Crosby to make a decision on fourth-and-7 from their own 32 with 2:29 left in the game. That's when Orisakwe came up with the clutch play to stop Merka and give the ball back to Dawson.
Crosby burned all their timeouts as Dawson was content to just hold the ball. The final big play of the game came with the Eagles facing 4th-and-12 at the Crosby 35.
With Wells confident in his senior quarterback, Lazard rolled to his right and hit a wide-open Randall Weeks for a 15-yard gain to the 20 with 1:14 left in the game and the players and fans began to celebrate another monumental win to send them to the region finals.
“I’m proud of the kids, I’m proud of the coaching staff and the way they made adjustments on the sidelines, and I’m proud of the guys upstairs for coming up with the best play every time,” Wells said. “This was truly a group effort today.”
Lazard came up with big plays at just the right time as he finished with 19 carries for 138 yards and four touchdowns and was 5-of-6 passing for 63 yards.
Xavier Brown had 13 carries for 92 yards with several key runs. Randall Weeks had two catches for 26 yards, but both were huge in keep drives alive with the last one sealing the win.
Seniors Derrick Axtell and Aaron Davis help anchor the offensive line that provids running lanes for the ground attack and pass protection for the aerial show, but they certainly aren't alone. Jarret Hill, Kameron Decoteau, Chris Stansbury, Max Brown, Nicholas Chapa, and center Tyler Freeze have battled in the trenches all season to lead Dawson's offense as one of the top units in the Houston area.
Now the Eagles are focused on their re-match with district rival Friendswood Mustangs. The 'Stangs handed Dawson their only other loss of the season 21-6 in a close game at mid-season. The Eagles (11-2) also lost to District 24-4A champion Angleton.
Friendswood (10-3) is coming off a solid 44-22 win over Beaumont Central in the other region semifinal match. The Mustangs beat the Jaguars last year 20-19 in the region finals to advance to the state semifinals.
Dawson and Friendswood are much more mature and seasoned at this point in the year. The Eagles are going to be tested with Friendswood's vaunted passing attack while having to contain a strong and balanced running attack.
Both teams should be proud for an outstanding season regardless of the outcome.