DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

The Van Vandals found out first-hand Sept. 1 why the Chapel Hill Bulldogs were in the Class 4A, Division 1, state semifinals the last two seasons as a competitive first half turned into a runaway victory for the Bulldogs as they raced past the Vandals, 50-28.

Coach Jared Moffatt’s Vandals, 1-1 for the season, will try to bounce back against one of their major rivals, the Lindale Eagles, as the two teams square off in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday, Sept. 8, in Lindale.

Against Chapel Hill, the Vandals finished with 20 first downs and 365 yards of total offense including 213 yards rushing and 152 yards passing while the Bulldogs registered 21 first downs and 377 yards of total offense including 256 yards rushing and 121 yards passing.

Austin Moffatt led the Vandal running game with 76 yards rushing on nine carries in the first half before suffering a sprained AC joint before halftime.

Sophomore running back DaQuavius Williams finished with 63 yards rushing on 17 carries and one touchdown.

Vandal quarterback Jaxon Moffatt completed 10 out of 21 passes for 152 yards, no TD’s, and one interception. The QB also had 38 yards rushing on eight carries and one TD.

Easton Hinch caught four passes for 51 yards and Asher Hawkins had three pass receptions for 64 yards against the Bulldogs.

Chapel Hill junior RB Rickey Stewart, an early commitment to SMU, carried the ball 17 times for 175 yards and three TD’s. Bulldog QB Demetrius Brisbon Jr. completed nine out of 12 passes for 121 yards and two TD’s in addition to carrying the ball 13 times for 53 yards and one TD. Wide receiver Cameron Kelley caught four passes for 91 yards.

“I think it was former NFL coach Dennis Green that said, ‘they were who we thought they were,” summarized Jared Moffatt in talking about Chapel Hill. “We knew that we were facing a very talented football team with a great quarterback and running back combination. Those guys made plays and they were tough to tackle. We played a decent first half and we were right there at halftime. We were down six with the ball late in the first half and we were unable to complete a pass on fourth down inside their 10-yard line.”

Following a Vandal punt early in the game, the Bulldogs drove 55 yards in five plays for the first scoring drive of the contest as Stewart ended the march with a 2-yard TD run giving Chapel Hill a 6-0 lead with 8:40 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point attempt was wide right. A 45-yard pass completion from Brisbon to Kelley was a key play in the opening TD drive for the Bulldogs.

Van responded with a TD drive of their own resulting in their only lead of the game as they moved 75 yards in seven plays.

Reserve QB Cannon Rainey ended the march with a 1-yard TD run out of the Vandals’ short yardage and goal-line ‘Rhino’ formation. Aiden Moore added the extra point giving Van a 7-6 advantage with 5:47 to play in the first quarter. A 34-yard run by Austin Moffatt, a personal foul penalty against the Bulldogs, and a 15-yard pass completion from Jaxon Moffatt to Hinch were key plays in the Vandal scoring drive.

It only took one play after the ensuing kickoff for Chapel Hill to regain the lead it would never give up again as Stewart raced 77 yards for a TD. Aiden Campos added the extra point giving the Bulldogs a 13-7 lead with 5:35 remaining in the first quarter.

Following a Vandal punt, the Bulldogs extended their lead as Brisbon ended a four-play, 70-yard scoring march with a 53-yard TD run. Campos added the extra point giving the Bulldogs a 20-7 advantage with still 2:30 to play in the first quarter. Brisbon opened the scoring drive with an 11-yard run.

Van cut into the Bulldog lead on its next offensive series as the Vandals advanced 75 yards in five plays.

Jaxon Moffatt ended the march with a 2-yard TD run. Moore added the extra point cutting Van’s deficit to 20-14 with 10:58 remaining in the second quarter. Pass completions from Jaxon Moffatt covering 16 yards to Austin Moffatt and 62 yards to Hawkins were key plays in the Vandal scoring drive.

