Head Coach Mike Kirtley called it a “slugfest.”And he was right on the mark.Tonkawa and Crescent battled to a 6-6 tie in the first half, then the Bucs, who had been “a little flat” the first half, came out the second half firing on all cylinders for a 25-6 District A-3 win Friday night.The Tigers went 79 yards in 12 plays to take a 6-0 lead late in the first quarter.Never mind Tonkawa bumbling the kickoff reception and starting at their own 13.Tonkawa went on a run of its own, 87 yards in 9 plays with Roman Chandler scoring from 18 yards out early in the second period. Quarterback Ryan Morgan hit Kai Day for 30 yards and Chandler ran for 11 in the drive.Then the two teams traded interceptions.Tonkawa’s came first with a Day pass theft. Morgan hit Chandler with a perfectly executed screen pass for 66 yards and a touchdown. But, alas, it was called back for dirty laundry. Then Crescent intercepted and managed to drive from the Buc 46 to the 19, where Dante Mendoza dropped the Tiger quarterback for an eight yard loss on fourth down.The Bucs were back in business at their own 35.Nine plays later, Morgan hit Jake Randall in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown to put Tonkawa up 12-6. The drive included pass plays from Morgan to right end Noah Campbell covering 34 and 13 yards.The Tigers came roaring back, however. Starting from their own 30, Crescent managed a first and goal at the Buc 7. On second down at the four, Jake Morgan covered a fumble.Suddenly, the Bucs had the ball back at their own 17.Eight plays later, Chandler ran 32 yards for the TD, adding runs of 14, 11 and 13 along the way. That put the Bucs up 18-6.Tonkawa put the game away late in the fourth with a 51 yard run by Chandler with under two minutes left on the clock. Brendan Ochoa, who had failed to convert on the other three TD’s (one was blocked) was perfectly between the uprights, giving the Bucs their final 25-6 margin of victory.Chandler finished the night with 194 yards rushing on 23 carries and three touchdowns.Luke Shepherd led the Buc defense with 22 tackles. Grein had 14 and Campbell 13.Jake Morgan also caused a fumble that Mendoza covered early in the game.Ryan Morgan was a splendid 6-9 passing for ...
