Flatonia Overwhelms Weimar to Clinch Playoff Spot
The Flatonia high school football team clinched a playoff birth Friday night in stellar fashion with a 42-2 victory against Weimar.
The Wildcats couldn’t get anything going on offense thanks to Flatonia’s rapacious defense.
“Our team was very prepared,” said Flatonia head football coach Chris Freytag. “Really proud of the kids’ effort. We finally put it all together tonight. A huge win for the program.”
On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs had a field day, which included two touchdowns from senior running back Chris Johnston.
“I’m really proud of my team and what they let me do as a running back,” Johnston said.
Flatonia received the opening kickoff and didn’t waste any time getting off to the races, marching down the field, which set up an 18-yard heave from sophomore quarterback Keyshaun Green to junior wide receiver Alex Hernandez for a touchdown.
Green added an exclamation point to the drive with a 2-point conversion run to go up 8-0 with just under nine minutes left in the first quarter.
Weimar started the game in a shotgun formation and successfully attempted a fake punt-pass on 4th and 13 from the Wildcat’s 40-yard line. With about 3:30 to go in the first, Weimar found themselves in another fourth down situation, but Flatonia buckled down this time and made the stop for a turnover on downs. Shortly after, the Bulldogs suffered a scare as Green went down on defense with a leg injury.
Fortunately, Green returned to the game towards the end of the first quarter as a defensive back although he handed the quarterback duties to sophomore Dayton Cliffe, who launched a 57-yard missile to wide-receiver Holden Kloesel for a touchdown with just over a minute left in the quarter. The Bulldogs went for another 2-point conversion that was picked off by Weimar junior linebacker and quarterback Joey Ramirez, which he took all the way to the other end zone for Weimar’s only points of the night and a 14-2 scoreboard. At the 10:14 mark in the second quarter, Flatonia continued to show off their defense with a fumble recovery for a touchdown from the Weimar 47-yard line by junior defensive tackle Josh Ramirez. A few minutes later, Flatonia drew up another impressive possession on offense, which led to a 16-yard touchdown carry by Johnston for his first score of the night. Just before the end of the half, Cliffe delivered a 50-yard bomb to senior wide-receiver Izick Hernandez to grasp a demanding 35-2 advantage at halftime. Weimar threatened to score about midway through the third quarter with an excursion all the way to the Bulldogs seven-yard line, but Flatonia didn’t let up as they made an interception and put Weimar’s first scoring touchdown bid to a halt. Johnston then put a close on a statement outing with a 10-yard run for his second touchdown at the 1:28 mark in the third quarter after weaving his way up the gridiron during the Bulldogs final scoring possession. The fourth quarter was a quiet one, as both teams didn’t do much of anything on offense or defense, resulting in a 42-2 triumph for Flatonia. The Bulldogs currently have a 4-2 overall record with a 1-2 record in district heading into the playoffs.
Scoring summary
FIRST QUARTER
FLATONIA – 8:42, Alex Hernandez 18 pass from Keyshawn Green (Green conversion run)
FLATONIA – :52, Holden Kloesel 57 pass from Dayton Cliffe (conversion failed)
WEIMAR – :52, Joey Ramirez 100-yard interception return of conversion pass
SECOND QUARTER
FLATONIA – Josh Ramirez 53 yard fumble return for a touchdown (Joaquin Vazquez kick)
FLATONIA – 6:00, Chris Johnston 16 run (Vazquez kick)
FLATONIA – 1:21, Izick Hernandez 50 pass from Cliffe (Vazquez kick)
THIRD QUARTER
FLATONIA – 1:28, Johnston 10 run (Vazquez kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing – Flatonia: Chris Johnston 9-75, Aiden Gonzales 7-61, Alex Hernandez 1-19, Dayton Cliffe 2-11, Jaidyn Guyton 3-10, Taylor O’Rielly 6-6, Izizk Hernandez 1-6, Keyshaun Green 2-3; Weimar: Reed Purdy 19- 102, Dreylon McMillian 7-44.
Passing – Flatonia: Dayton Cliffe 4 of 7 for 111 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT, Green 2 of 3 for 38 yards with 1 TD; Weimar: Joey Ramirez 6 of 11 for 75 yards with 1 INT.
Receiving – Flatonia: Holden Kloesel 1-57, Izick Hernandez 1-50, Alex Jernandez 4-48; Weimar: KeDedran Wilson 4-66.
Friday’s scores:
Shiner 57, Ganado 0
Flatonia 42, Weimar 2
Schulenburg was off
This week’s games:
Schulenburg at Shiner St. Paul
Tomball Christian at Weimar
All other district teams are off
Oct. 30 games:
Shiner at Schulenburg
Flatonia at Ganado