A bizarre series of plays took place on Chapel Hill’s next series as the Bulldog center had a number of snap issues with three snaps sailing over the head of Brisbon, the last one resulting in a fumble recovery by Vandal defensive back Cade Christensen at the Bulldog 28.

Five plays later, the Vandals faced fourth down and five at the Bulldog 16, but the drive stalled as a pass from Jaxon Moffatt was dropped by Hinch ending the scoring threat.

After a Chapel Hill punt, the Vandals again had excellent field position at the Bulldog 38 but on fourth down and three at the Chapel Hill 31, another fourth down pass by Jaxon Moffatt was mishandled by receiver Caden Rowe resulting in another turnover on downs with 30 seconds to play before halftime.

“I decided to go for the first down in that situation because I knew that we could not beat Chapel Hill with field goals,” recalled Jared Moffatt. “That was a factor in my decision to go for the first down in that situation. We needed to make a play there and we didn’t get the job done. Even at that, we were just down nine points at halftime and I don’t think we were playing very well.”

Running gains of 12 and 17 yards by Stewart and pass completions from Brisbon covering 12 yards to WR Javin Mayfield and 15 yards to Kelley put Chapel Hill in position for Campos to kick a 30-yard field goal on the final play of the first half giving the Bulldogs a 23-14 lead at intermission.

Things went from bad to worse for the Vandals in the third quarter as Darrius Deen received the third quarter kickoff and raced 80 yards for a TD. Campos added the extra point giving Chapel Hill a 30-14 lead with 11:47 remaining in the third quarter.

Van’s first offensive possession of the second half as Jaxon Moffatt was sacked and fumbled with the Bulldogs recovering the ball at the Vandal 33.

Four plays later, including a 23-yard run by Brisbon, the Bulldog QB connected with Stewart on a 5-yard TD run. Campos added the extra point giving Chapel Hill a 37-14 advantage with 7:57 remaining in the third quarter.

After a bad 18-yard punt by the Vandals, Chapel Hill took over possession at midfield, but the Vandal defense stiffened later forcing the Bulldogs to punt.

Van’s next play resulted in another turnover as Jaxon Moffatt’s pass to Hawkins was intercepted by Bulldog strong safety Jabo Cook and returned to the Vandal 12.

Three plays later, Stewart ended the short drive with a 10-yard TD run giving Chapel Hill a commanding 43-14 lead with 4:41 to play in the third quarter.

The Vandals responded with one of their most efficient offensive drives of the contest as they moved 75 yards in 11 plays to draw closer to the Bulldogs.

Rainey ended the march with a 2-yard TD run. Moore added the extra point cutting Van’s deficit to 43-21 with 10:11 to play in the fourth quarter. Key plays in the Vandal scoring drive included a 12-yard run by Williams, pass completions from Jaxon Moffatt covering 10 and 23 yards to Hinch, and a 16-yard run by Jaxon Moffatt.

Chapel Hill responded with a scoring drive of its own as the Bulldogs advanced 67 yards in nine plays. Brisbon connected with Stewart on a 3-yard TD pass to end the march. Campos added the extra point giving the Bulldogs a 50-21 lead with 7:29 remaining. Key plays in the final Bulldog scoring drive included a 10-yard pass completion from Brisbon to Kelley and a 19-yard run by Stewart.

The Vandals rallied with their final scoring march of the game as they advanced 75 yards in 13 plays (12 running). Williams ended the drive with a 2-yard TD run on his fifth consecutive carry. Moore added the extra point cutting Van’s deficit to 50-28 with 1:07 remaining.

“Our kids played hard throughout the game, and I was proud of them for that,” pointed out Jared Moffatt. “We got beat by a good team, but we did not play our best. We had six offensive false start penalties and that hurt us. We can’t do that against good teams. Chapel Hill has a number of talented football players.”

Jared Moffatt recognized a number of individual performances in the Chapel Hill game including Austin Moffatt, offensive tackle Jose Suarez, Jaxon Moffatt, Hawkins, and defensive linemen Colton Miller, Logan Fattig, Reggie Johnson, Tuff Arozamena, and Josh Christian.