By CHRISTIAN D ORR
KSAL High School reporter
ABILENE – For 23:12 minutes of game time Friday night, Abilene High School’s Stockton Timbrook connected on 9 of his 18 passes for 106 yards, a pair of touchdowns and helped the Cowboys match Clay Center’s 13 points in the North Central Kansas League showdown at Abilene’s Cowboy Stadium.
But, high school football games require 48:00 of game time and Timbrook missed the final 24:48 due to a leg injury he suffered with 0:48 remaining in the first half. The Cowboys managed just 76 yards the rest of the game after compiling 151 in the first half as Clay Center scored 13 unanswered points to win the NCKL showdown of undefeated teams 26-13.
Clay Center remains undefeated and sits at 3-0 overall and 3-0 in the NCKL while Abilene falls to 2-1 overall and 2-1 in the NCKL.
The Cowboys jumped on top in the game as Clay Center won the opening toss and took the ball to open the game, but Abilene forced a turnover on downs after the Tigers advanced the ball to the Cowboy 37 yard line.
Abilene took over and put together a 4-play drive which was punctuated when Timbrook connected with Braxton Fisher for a 48-yard touchdown at the 7:23 mark of the opening quarter.
Fisher, who was named the Next Tech Wireless offensive player of the game for Abilene, finished the game with 66 yards on 6 receptions and the lone touchdown.
Clay Center, however, did not buckle, as they answered on the ensuing drive by putting together an 8-play drive of their own, which was punctuated when Tiger quarterback Cole Pladson connected with Weston Hammon for a 6-yard touchdown to tie the score at 7-7 with 3:47 remaining in the opening period.
Both teams suffered adversity on the ensuing drive as Abilene put together a 16 play drive, which saw them take the ball from its own 14 yard line to Clay Center’s 7, but they could not punch the ball into the end zone on the drive. Clay Center’s adversity during that drive came on 3rd-and-gaol from the Tiger 16 when receiver and kicker Jackson Henry suffered a leg injury and was lost for the game.
After turning the ball over on down, Abilene forced Clay Center to punt and took over possession at the its own 36 and proceeded to put together a 9-play drive which found the end zone on the 9th play when Timbrook threw his 2nd touchdown of the game, a 14-yard strike to Weston Rock.
Clay Center blocked the ensuing PAT, leaving the Abilene lead at 13-7.
The Tigers answered the Cowboy score when they put together a 7-play drive on the ensuing possession and found the end zone with 2:14 remaining in the opening half as Pladson connected with Weston Hammon for a 28-yard touchdown pass.
Since the Tigers’ kicker, Henry, was injured, they tried to run in a 2-point conversion, but failed leaving the game knotted 13-13.
The Cowboys, who had the option on possession coming out of halftime, got the ensuing kick at their own 41-yard line and put together a drive that lasted 8 plays, but on the 7th place of that drive Timbrook left the game due to a leg injury.
Abilene’s Aaron Hartman took over at quarterback for the Cowboys, but the momentum had left the Abilene sideline as the Cowboys managed just 4 first downs the remainder of the game and didn’t advance the ball any deeper than Clay Center’s 25 yard line in the 2nd half.
Clay Center, meanwhile, pulled away for the victory when they found the endzone once in each of the final two quarters as Owen Craig scored on a 34-yard pass with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter and Brody Hayes scampered in from 15 yards out with 5:06 remaining in the contest to seal the victory.
Abilene was led in passing by Timbrook, who threw for 106 yards before leaving with the injury while Aaron Hartman threw for 51 yards after replacing Timbrook. Fisher led Abilene receivers with 66 yards on 6 receptions while Zach Miller led the Cowboy ground attack with 66 yards on 17 carries.
Clay Center was led by its quarterback, Cole Pladson, who connected on 7 of 11 passes for 163 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Jackson Henry led the Tiger receivers with 71 yards on 3 receptions before his injury.
The Tigers were led in rushing by Brody Hayes, who had 97 yards on 12 carries.
Abilene’s Heath Hoekman was named the Next Tech Wireless Defensive Player of the game.
The Cowboys will be back in NCKL action next Friday night when they travel to Dickson County rival Chapman in a 7 p.m. kick off.
Clay Center 26, Abilene 13
1st 2nd 3rd 4th – Total
Clay Center 7 6 6 7 26
Abilene 7 6 0 0 13
CC A
First Downs 19 14
C-A-I 7-11-1 16-29-1
Passing Yds 163 157
Rushes-Yds 41-224 19-60
Total offense 387 217
SCORING
First Quarter
A – Brax Fisher 52 pass from Stockton Timbrook, (Tayden Funston kick), 7:23
CC – Weston Hammon 6 pass from Cole Pladson (Jackson Henry kick), 3:47
Second Quarter
A – Weston Rock 14 pass from Stockton Timbrook (kick failed), 5:42.
CC – Weston Hammond 28 pass from Cole Pladson (run failed), 2:13
Third Quarter
CC – Owen Craig 34 pass from Cole Pladson, (kick failed), 4:32.
Fourth Quarter
CC – Brody Hays 15 run (Walker Henry kick), 5:06
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING – Abilene : Stockton Timbrook 1-(-9), Keaton Hargrave 1-1, Zach Miller 17-66, Thomas Keener 2-2; Clay Center : Cole Pladson 15-45, Carter Long 10-76, Brody Hayes 12-97, Chase Decker 1-2, Owen Craig 3-4.
PASSING – Abilene : Stockton Timbrook 8-17-0—106, Aaron Hartman 7-12-1–51; Clay Center : Cole Pladson 7-11-1 – 163.
RECEIVING – Abilene : Brax Fisher 6-66, Weston Rock 3-33, Taygen Funston 4-37, Zach Miller 1-2, Heath Hoekman 1-5; Clay Center : Jackson Henry 3-71, Weston Hammon 3-44, Owen Craig 3-66.
