Angiel’s blocked punt fuels first win

CACHE—Ben Angiel isn’t the fastest player, nor the biggest on the Cache roster, however, when the Bulldogs needed somebody to make a game-changing play it was the senior who broke through the Woodward line to block a punt and join three teammates in trying to recover the ball in the end zone.

Their efforts seemed to be about to produce a huge touchdown but Woodward punter Jake Graf kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone. There was plenty of confusion on the play but after several huddles by the officials they ruled the ball was kicked from the 1-yard-line which resulted in an illegal touching call on the Boomers, leaving the ball just a couple feet from the goal-line.

Quarterback Canden Hance took the snap and bulled his way into the end zone with 11:02 left in the game and Angiel kicked the PAT for a 30-23 lead, which thanks to a great effort by the Bulldogs’ defense wound up being the final score.

It gave the happy Bulldogs their first win on the season and gave first-year head coach Tanner Thompson his first coaching victory.

After that go-ahead touchdown the Cache defense kept the Boomers off the scoreboard on their final three possessions of the game to preserve the key district win.

“We came into this game thinking we could run the football but in the first half we had some little mistakes that killed drives,” Thompson said. “At halftime we just challenged our line to come off the ball and we were just going to go out there running the football and not having to pass.

“And I think our defense did a good job in the second half. We didn’t change a whole bunch but in the first half the secondary was a little scared and busted a couple of coverages. But in the second half the front seven started to take over the line of scrimmage.”

The game got off to a rousing start as senior Luke Montgomery took the opening kickoff at the 10-yard-line, used a couple of good blocks and when he made a nice cut back toward the middle of the field all he saw was green turf.

That 90-yard dandy got the large Homecoming crowd on its feet and set the tone for the game.

“Coach (Eric) Gibson has done a great job on special teams and to open the game like that was big for these kids,” Thompson said.

The Cache defense got the next points on the board when a big rush sacked Woodward quarterback Ryan Fisher in the end zone for a safety. After the ensuing kickoff the Bulldogs went 47 yards with Hance hitting DeAndre Frazier for a 5-yard touchdown pass and after an Angiel PAT it was 16-3, Cache.

The Boomers came right back, moving 61 yards to score and cut the lead to 16-9. And when the Bulldogs were unable to maintain possession on their next drive, Woodward moved 45 yards in rapid fashion to arrange a 16-16 halftime tie.

After the break it was the Boomers turning the table on Cache as speedster Colt Moore took the second-half kickoff at the 12-yard line and simply outran the Bulldogs to the end zone. A Woodward PAT sent the Boomers in front, 23-16, but the Bulldogs wasted little time knotting the score again.

This time it was Christian Bennett fielding the ensuing kickoff and returning it to the Cache 44. Michael Rodriguez got a couple of yards on first down and a facemask call on Woodward pushed the pigskin to the Boomers’ 38.

Cache was unable to move any closer and German exchange student Thore Keashenbach boomed a high punt that was fielded by the Woodward return man who muffed the ball which landed in the hands of Cache’s Christian Soliz at the 15-yard-line. Rodriguez got 10 on first down and on the second play of the series freshman Kenny Sweat scored on a 5-yard-reverse. Angiel added the PAT and it was tied with 9:23 left in the third quarter.

The Cache defense did the rest, stopping Woodward’s next three series with just one first down and the last two drives were 3-and-outs for the Boomers, the second being the one where Angiel got the huge punt block that set the stage for the win.

“Like I told the players, we still haven’t put one full game together,” Thompson said. “We are going to come out and work hard this next week and try to correct those little things in all phases that we have to improve on before our next game.”

That next game will be another district game on the road against Weatherford.