SHINER – Tyler Palmer took over as Shiner’s starting quarterback this season.
Shiner faced Lexington at Comanche Stadium in Shiner on Friday, October 4, 2019. Shiner won 63-21. photo by Mike Forman
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But the transition has been a seamless one for the junior.
“I’ve been comfortable the whole year,” Palmer said. “I’ve been running the offense since my freshman year, so it’s been pretty natural.”
Palmer threw for two touchdowns and ran for one to lead No. 2 Shiner to a 63-21 win over Lexington on Friday night at Comanche Stadium.
The Comanches improved to 6-0 heading into next week’s District 15-2A, Division I opener against Yorktown.
“We’re ready for district,” Palmer said. “We’ve just got to keep working every day for that final goal of being state champions.”
Palmer completed a 45-yard screen pass to fullback Doug Brooks to set up Brooks’ 1-yard touchdown run.
He also threw touchdown passes of 33 and 13 yards to tight end Cross Rankin in the second half.
“We’ve got a little more spread in our offense this year,” Palmer said. “We’re mixing it real well and the backs have good chemistry, so it’s been good.”
Palmer carried seven times for 95 yards and scored on a 53-yard quarterback sneak.
“It’s always in our game plan – the quarterback sneak,” he said. “It’s the element of surprise. It was just there.”
Almost everything Shiner did on offense worked as it ran out to a 42-0 halftime advantage and led 63-0 by the end of the third quarter.
“We just practiced doing our thing,” said running back Donyai Taylor. “Coach always tells us it’s not about the other team. If we do everything we do to perfection, this is what we expect to happen.”
Taylor carried only seven times for 157 yards and two touchdowns, Zane Rhodes added four carries for 52 yards a touchdown and Trevor Haynes had a 2-yard touchdown run.
“We’ve been able to do that all year,” said Shiner coach Daniel Boedeker. “We don’t have guys in a game that get more than 15 carries. It’s usually around 10 to 12 because we’ve got a lot of weapons. We want to keep them sharp, and there are a lot of different things we can do, and we want to take advantage of situations.”
The Shiner defense limited the Eagles (0-6) to 10 yards and three first downs in the first half and did not allow a point until the fourth quarter.
“We practice hard, and the team is coming together,” said linebacker Colter Darilek. “We’re trying to be quicker with our agility and get to the ball quicker.”
The Shiner defense also scored on a 96-yard interception return by Jacquis Miller.
“Our defense has gotten better every week,” Boedeker said. “We’re not as big as we have been in the past. We’ve got some speed out there. We’re trying to play to that speed, and our guys have done a good job with their fits, getting to the football, knowing where they should be, and our tackling has improved.”
The Comanches came through non-district play unscathed and are determined to carry their success into district and beyond.
“I feel like if we keep going to practice and focusing and having fun playing football like we all love to do, I feel like we’re going to do real well," Taylor said.
( see also NewsCenter25 Sports video story about this game )
GAME STATISTICSsource: Victoria Advocate Game Statistics, October 5, 2019 Shiner 63, Lexington 21 October 4, 2019 @ 7:30 p.m. Comanche Stadium, Shiner SCORING SUMMARY 1 2 3 4 F Lexington 0 0 0 21 -- 21 Shiner 21 21 21 9 -- 63 SCORING DETAILS: First Quarter S - Donyai Taylor 57 run (Conner Winkenwerder kick), 10:42 S - Zane Rhodes 27 run (Winkenwerder kick), 4:41 S - Tyler Palmer 67 run (Winkenwerder kick), 0:51 Second Quarter S - Doug Brooks 1 run (Winkenwerder kick), 8:03 S - Trevor Haynes 2 run (Winkenwerder kick), 4:28 S - Taylor 42 run (Winkenwerder kick), 1:40 Third Quarter S - Cross Rankin 33 pass from Palmer (Winkenwerder kick), 11:11 S - Rankin 13 pass from Palmer (Winkenwerder kick), 6:55 S - Jacquis Miller 96 interceptions return (Winkenwerder kick), 4:30 Fourth Quarter L - Sheldon Springer 5 run (Coby Robertson kick), 11:54 L - Robertson 22 pass from Springer (Robertson kick), 4:39 L - Aaron Allert 17 run (Robertson kick), 0:54 TEAM STATISTICS: Lexington Shiner First downs 16 18 Yards rushing 34-108 35-393 Yards passing 187 91 Passes 13-24-1 3-3-0 Punts 7-176 1-51 Fumbles-lost 5-1 2-1 Penalty-yards 4-20 4-40 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS: Rushing Lexington: Sheldon Springer 15-66; Aaron Allert 5-34; Dakota Smith 11-22; Jeremiah Dillon 1-4; Jeremiah Jackson 1-0 Shiner: Donyai Taylor 7-157; Tyler Palmer 7-95; Zane Rhodes 4-52; Dalton Brooks 2-44; Noah Nevlud 4-31; Doug Brooks 2-8; Devondrick Mathis 5-5; Trevor Haynes 1-2; Cash Shows 1-1; Passing Lexington: Springer 13-24-187-1-0 Shiner: Palmer 3-3-91-0-0; Receiving Lexington: Coby Robertson 4-79; Jackson 4-44; Kason Bayer 4-39; Evan Paschke 1-15 Shiner: Cross Rankin 2-46; Do. Brooks 1-45;