DAVID BARBER

Sports Correspondent

A wild offensive shootout broke out between two Van Zandt County and District 7-4A, Division II, rivals Oct. 29 at Norris Birdwell Stadium in Canton.

As it turned out, the contest was decided by a crossbar as a 43-yard potential game-winning field goal on the final play by the upset-minded Canton Eagles hit the crossbar and fell back into the field of play as the visiting Van Vandals escaped Canton with a 55-54 victory.

Coach Jared Moffatt’s Vandals (9-0, 3-0), the number seven ranked team in the state in Class 4A, Division II, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine, will put their undefeated record on the line Friday at 7:30 p.m. when they host the surprising Brownsboro Bears (5-4, 3-0) in a battle that will determine the District 7-4A, Division II, champion and the runner-up.

Coach Casey Hubble’s Eagles are now 5-4 overall and 1-2 in district play as they will close out their 2021 regular season and district schedule on the road against the Mexia Black Cats (2-7, 1-2) Friday at 7:30 p.m. to determine who will finish in third and fourth place in the district race before entering the Class 4A, Division II, state playoffs the following week.

The Vandals and the Eagles registered some impressive offensive numbers as the two teams combined for 109 points, 53 first downs; and 1,221 yards of total offense including 634 yards rushing and 587 yards passing).

Starting senior quarterbacks Jackson Rainey of Van and Jason Brisbois of Canton both shined bright for their teams offensively with not only their arms but with their legs as well.

Rainey registered 517 out of Van’s 570 total yards in the contest as he completed 17 out of 18 passes for 298 yards, five TD’s and no interceptions in addition to carrying the ball 19 times for 219 yards and three TD’s. The Van senior QB accounted for all eight of Van’s TD’s. After his first pass was incomplete, Rainey completed his final 17 passes in a row.

Brisbois completed 12 out of 19 passes for 289 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Eagle QB also had 109 yards rushing on 16 carries and one TD as he finished with 398 total yards and four TD’s. The Eagles finished the contest with 651 yards of total offense.

Defensively, the Vandals had three players with double-digit tackles led by linebacker Beau Barton with 17 followed by defensive backs Garrett Florey with 11 and Reed Parish with 10.

“It was a wild game,” recalled Moffatt. “We have not been in too many games like that for sure. It was back and forth the entire game, especially in the fourth quarter. It was an unbelievable finish. I am real proud of our kids for being able to find a way to win. It wasn’t always pretty. We did a bunch of great things offensively. Jackson Rainey played an unbelievable game. We needed every yard and every point we could get. Our receivers did a great job. Our offensive line blocked well. We did a good job on special teams overall. It was great to win the game.”

The win over Canton gave Moffatt, in his 12th season at Van, his 100th coaching victory as head football coach of the Vandals.

“For me, it is obviously a milestone,” summarized Moffatt. “I never really sat around and said to myself, ‘it sure would be nice to win 100 games.’ It is a big deal for me, and I am really glad I got the 100th win on my first attempt instead of having to wait two or three games before it happened. I appreciate our kids for playing so hard and finding a way to win. I have thought about all of the players and the teams that have helped me over the years to reach 100 wins. I have spent half of my coaching career in Van. This is really special. I will remember this 100th victory forever.

“I had the opportunity to spend some time after the game last Friday night with my coaches and their families,” continued Moffatt. “Coach Parish has been with me all 12 years in Van. Coach Harvey has been here for 10 years. Coach Rainey and Coach Reynolds have been here for eight to nine years. It is special to celebrate this with them. My coaching staff is an extension of my family. Coach Rainey and I have coached together since our kids were in diapers. This is special and I appreciate everyone for reaching out to congratulate me. These past 12 years have really flown by.

“I am very excited about what we have accomplished in this program at Van,” said Moffatt. “I am really proud of where our football program is and for all the coaches and players that have been a part of this program over the years. I am also proud that we were able to get this accomplished during my son’s (Mason Moffatt) senior year.”

