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Ridge Point senior quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr.
Emanuel leads spirited effort for Ridge Point in rout of George Ranch
ROSENBERG—'Fight,' 'finish,' 'effort.' Those were some of the words Ridge Point coach Rick LaFavers used in describing his team's 44-14 win over George Ranch in a pivotal District 20-6A showdown Thursday at Traylor Stadium.
"I'm proud of our guys," LaFavers said. "We gave up some plays, but they finished, and I was very proud of that."
The Panthers' 6-1 record, 4-0 in 20-6A, and plus-29.4-point differential may look gaudy, but LaFavers' boys are relying on grit, toughness and resilience these days with three key starters out for the season due to injury.
Oh, and Bert Emanuel Jr. Ridge Point is relying a whole lot on the star dual-threat senior quarterback, too.
Emanuel completed nine of 21 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries against George Ranch for his second five-touchdown game this season. He also had a five-touchdown game in a Week 2 win against Dickinson.
Against the Longhorns, it was Emanuel's legs that got things going with two first-half touchdowns that enabled a 20-7 Ridge Point lead at halftime.
Emanuel ran the ball a lot last season, averaging 45.8 rushing yards on 7.5 carries per game with six rushing touchdowns. But he's running the ball even more this season, averaging 83. 7 yards on 10.7 carries per game with eight touchdowns.
"It's most definitely intentional," Emanuel said about being involved more in the run game. "I want defenses to not just have to worry about me throwing the ball."
LaFavers said the beauty of the offense is that it takes advantage of whatever the defense is giving. Teams choose often to give up the run to prevent the big-play ability of Emanuel and dynamic senior receivers Marvin Session and Wilson Batiste, each of whom caught a touchdown Thursday.
That opens opportunities for junior running back Ezell Jolly (87 yards on 15 carries) and, especially, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Emanuel, who always keeps a defense on its toes.
"We feel like we can attack people in the passing game, but if they give us lanes, he's such a big, fast runner, we'll take advantage of that," LaFavers said. "He has a will to win. He's a winner. He fights for yards, he has great vision, and he protects the ball. I'm so proud of him and proud that he's a Panther."
Emanuel said he has matured as a runner, getting better going out of bounds and not trying to pick up every single yard he can get.
"Especially on the sideline when defenders close in," he said. "Just don't put my body on the line."
Otherwise, he picks apart defenses thanks to an improved knowledge of the offense.
Ridge Point has the No. 1 offense in 20-6A, averaging 45.3 points on 442.1 yards per game. Aside from his rushing prowess, which ranks fourth in 20-6A, Emanuel has thrown for 1,296 yards and 16 touchdowns to no interceptions.
"This was a great game, very important," Emanuel said. "I feel like as an offense, we have more of an understanding of the playbook compared to this point last year. There's more chemistry with all of our coaches, being our second year with them."
EXTRA POINTS
>> STEPPING UP: The Panthers are a depleted bunch. Senior offensive lineman Calvin Harvey (Louisiana Tech commit) is out for the season with an ACL tear. Defensive linemen Clayton Cherry and DK Kalu are also out for the season with injuries. The defense, still, played admirably against George Ranch, as senior linebacker Dalton Plitt, senior linebacker Mason Hall, senior lineman Kameron Richardson and junior end Cortez Nichols, among others, led a potent, persistent pass rush that produced three sacks. "Those guys are really good," Plitt said of Cherry and Kalu. "It's been hard dealing with that, but it's next man up. We played our defense and made some plays. If we keep building, we'll keep winning." LaFavers was certainly pleased. "We run," he said. "That's one thing we've got is speed. We swarm the ball. It wasn't great all the time, but I love the effort. I'm proud of guys stepping up and finishing."
>> DRINKARD STARS: Senior running back Hymond Drinkard was terrific for George Ranch, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. He accounted for 54 percent of the Longhorns' total offensive production. Drinkard leads 20-6A in rushing with 752 yards and 12 touchdowns.
>> DYNAMIC DAVIS: Ridge Point junior defensive back Taylor Davis produced the most spectacular play of the night with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter. Davis caught a pass tipped by fellow junior DB Ryan Ramey in the end zone and returned it 108 yards for a pick-6 and the final score of the game. It's Davis's second interception return for a touchdown this season. He leads 20-6A in interceptions with four.
Ridge Point junior safety Taylor Davis.
Davis steals show for Ridge Point in showdown win over Clements
MISSOURI CITY — Taylor Davis said he had hardly been tested through the season's first four games. The Ridge Point junior safety longed for a ball thrown his direction.
