A 21-point third quarter explosion, fueled by Jayshon Gibson, who scored four touchdowns, propelled Richland to a 52-33 win over Haltom in the 65th playing of the “Battle of Fossil Creek” on Friday night at the Birdwell ISD Fine Arts/Athletics Complex.
In a nearly flawless first half, Haltom built a 20-17 lead on the strength of its rushing attack, led by the swivel-hipped Vudrico Roberson, and a botched fake punt by Richland. But after receiving the second-half kickoff, the Royals struck quickly and often to run off 21 unanswered points and take control of the contest.
“It was a good win for us,” Richland head coach Ged Kates said. “I thought a big turning point was after they scored a touchdown but missed the extra point with only 34 seconds left in the first half, and then us being able to move the ball down and have Beck Spivey hit a 43-yard field goal as time expired was huge.”
The ability to move the ball through the air by Richland was also pivotal, as shown in that hurry-up drive just before half led by quarterback Brett Kates, who was making his first start after a year of backup duty to his older brother, Drew. He hit receivers Aaron Brooks and Ben Sanders on three quick routes to move the ball 37 yards into position for Spivey’s field goal.
In the second half, Kates connected with the versatile Gibson first on a 42-yard screen pass straight up the middle of the field and then again on a 5-yard completion after a bad punt snap gave the Royals the ball on the Buffalos’ 7-yard line.
Gibson ended the evening with four touchdowns — two on the ground from 32 and 12 yards out and two receiving. He had 120 yards rushing and 47 yards receiving.
Kates finished 13 of 17 for 202 yards and three TDs. He was perfect in the second half, completing all seven of his passes.
“It was a good first game for Brett,” Ged Kates said. “He’s been around the game a lot and sees the field real well.”
Haltom had another stellar performance by the highly touted running back Roberson, who finished with 208 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns from 9 and 5 yards out. His longest run of the night was 55 yards in the first half, and he also had a burst of 32 yards in the second half. However, most impressive were his shorter gains when he seemed bottled up by the Richland defense.
The Buffalos also got good production from running back KJ Parks and quarterback Dominique Mounivong. Parks rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and Mounivong connected with Elijah Lewis for a 27-yard touchdown late in the game.
Parks also scored on a 96-yard kickoff return at the end of the third quarter.
Richland did make adjustments defensively in the second half, forcing Haltom to go to a more pass-oriented offense once it fell behind.
“We got really good play tonight from our linebackers, and I thought we adjusted well in the second half,” Ged Kates said.
Next week, Richland travels to Colleyville Heritage, while Haltom will host Mansfield Lake Ridge.
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