Following a Vandal punt early in the first quarter, Canton got on the scoreboard first as they moved 89 yards in four plays with Brisbois connecting with wide receiver Jabraylon Pickens (five receptions, 198 yards, two TD’s) on a 59-yard TD pass play. Nathan Goodson added the extra point giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 8:57 to play in the first quarter. The Brisbois-to-Pickens connection set up the TD pass play with an 18-yard completion.

It only took the Vandals one play to light up the scoreboard as Rainey ran 64 yards for a TD on the first offensive play following the ensuing kickoff. The extra point attempt by Eli Hartman was wide right keeping the Eagles ahead, 7-6, with 8:42 remaining in the first quarter.

Canton advanced 64 yards in four plays on its next offensive series to extend the lead as running back Kameron Shaw (20 carries, 156 yards) outraced the Vandal defense 48 yards for a TD giving the Eagles a 13-6 advantage with 7:21 to play in the first quarter. The extra point attempt by Goodson was blocked.
 

After a 26-yard return of the ensuing kickoff by Garrett Florey of the Vandals, Van moved from its own 49 to the Eagle 10 in five plays including a 26-yard pass completion from Rainey to receiver Brayden Bradshaw (six receptions, 109 yards, one TD) and a 10-yard run by Rainey setting up a fourth down and five at the Canton 10 but Rainey was stopped after a four-yard gain by the Eagle defense giving Canton possession.

Three plays later, it was the Brisbois-to-Pickens connection, this time for 89 yards and a TD. Goodson added the extra point to give the Eagles a sudden 20-6 advantage with 2:56 to play in the first quarter.

The Vandals responded by moving 68 yards in five plays as Rainey connected with receiver Luca Kozhev (two receptions, 44 yards, two TD’s) on a 15-yard TD pass play. Hartman added the extra point cutting Canton’s lead to 20-13 with 53 seconds still remaining in a back-and-forth first quarter of action. A 30-yard pass completion from Rainey to Bradshaw was a key play in the Van scoring drive.

Following an Eagle punt, the Vandals advanced 72 yards in six plays to tie the contest as Rainey ended the march with a 12-yard TD run. Hartman added the extra point as the game was deadlocked, 20-20, with 8:40 to play in the second quarter. An 11-yard run by RB Alex Zifer (10 carries, 50 yards) and pass completions of 23 yards each from Rainey to receiver Ryder Shoquist (four receptions, 73 yards, one TD) and Bradshaw were key plays in the Vandal scoring drive.

Canton then put together a methodical scoring march primarily on the ground as the Eagles advanced 70 yards in eight plays (seven running) with RB Juan Robles (six carries, 87 yards, three TD’s) ending the drive with a 3-yard TD run to give the Eagles a 26-20 advantage with five minutes to play before halftime. The extra point attempt was wide right. Key plays in the Eagle scoring drive included running gains of 10 and 23 yards by Brisbois and a 13-yard pass completion from Brisbois to WR Chantson Prox (four receptions, 39 yards).

Van came right back with a 70-yard scoring drive of its own in five plays on its next offensive series to take the lead for the first time in the game as Rainey connected with Shoquist on a 41-yard TD pass play. Hartman added the extra point giving the Vandals a 27-26 advantage with 3:46 remaining in the second quarter.

After a strong punt by Garrett Hubble of the Eagles, the Vandals suffered a turnover on first down and 10 at the Van 24 when a pitchout by Rainey to Florey was fumbled with Canton defensive end Jacob Elliott recovering the ball at the Van 27.

On the next play, Brisbois ran 14 yards for a TD giving the Eagles the lead back at 32-27 with 2:16 to play before halftime. The two-point conversion was no good.

Van rallied with a 66-yard scoring march in four plays as Rainey connected with Kozhev on a 27-yard TD pass play to end the drive. Hartman added the extra point giving the Vandals a 34-32 lead with 1:02 remaining in the second quarter. Key plays in the go-ahead scoring drive for the Vandals included a 25-yard run by Rainey and a 13-yard pass completion from Rainey to receiver John Crow (three receptions, 65 yards, one TD).

