The Sundown Roughnecks football team squared off against the Wink Wildcats in the Bi-District round of the 2A-2 playoffs at Andrews High School this past Thursday, losing 46-12.
The Roughnecks loss eliminates them from the playoffs and finalizes their record at 4-7 this season, and while it didn’t reflect on the scoreboard, the game was closer than indicated.
“We had some opportunities in the red zone during the game and there were about four times that we didn’t come away with any points,” Sundown Head Coach Brannon Rodgers said. “You know, had we punched those in, we could’ve made the game different. But they’re a very good team, they had a lot to do with that.”
Wink’s victory marked their ninth of the season, so there’s no shame in going out fighting against an elite team like Sundown did.
They weren’t able to come away with a win, but they still competed hard, and it showed in the stats. Sundown had 15 first downs compared to Wink’s 18, and the Roughnecks were also able to play turnover free football.
The difference in the game came down to converting sustained drives into points, which the Wildcats executed better on.
Statistical leaders in the loss included sophomore quarterback Marco Landa, who had 118 passing yards, completing 12/19 pass attempts, adding nine rushes for 38 yards as well.
Sophomore running back Jeremiah Reyes and freshman quarterback Cooper Day tied for the team lead in rushing as they both had 13 carries for 40 rushing yards, while Reyes was able to find the end zone once.
The team’s top receivers were seniors Coen Nevarez and Nathan McAdams. Nevarez had two receptions for 35 yards while McAdams had four receptions for 30 yards.
The Roughnecks leading return man was junior Ryan Pope, who had one return for 46 yards.
Senior defensive back Braiden Lara recorded an interception, also returning it for 29 yards. He played part in a defensive performance that may not have looked pretty on the scoreboard, but it was one Coach Rodgers was proud of.
“They had a really good All-State tailback. I thought our kids did a terrific job on him outside of one run where he broke a bunch of tackles,” Coach Rodgers said. “When you get on the field with an athlete of that caliber, it takes a moment to get our bearings, so he broke loose on a 55-yard run. After that, we did a great job on him, holding him to 112 yards.”
Sundown did numerous good things in the loss, but the best thing to come from the matchup was the ultimate act of kindness and sportsmanship that Wink showed.
While Wink was in victory formation, they fumbled the football in their own end zone, which junior Kolt McDaniel, a Roughnecks fan favorite, recovered for a touchdown.
“Wink was on about the two-yard line taking a knee to finish the game, and I realized I could get Kolt in on that final play. Anytime Kolt gets in the game, it’s exciting for our crowd because they love to see him step out on the field. Wink called a timeout, and I was kind of confused about what they were doing, but Coach Gibson called me over and goes ‘tell me his story!’ I said, ‘he’s got a medical condition, and he can’t play in the regular game.’ He said, ‘let’s let him score.’ So that’s what we did. I’ll be eternally grateful for Coach Gibson giving Kolt that moment, it was really cool.”
What a gesture by the Wink Wildcats, and such a cool moment not only for Kolt, but the Sundown Roughnecks football program.
Coach Rodgers noted that things like this are what sports are all about, and he’s absolutely right.
While Sundown’s football season concludes before they had hoped, there wasn’t a better way to close it out.