Mart reaches end zone:
42-7 romp puts Panthers 1 win shy of another state title

Saturday, December 15, 2012
Jason Orts, Tribune-Herald staff writer

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Shiner QB Trevion Flowers passes downfield over Mart defenders in Friday's Class 1A State Semifinal 42-7 loss in Round Rock.
Waco Tribune-Herald photos by Rod Aydelotte
ROUND ROCK -- When Mart won its two state championships in the Rusty Nail era, a stifling defense was the primary reason.

That unit hasn’t always looked championship-worthy this season, but it showed up in a big way Friday night to help the Panthers have a chance for their second Class 1A Division I crown in three seasons.

De’Nerian Thomas picked off two passes, the second of which he took back 86 yards, and the Panthers limited the vaunted Shiner veer attack to 131 rushing yards in a convincing 42-7 drubbing Friday night at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex.

"Our defense was unbelievable," Mart coach Rusty Nail said. "On the message boards this week there wasn’t a lot of respect because of the points we’d given up. I don’t think people realized the offensive teams we’d faced, and our defense stepped up. Defense wins championships, and it won a semifinal championship tonight."

Mart will play in its fourth championship game in Nail’s seven years with the school and try to add a third crown at 4 p.m. Thursday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. To get it, the Panthers will have to go through Stamford, which ended Mart’s season with a 47-28 decision in last year’s state semifinals.

Nail and Mart know the task at hand against Stamford, which advanced to the final with a similar blowout of Italy, 41-8, and they’re excited for the opportunity, especially since its his first state title game with his sons, Collin and Bryson on the team.

"We’ve got our work cut out for us with Stamford," Nail said. "But it’s so special being able to experience this, not only with this team, but with my boys being a part of it."

The Panthers got off to a slow start offensively, but they were unstoppable in the second half.

Thomas did the majority of the work behind an offensive line that was increasingly dominant as the game progressed and finished with 234 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and added 38 more passing yards.
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Shiner RB Jacob Stafford is surrounded and brought down by Mart defenders after a short gain.


"It feels good," Thomas said. "We had to rely on our offensive line blocking. They started slow, but they did a good job blocking, and I was able to turn it into touchdowns."

In all, Mart ran up 354 yards of total offense, not bad for a team that didn’t pick up so much as a first down until the clock showed less than nine minutes to go in the second quarter.

At that point, Mart trailed, 7-0, on the strength of a 2-yard Trevion Flowers touchdown on a quarterback keeper for the Comanches.

The Panthers had been hurt with a lack of field position and had run only six offensive plays to that point.

But a pair of Thomas 6-yard runs picked up that initial first down, and Quentin Bryant took an inside counter 49 yards to paydirt two plays later to get the Panthers kick-started and even the score.

Later in the second quarter, Thomas made the play that swung the game.

He drifted back in coverage and took the ball away from Jacob Stafford, turning what looked like a sure completion into an interception at the Mart 28.

"The guy I was covering didn’t go out, so I dropped back to try and stop the drag and he threw it right to me," Thomas said. "(Stafford) had the ball and I couldn’t see it. I just put my hand up, felt the ball and yanked down, and took it away."

The Panthers (12-2) only had 3:15 on the clock, but that was plenty of time. Thomas dropped back at the Shiner 32 and found nobody open. But he saw a crease open up, and blew past everyone to put Mart in front with only 36 ticks before halftime.

The Comanches (12-2) gave themselves a chance to score with a pass from the Mart 12-yard line, but it fell short as the clock hit zeros and sent the game to intermission.
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A host of Mart defenders bring down Shiner QB Trevion Flowers after a run up the middle.


When the teams came back out, it was all Mart.

Thomas made it a two-score game with a 50-yard TD run, aided by a clear-out block downfield from D’Marcus Cosby, on the second play of the third quarter.

It was 28-7 when Thomas strolled in from 12 yards on the next march, taking advantage of the left side of the offensive line having completely caved in the Shiner defensive front and capping it with a stiff arm before diving in with 1:39 left in the third.

The game was slipping away from Shiner, and Thomas ended all hope when he snagged a Brady Cejka pass in the open field and snaked around some blocks to the left sideline. From there, it was all speed as he finished off the 86-yard return, and capped his virtuoso performance with a 38-yard sprint to the end zone on his final carry of the night.

"On the second (interception), I caught the ball and didn’t know where to go," Thomas said. "I got a few blocks, and that was all I needed."

Shiner threw for 80 yards and reached its own 49 or better three times in the second half but came up with nothing to show for it.


Jason Orts is a staff writer for the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Contact him at 254-757-5714, or by e-mail at jorts@wacotrib.com.




More Photos by Rod Aydelotte from the Waco Tribune Herald
Click on any photo to enlarge, use arrow keys or mouse to advance to next photo:

Shiner's Evel Jones is upended by a defender after catching a short pass in the second quarter. Mart WR Quentin Bryant breaks for the goal line. Shiner QB Brady Cejka is surrounded by Mart defenders. Mart QB De'Nerian Thomas runs for his first of several touchdowns in Mart's 42-7 win over Shiner.
Shiner defender Justin Stovall makes the stop on a Mart runner. Shiner's Jacob Stafford leaps high to bring down a second quarter reception. Mart QB De'Nerian Thomas streaks down the sideline for another touchdown. The Round Rock ISD stadium scoreboard tells the final tale of the game.


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