December 1, 2010
HOUSTON — There was night and day difference between the Friendswood team that faced Houston Wheatley and the team that faced Humble in the Class 4A Region III Division I semifinal contest.
Friendswood head coach Steve Van Meter challenged his players during the week before facing Humble (11-2) to play a complete game on both sides of the ball.
“The defense did an outstanding job,” said Van Meter, whose team plays Montgomery at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Region III-4A Division I finals at Rice Stadium. “We schemed them well. They were focused and engaged to what was going on with the quarterback. They did a great job tackling.”
While the Mustangs blew out Wheatley 50-6, Van Meter knew that his team made way too many mistakes in a lackluster performance that would not help them against a much more talented team.
It was also a game that veteran quarterback Pete Maetzold, by his own admission, did not have the kind of game that a seasoned player should have had against a much less talented Wheatley team. Maetzold completed only 8-of-24 passing for 143 yards for no touchdowns and one interception which is not even close to what Friendswood fans were used to seeing.
But Maetzold proved he is the heartbeat of the offense and after junior running back Jonathan Johnson went down to a possible concussion in the opening quarter against Humble, Maetzold put the offense on his shoulders and delivered the kind of clutch performance that would send the Mustangs to a 35-13 win over the Wildcats.
Friendswood scored once in each quarter in the first half as Trevor Stevens caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Bolton and Will Fitzpatrick caught a 3-yard scoring toss from Maetzold to give the Mustangs a 14-0 halftime lead.
Meanwhile, the Friendswood defense really stepped up their game against a good offense that kept the Wildcats out of the end zone.
With 5:07 left in the third period, Stevens found himself on the receiving end of another scoring strike from Maetzold covering 10-yards to give Friendswood a comfortable 21-0 advantage.
Humble finally got on the scoreboard with :22 second remaining in the third quarter to close the gap to 21-7.
But the Mustangs put the game away in the final frame as Justin Battle scored on a 15-yard run and Maetzold put a nail in the coffin with a 6-yard touchdown to make the score 35-7 with only 1:27 remaining in the contest.
Humble managed to score with :14 seconds left in the game to make the final 35-13.
“We were very efficient on offense,” said Van Meter, who won’t know the status of Johnson’s condition until midweek. “(Pete) Maetzold got some great looks, and we were able to score when we needed to. The guys stepped up on offense and did a great job.”
But the defense was also outstanding against a strong Humble offense.
The key offensively was Maetzold taking control of the game using his arm and legs.
The field general was 23-of-36 passing for 186 yards and two scores while picking up 129 yards on the ground on 23 carries and another score. Maetzold finished with 315 total yards and three scores.
Battle was the top receiver with eight catches for 68 yards. There were seven other receivers who caught at least one pass.
Friendswood advances to the Region III Division I finals for the third straight year. The Mustangs won the region title in 2008 and lost to Pearland Dawson in 2009.
“This was a big win for us,” Van Meter said. “I’m proud of the kids and for what they have accomplished so far this season. This is our third year in the finals, and we hope to continue to win.”
Friendswood will face the Montgomery Bears (12-1) on Saturday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. at Rice Stadium. The winner will advance to the 4A Division I state semifinals and play the winner between Lake Travis and Cedar Park