Saturday, Davis was tested, and with the way he responded it's unlikely an offense elects to challenge him again anytime soon.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder, in just his second year playing defensive back, picked off three passes, taking the second the other way for a 35-yard pick-6, and sparked Ridge Point to a 56-20 win over previously undefeated Clements at Hall Stadium.
The Panthers improved to 4-1 overall, 2-0 in District 20-6A, and muddied some of the momentum enjoyed by the Rangers (4-1, 1-1), who suffered their first loss but are enjoying their finest season since 2009.
"I was just waiting for the perfect opportunity," said Davis, who now leads the district in interceptions after entering the game with none. "My coach said before the game to do my job and I'll make big plays. That's what I did."
With Ridge Pint ahead 7-6 early in the second quarter, Clements senior quarterback Micah Darnell threw to what he thought was an open receiver to his right before Davis butted in and intercepted the throw. That set up the first of three touchdowns from senior receiver Marvin Session, who took in a 19-yard pass from senior quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. moments later to make it 14-6.
On the Rangers' first play from scrimmage on the next drive, Davis got the best of Darnell again, this time on an identical throw to the right side of the field, gobbling the errant toss from 35 yards out and sprinting the other way for a 21-6 lead.
"He's playing within the scheme," Ridge Point coach Rick LaFavers said of Davis. "One of the touchdowns we gave up against C.E. King was him playing outside of the scheme, trying to do too much. When he sees things, reads it, and does what he's coached up to do, he's a really good player."
The Panthers took a 35-12 lead into halftime on two more touchdown passes from Emanuel of 19 and 1 yards, respectively, to Session.
In the second half, Davis collected his third interception with a tight grab of a Darnell dart at the Ridge Point sideline.
Afterward, Davis ran toward the crowd and basked in the thunderous cheers of the Panthers' student section.
"Personally, as a teammate, I want to get my teammates riled up," Davis said. "They do the same for me. If I need to make a play, I'm going to make a play."
Davis played receiver his freshman year before he was moved to the varsity defensive secondary as a sophomore. He had three interceptions last year, which tied for the district lead.
He matched that total in one glorious performance, showing off improved play in man coverage.
"Skills, footwork and my ability to move … I'm just so much more comfortable," Davis said.
LaFavers praised Davis' maturity and understanding of the schemes.
"He'll be playing on Saturdays somewhere," LaFavers said of Davis' potential at the next level. "He did a great job reading things, sitting in there and breaking on the ball. He's just a junior, so he'll only continue getting better."
Davis wasn't the only Panther with a hat trick in the stat books Saturday.
After scoring three touchdowns the previous week against Fort Bend Austin (two receiving, one punt return), Session scored three more, all receiving, against Clements.
"They did some good things defensively, but after a lot of study I saw they have some weaknesses," said Session, who had four catches for 83 yards. "They had a lot of tight hips. We picked that out on film and came out and executed."
Session has five receiving touchdowns this season.
EXTRA POINTS
>> NO DOUBT: In a battle of 20-6A's best offense (Ridge Point) versus its best defense (Clements), the Panthers left no doubt who is king. Ridge Point had 35 points and 304 total yards by halftime, and finished with 56 points and more than 500 yards. "We've got good players that were able to match their level and execute," LaFavers said. "We were able to make some plays in the air, got some things going and that opened some things on the ground." Emanuel played exceptionally, completing 12 of 18 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns before being relieved late in the third quarter.
>> JOLLY OUT: Ridge Point junior running back Ezell Jolly missed a second straight game, though he was with the team and helped the running backs during pregame warmups. "He'll be good," LaFavers said. "We have an open week next week and we're just letting him get charged back up. He's fine. We can do that because we have two capable guys behind him." Jolly has 285 rushing yards and four touchdowns in three games this season. Senior Zericq Earls (136 yards on seven carries) and sophomore Mason Dossett (114 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries) had impressive games for the Panthers, who ran for 268 yards on 26 carries.
>> POWER RANGERS: Clements had touchdowns from seniors Avery Clark, Patrick Smith, and Marcus Darnell. Clark also had a tackle of Dossett in the Ridge Point end zone for a safety. Overall, the Rangers had a little more than 230 yards of total offense.
(To listen to VYPE Live's full audio broadcast of Ridge Point-Clements, click here: https://www.vype.com/vype-live-football-clements-vs-ridge-point?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2)