Indians look for second district win up north tonight

Robin Franklin, Editor in Chief|October 30, 2020

Alayna Amen
In the trees– Senior running back Jason Mejia leaps through Bulldog defenders for a touchdown reception from sophomore quarterback Blake Flowers to put the icing on the cake for the 20-7 Indian win over Borger on Oct. 23.

The Indians will play in Perryton at 7 p.m. tonight as they try to take their 1-1 district record a notch higher.

   “Perryton is a very good football team and has really come on late this season,” Coach Ty Palmer said. “They have changed their offensive scheme, and it really fits their kids well. They are very disciplined and physical. It will take a great team effort to get a win Friday night up there.”

 Palmer said the Rangers will run the ball and try to control the clock the entire game.

  “We have to be effective on first down,” Palmer said. “We need to put their offense behind the sticks and off schedule.”

  The Indians defeated the Borger Bulldogs, 20-7, on Oct. 23, to get their first district win. The Indian offense scrambled back after senior quarterback River Powers suffered a neck injury. Sophomore Blake Flowers took over as quarterback for the rest of the game.

  “We adjusted well when River got hurt,” senior wide receiver Eli Beard said. “We were a bit worried about River since he left in the ambulance, but we tried to focus and win for him. A win is what we needed when it comes to the play-off race.”

  During the fourth quarter the Indians were tied with the Bulldogs 7-7 until Flowers tossed it to junior running back Nate Leyva in the halfback option. Leyva then connected with Beard for a touchdown.

  “We had been running that play in practice all week,” Leyva said. “I just hoped for the best and threw it, and thankfully he caught it.”

  The Indians led 14-7 but it was Borger’s ball, and the Indian defense didn’t want the risk of a tie. Senior linebacker Gabriel Zubiate recovered a game-changing Bulldog fumble.

  “We needed a stop,” Zubiate said. “There were only four minutes left, and we thought if they tied the game up, we might lose. When the play started, we got through their defenders and got to their quarterback. Oscar (Ariza Arellano) and I hit him high, and I saw the ball fall out of his hands, so I dove for it.”

  Beating Borger has given the Indians another chance at winning district.

  “I cannot say enough about our defense and their efforts last Friday night,” Palmer said. “Our guys grew up and played a great game to get a win over a very good Borger team. It put us back in position to win a district championship and achieve the goals these guys set for themselves back in August.”