In their final district game of the 2018 season, the Thorndale Bulldogs beat Marlin 35-3 last Thursday and move on to face the Center Point Pirates at Marble Falls ISD Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
“Having a week of rest definitely made our team feel more energized, and ready for another challenge,” said Scott Hawkins, Thorndale High School head football coach and athletic director.
Both teams went scoreless in the first quarter, but the Milam County Bulldogs got on the board midway the second quarter when Cayden Nicholson connected with Michael Herzog for 20 yards for his third receiving touchdown of the season. Herzog made the point-after-touchdown (PAT) to put Thorndale ahead 7-0.
“We started off slow. But as the nerves wore off, we slowly built up a lead and played our game like we planned,” Hawkins said. “Having last week to talk with the coaches to break down our playing is one of the key reasons I believe this team is doing so well. The level of communication between coaches and players is so unbelievable. We’re able to adapt quickly, and overcome obstacles on defense very well because of that.”
The Bulldogs built on their lead in the second quarter. First, with a two-yard run by Luke Leschber with a little less than three minutes left in the half. With less than a minute to go, Herzog scored his second touchdown of the game on a 59-yard fumble return. Herzog made both PAT’s to put Thorndale up 21-0.
Marlin scored before the minute was up. Kicker Gabriel Pena made a 47-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the half, making the score 21-3 at halftime.
Thorndale added to their lead in the second half. In the third quarter, Scott Guzman scored on a 22-yard run. Herzog made the PAT, putting his team ahead 28-3. Early in the fourth quarter, Leschber scored his second touchdown of the game with a five-yard run. Herzog made his fifth PAT of the game to make it 35-3, the final score of the game.
Thorn-dale finished play in district 13-2A DI in second place with a 5-1 record behind first place Thrall.
The Bulldogs next opponent Center Point, with 50 less students than Thorn-dale, moved up to district 2A division I play with realignment. In their first season in the new classification, the Pirates went 3-2 beating Harper, Sabinal and Junction. They placed third in district 14-2A DI, exceeding Texas Football Magazine’s predictions, where they were picked sixth.
Similar to the Bulldogs, the Pirates are led by their running game. In a 42-26 win over Junction last Friday, running back Cody Daily ran for 189 yards on 23 carries, and the Pirates also have running back Devin Geller.
In 2017, Geller had 1,135 yards, and was selected by the San Antonio Express-News as district 14-2A DII’s Offensive MVP.
“Center Point is a team that’s willing to get it done driving the ball,” Hawkins said. “They’ll take as much time as they need to score.
“Their kids are tough, and will definitely be fighting until the last play.”
Scoring summary
Second quarter
Thorndale- Herzog 20 pass from Nicholson (Herzog PAT) 6:04.
Thorndale- Leschber 2 run (Herzog PAT) 248.
Thorndale- Herzog 59 fumble return (Herzog PAT) 0:56.
Marlin- Pena 47 FG 0:07.
Third quarter
Thorndale- Guzman 22 run (Herzog PAT) 4:19.
Fourth quarter
Thorndale- Leschber 5 run (Herzog PAT) 11:19.
THS individual leaders
Rushing: Leschber 13-106, 2 TD; Mason Lindig 6-49; Guzman 5-36, 1 TD; Jagger Rubio 4-36; Stryker Leschber 2-18; Cayden Nicholson 4-15; Chance Betak 4- (-1).
Passing: Nicholson 1-1-0 20 yards, 1 TD.
Receiving: Herzog 1-20, 1 TD.
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