East Chambers slips past Buna 34-33
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

Bradley Morgan had a hard time sleeping this weekend.

The Buna head football coach kept replaying the final attempt to wrestle the lead away from East Chambers in the Cougars 34-33 defeat at the hands of the Bucs Friday, Oct. 26.

"I have tried to get that play over and run another one," Morgan said. "Like they all say, we didn't lose, we just ran out of time. You can honestly say that about this game.

"You hear that Buna hasn't played anybody, but if East Chambers was the measuring stick to prove if we are a good football team - well, I think we measured up and proved we are a good football team," Morgan said.

The game was the center of attention for Southeast Texas and featured two unbeaten squads facing off for the District 24-2A lead.

"There was a lot of people there and I didn't see anybody leaving," Morgan said. "I don't East Chambers expected it to be that close but I did. I thought it would be decided by a touchdown."

For the game to close at its outstanding finish, though, Buna had to rally from a 34-20 deficit in the second half.

East Chambers had taken a 27-20 lead with 2:24 left in the third quarter and Buna appeared ready to come right back and knot the game as the third quarter ended.

East Chambers' Alex Trevino intercepted a Ryan Sheppard pass and returned it 40 yards for a score to give the Bucs a 34-20 lead as the third quarter ended.

But there if East Chambers thought there was no fight left in the Cougars, they were sadly mistaken.

"We battled back and never quit," Morgan said. "We drove the field at the end to put us in a position to win the game. Our kids never quit, they battled all game long."

Buna came right back in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 34-27 when Sheppard connected with Trenton Allen on a 21-yard scoring pass, With Kyle Clark's PAT, Buna had closed the gap.

The score only set the stage for a stunning finish to the contest.

Buna had the ball late in the game but stood 93 yards away from closing the gap again.

The Cougars drove the field and capped the drive when Sheppard scored from a yard out with 1:06 left in the fourth quarter.

Morgan said the decision to go for two to take the lead was made long before the final touchdown was scored. He said his coaching staff talked about the situation at halftime because of a mixed extra point in the first half.

"We decided to go for two which to me was a no-brainer being at their place," Morgan said. "I just wish I had the chance to change the play until I found one that worked. It was a bad play only because it didn't work.

"I wouldn't change going for two because we felt it was what we needed to do," Morgan said. "I would make that decision every time."

Morgan said he didn't want to give East Chamber's all-everything quarterback Tramain Thomas the ball at the 25-yard line in overtime.

"I didn't want to take that battle of him on the 25 and then us on the 25," Morgan said. "We had it on the three with a chance to win right now.

"Tramain is an unbelievable athlete and he was the difference in the ballgame," Morgan said. "We made mistakes early and he made us pay for them.

Buna called a bootleg, runpass option play for Sheppard on the two-point conversion attempt but the junior quarterback slipped on his cut and the play was doomed.

"I thought it gave us two opportunities to score," Morgan said. "They had it covered. I just wish I could have changed the play call."

But the game was not finished just yet.

Buna recovered on an onsides kick and had one last chance to steal the victory away from East Chambers. Buna appeared to move into scoring position on a pass play down to the East Chambers 15 but the play was called back by an offensive holding penalty.

The game ended when Thomas intercepted a Sheppard pass.

The loss was Buna's first for the season and Morgan said he believes his Coogs will respond just fine to the challenge put before them.

"We still have two games left that we have to play to win," Morgan said. "If we win the next two, we will be 9-1 and that will give Buna High School the most wins ever in a regular season.

"We have tried to tell the kids that one loss doesn't make your season," Morgan said. "We have been successful and can continue to be successful. If we win one of the next two, we are in the playoffs and we plan on winning both of them."

This week, Buna will take on the Deweyville Pirates in a game that the Cougars should win and put themselves back in the win column. Deweyville is winless in district play.

Morgan said his team still has their eyes on the playoffs and winning a playoff game. He said the East Chambers' defeat may be a good tool to use towards that battle.

"I think this will be a great game to use to say this is what we did right and this is what we have to do to win a playoff game. We can show them these are things we didn't do right and we have to change them to win a football game," Morgan said.