By Travis Chapman
The Glenbrook Apaches welcomed the Haynesville Golden Tornado to town for their first district matchup, and if anybody thought this one would be a gentle breeze, they clearly underestimated the weather forecast. The Apaches battled, traded haymakers, and kept swinging until the final whistle in a wild 54-38 shootout that featured big plays, defensive fireworks, and enough turnovers to make a football coach consider taking up golf.
The Apaches wasted little time getting things rolling. On third-and-five, Braxton Tibbitt handed the ball off to The Beast-Carson Whitehead, who promptly turned it into a 60-yard touchdown sprint! The two-point conversion failed, but the Apaches struck first. Rowdy Ryan Reagan then introduced himself to the Haynesville quarterback by intercepting a pass and returning it to the 49-yard line. Rowdy Reagan was apparently just getting warmed up!
The defenses traded punches, with T. Bubba Davis Edwards delivering a big tackle on the edge and Day Day-Davis Powell and Rowdy Reagan helping force a punt. Then Tibbitt connected with Hollywood Hollingsworth for a 35-yard gain to move the Apaches downfield. Unfortunately, the drive stalled just short of the sticks, and Haynesville answered with a 50-yard touchdown to tie things at 6-6.
Enter Kryptonite Kleaton Davis, who ripped off a 40-yard run to put the Apaches right back in business. But the Golden Tornado threatened again, only to meet Day Day Powell, who delivered a sack for a 12-yard loss, and Ace Rollen, who broke up a pass. On fourth down, Rowdy Reagan struck again with his second interception of the night! Somebody check that boy’s gloves for magnets!
Sam Scroggs then drilled a 37-yard field goal to give Glenbrook a 9-6 lead. But Haynesville answered, and a couple of costly turnovers and missed holding calls helped the Tornado build a 20-9 halftime advantage.
The Tornado came out of the break looking to blow the game wide open, scoring quickly to stretch the lead to 27-9. But the Apaches weren’t ready to quit yet!
Tibbitt found Hollywood Hollingsworth for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-15. After Haynesville answered, Tibbitt launched another deep ball, finding CP-10, Carson Powell for a 45-yard touchdown grab as Powell jumped out of the gym over the defender, hauled it in, and strolled into the end zone. With the extra point good, Glenbrook was back within striking distance at 34-22.
Then The Mad Man-Max Wimberly recovered a Haynesville fumble to give the Apaches the ball in plus territory. Unfortunately, another turnover handed it right back. The Tornado capitalized, but Tibbitt and Hollingsworth connected again for another touchdown, trimming the lead to 41-28.
Just when Glenbrook looked ready to make things interesting, Haynesville answered with a fake reverse for a touchdown. Another turnover led to another Tornado score, stretching the margin to 54-28.
But the Apaches saved one more firework for the crowd. Carson Powell caught a wide receiver screen and turned on the afterburners, racing 70 yards for a touchdown! Luscious Louie Collins punched in the two-point conversion, giving Glenbrook the final word on the scoreboard.
Final: Haynesville 54, Glenbrook 38.
Despite the loss, the Apaches showed plenty of offensive firepower. Tibbitt threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns, while Carson Whitehead rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown. Kleaton Davis brought 55 yards with him, which propelled the Apaches to 223 rushing yards as a team. Powell hauled in three catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns, while Hollingsworth added five catches for 99 yards and two more scores.
Defensively, Reagan’s two interceptions, Louie Collins’ six tackles and forced fumble, and Max Wimberly’s fumble recovery highlighted a night full of big plays.
The biggest difference came down to ball security. Haynesville capitalized on Apache turnovers, turning more than half of its points into gifts that Glenbrook would certainly prefer to exchange for store credit.
The Apaches may not have controlled the storm, but they proved they could throw a few lightning bolts of their own. Now it’s back to work, back to the film, and back to finding a way to keep the football out of the other team’s hands.
The Apaches take their show on the road this Friday as they travel to Ruston, LA to take on the Cedar Creek Cougars. This is sure to be a great matchup and we hope to see every one of the Apache faithful in the stands, Friday night! Forever and always, Apaches!
FAMILY ON THREE!!!!