After a fine punt by Canton’s Garrett Hubble early in the third quarter that pinned the Vandals deep in their own end of the 6-yard line, the Eagle defense tied the game two plays later as Rainey slipped and was tackled in the end zone for a safety as the game was deadlocked again at 34-34 with 7:02 to play in the third quarter.

Canton received the ensuing free kick and moved 54 yards in seven plays to re-take the lead as Robles ended the march with a 34-yard TD run giving the Eagles a 40-34 lead with 3:29 remaining in the third quarter.

Van responded by moving 65 yards in 10 plays with Rainey connecting with Bradshaw on a 13-yard TD pass play to end the march. Hartman added the extra point giving the Vandals a 41-40 advantage with 9:54 to play in the fourth quarter. Key plays in the go-ahead scoring drive for Van included a 25-yard pass completion from Rainey to Crow and a 10-yard run by Rainey.

The Eagles came right back on their next possession as they advanced 75 yards in eight plays. Brisbois connected with Shaw on a 43-yard TD pass play to end the march giving Canton a 46-41 lead with 6:40 remaining in the game. The two-point conversion was no good. Running gains of 23 yards by Shaw and 10 yards by Brisbois were key plays in the go-ahead scoring drive for Canton.

The Vandals needed two plays to move 64 yards and recapture the lead as Rainey outraced the Canton defense 54 yards for a TD. Hartman added the extra point giving Van a 48-46 advantage with 5:41 to play. Zifer opened the short drive with a 10-yard run.

“Everyone has different philosophies about kicking the extra point or going for a two-point conversion,” said Moffatt. “Personally, I just don’t like to be chasing points until I need to chase them. I have confidence in our PAT team and I expect them to make those extra points.”

Canton executed six consecutive running plays on its next offensive series to get the lead back as Robles ended the march with a 47-yard TD run. The two-point conversion pass from Brisbois to Prox was successful as the Eagles held a 54-48 advantage with 2:41 to play.

Van then came back with what proved to be the winning TD drive as they advanced 69 yards in four plays with Rainey connecting with Crow on a 19-yard TD pass play leading up to Hartman’s go-ahead successful extra point giving the Vandals a 55-54 advantage with 56 seconds remaining. Key plays in the final scoring drive for the Vandals included running gains of 30 yards by Rainey and 11 yards by Zifer.

The final offensive possession for the Eagles began at their own 23 when Brisbois connected with Pickens on a 27-yard pass completion giving Canton a first down at midfield.

Five plays later, Brisbois connected with Prox on an 11-yard pass completion as Canton had a first down at the Vandal 26 with two seconds remaining setting up the potential game-winning FG by Goodson.

The ball was kicked and it appeared to be heading straight down the middle before the ball struck the center of the crossbar and bounced back into the field of play ending the game with the Eagles bid at an upset falling just short against the Vandals.

In addition to Rainey, Moffatt recognized the efforts of his receivers, both in the passing game and their blocking in the running game.

“We got contributions from all four of our receivers and we needed all of their contributions against Canton,” pointed out Moffatt. “Going into the game, we knew Canton had a really good offense with their quarterback, receivers, and their running back. They are really talented. We are not happy with our performance defensively and I expect that they will play better as we move on. Defensively, we had a bad night against a good team.”

Defensive statistics for the Canton game were recently released by the Vandal coaching staff and the numbers were as follows:

Beau Barton, 17 tackles, four tackles for a loss, one interception, one QB pressure and one batted pass/pass breakup; Garrett Florey, 11 tackles; Reed Parish, 10 tackles and one batted pass/pass breakup; Colton Miller, nine tackles, one tackle for a loss and two QB pressures; Reed Johnson, eight tackles and one batted pass/pass breakup; Cayden Mitchell, eight tackles; Braydon Hullum, seven tackles; Ryan Johnson, six tackles; Wyatt Dale, six tackles; Mason Moffatt, six tackles, one tackle for a loss, one QB sack and one QB pressure; Logan Fattig, three tackles, and one QB pressure; K. D. Erskine, three tackles and two QB pressures; Kaison Stanford, three tackles, one QB sack, and two QB pressures, and Ian Pena, one tackle.