An evening that started warm and windy turned crisply cold with the mid-October Central Texas weather. The Cubs and Bison took the line of scrimmage, with the first quarter consisting of small gains for both.
An early sack from Center Makail Brandenberger demonstrated that the Cubs were ready to put up a fight. A fumble recovery from the Bison led to their possession of the ball, and subsequent breakaway reception from Buffalo’s Kannon Brantley. Towards the end, the first Bison touchdown made the score 6-0. The defensive line raced forward to block the Point-After Touchdown in a successful attempt.
Early in the second quarter, Robert Goodman began the advance with runs, including a handoff to Will Simmons, a key runner in the Cubs’ offense this game. Following the drive, Goodman was a 29-yard reception from QB Robert Goodman to Parker Tunnell. A successful PAT from Kicker Trent Guinn, who made 3 of five PATs over the course of the evening, followed the TD. The Bison answered with quick runs and tossed the pigskin down the field to bring the score 14-7 with a successful 2-point conversion.
With the crowd hushed as the Cubs rallied and returned to the line of scrimmage nearing the end of the second quarter, a handoff from Goodman to Parker Tunnell led to a 37-yard run and TD for Clifton before the end of the first half. The second quarter ended 14-14, with Bison and Cubs not eager to let the other gain a lead.
Homecoming Court and Queen Nominees
“The administration, faculty, and student body would like to extend a warm welcome to all former graduates of Clifton High School who have come home.”
The Buffalo Band, aka the Buffalo Brigade, opened and performed at the start of halftime. After a rousing performance, Clifton High School proceeded with the 2021 Homecoming Queen Nominees. The nominations include Ava Anderson, Elise Webb, Berit Bizzell and Ariana Devora. The Homecoming Court is Kaleigh Cochran, Kelsey Wetegrove, Sumaya Moshiur, Brittany Ramirez, Cameron Ritz and Kyndall Hunt. Micahel Wetegrove, escorting Kelsey, recently retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years of service. Ariana received the crowd from former Homecoming Queen Autumn Estrada, with the court and nominees all headed to the bell tower for formal group photos and solo shots.
Back to the Field
Back on the field, the Cubs attempted to hold off the Bison, but a touchdown from Buffalo and successful 2-point conversion meant a 20-14 lead over the Cubs. A mad 37-yard dash to the endzone from Will Simmons caught the Cubs up 20-20. Buffalo responded yet again with an offensive 33-yard run from Bison Ethan Williams. Yet again, Simmons (also the Homecoming King selected at the School Pep Rally earlier that day) ran in another touchdown. The score was 26-26 entering the final quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter, a Bison touchdown threatened the Cubs with a loss, widening the gap 32-26 in Buffalo’s favor. The team rallied fighting back with gains from Goodman, Alex De La Hoya, and Riley Finney. With the fourth quarter nearly at a close, Riley Finney hauled into the end zone, tying up the game 26-26. Though both teams faced losses from penalties throughout the match and intense defense from both sides during point-after attempts, a third and final kick from Guinn sealed the Homecoming win for the Cubs.
And the crowd went wild, with neighbors several thousands of feet away hearing the din from Cub Stadium.
The team ran a total of 439 for this games, with 87 for passing/receiving and 352 rushing yards. Robert Goodman completed 7 of 15 pass attempts for a total of 87 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception. Parker Tunnell led the team in receiving yards with 29 for the touchdown pass. Riley Finney caught the ball twice for a total of 27 yards. Andres Devora was third with a 12-yard and 7-yard pass. Carter Tunnell caught a pass from 7 yards away, while Simmons nabbed one for 5 yards.
Simmons carried the ball 20 times for 171 total and 39 long, while Riley Finney ran it 18 times for 75 yards. QB Goodman carried 16 times for 62 yards. Parker Tunnell had one touchdown carry for 37 yards, while Alex De La Hoya had a 3-yard handoff rush. John Paul Gardner carried twice for four additional Cub yards. Simmons led the team in yards, followed by Goodman and Finney.
The team made 60 tackles total for the night. Brandenberger and Finney had the two QB sacks for the Cubs that evening. Finney led the team in tackles with nine total, followed by Parker Tunnell at seven. Brandenberger, Jackson Newtown, Carlos Villarreal had six tackles each. Peyton Urbanovsky and Carter Tunnell had five each, followed by Jadyn Simmons with four.
