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Top 10 Stories of 2009: 8. PCA football nabs second state title
BY Matt Welch, Staff Writer
KILLEEN—There’s an old saying where a coach will tell his or her players to play each game like it’s their last.
And while Saturday afternoon was the final time 16 seniors donned a Prestonwood Christian Academy football uniform, the contributions came from all over in the Lions’ 2009 swansong.
Fumbles, interceptions, fourth-down stops and a laundry list of big plays told the tale of Prestonwood’s 35-17 rout of Argyle Liberty Christian at Leo Buckley Stadium, with the light at the end of the tunnel casting a TAPPS Div. II state championship; the second in school history.
The Lions’ offense and defense operated in near-harmonic fashion, setting each other up for opportunities to produce.
Paced by 28 points in the first half, every time the Lions hit pay dirt, it happened on a play of over 30 yards.
After Liberty capped it’s opening possession with a 27-yard field goal from kicker Josh King, the Lions countered with a 34-yard end zone sprint from junior running back Kenneth Huggins.
Huggins, who totaled 216 yards of offense and three touchdowns, earned the game’s Most Valuable Player honors and when a scoring drive was set in motion, it was largely predicated on the rushing of the speedster.
“Kaleb threw me a good ball every single time,” Huggins said. “I had a very good line that was blocking for me. I’m just glad to run behind them.”
Used mainly on runs and screens, Huggins managed to stretch the defense on the following Prestonwood possession. Lining up wide, Huggins hauled in a 55-yard bomb from Kyser to open the lead to 14-3.
Kyser finished the day completing 17 of 22 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
Amidst the first-half scoring blitz, which featured touchdowns on four out of six Lions possessions, Kyser connected 35 yards downfield in the end zone with senior receiver Scott Lichty. Out-jumping the defensive back to haul in the catch, Lichty’s second score of the day wouldn’t be as challenging.
Capitalizing on one of several fourth-down stoppages by the Lions defense, Kyser dumped the ball off to junior receiver Riley Standridge, who then hurled the ball to a wide-open Lichty for 33 yards.
Securing what may go down as the easiest catch of his Prestonwood career, Lichty trotted into the end zone.
“We’ve never used that play,” said Chris Cunningham, Prestonwood head coach. “We’ve had it in for a while and worked it for a while. We said we’d look for a chance to use it and when we got that fourth down stop, we felt it was time to go for the throat.”
The damage entering the half: a 28-10 Prestonwood lead.
The lone blemish given up on an otherwise stout defensive performance by the Lions came as Liberty receiver Chad Corley took a short slant 63 yards up field early in the second quarter.
The touchdown was all but an afterthought for a defense that totaled five fumble recoveries and one interception in victory.
With the likes of sophomore defensive back Anthony Morgan, junior defensive lineman Brice Reid and senior linebacker Clifton Bryant swarming to a run-heavy Liberty attack at every turn, the Warriors set foot inside the red zone only one time all game.
“We came together as a team,” Bryant said. “Last night, we talked about no matter who made the play, do your jobs and duties. Everybody played their hearts out.”
Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Huggins added the Lions’ final score on a 38-yard dash up the middle and through the heart of a Liberty defense that surrendered 460 yards of offense.
Trailing 35-10, the Warriors tacked on the game’s final points after running back Jared Lawson powered in a 6-yard run.
The win capped a 9-4 season for the Lions, with Cunningham claiming a state title in only his third year at the helm for Prestonwood.
“These guys were for something much bigger than a win,” Cunningham said, “or even a state championship. They were playing for each other.”
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