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| 9/5/2009 12:49:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Running Away
Strong 2nd half carries Stony Point to win
By CLAY COPPEDGE
Special to the Leader
Stony Point's second game of the season was a tale of two halves - a scoreless first half and a second half offensive explosion that enabled the Tigers to cruise to a 42-3 score over Pflugerville Connally on Thursday night at the Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex.
The win gives Stony Point, the state's 10th-ranked Class 5A team, a 2-0 record heading into a game Sept. 11 against Waco at 7 p.m. at Dragon Stadium.
Connally, playing its season opener, threatened to pull off the huge upset with a 3-0 lead at halftime after a 42-yard field goal by Kevin Del Aguila in the waning seconds of the first half.
The Tigers rebounded in the second half with six touchdowns, including a 28-yard interception return by David Fulgencio in the fourth quarter.
"For whatever reason, we just weren't that focused in the first half," Stony Point coach Craig Chessher said. "We made a lot of mistakes but you have to give Connally credit too. They came out with some different fronts that we weren't expecting."
A couple of key third-and-long conversions that turned into touchdowns were the difference in the game, Chessher said.
"We have good talent that can make those kinds of plays," he said. "We felt the passing game was there for us if could just execute. At halftime we went over some blocking roles and things like that, and got the passing game going in the second half. The whole team settled down and played with more focus in the second half."
The Tigers have gone so far with a two-quarterback system of Gus Barrera and Aaryn Sharp, and Chessher did not stray from that system on Thursday. The duo even hooked up for one trick play when Barrera took the snap from center and tossed the ball laterally to Sharp, who fired a 34-yard strike to a wide-open Williams streaking down the sideline.
Barrera and Sharp combined to complete 15 of 27 passes for 265 yards. The Tigers rolled up 447 yards of offense against Connally while holding the Cougars to 130. Most of that came in the second half.
Chessher said he knows that the two-quarterback system he is utilizing this year is unusual but he said they will continue to use it, at least for the time being.
"Both are good kids and great competitors," he said. "They have both played well, and we'll continue to rotate them until one of them really shines. We may stay with it all season."
The system certainly worked in the second half, beginning with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Barrera to Gerald Shillow. By the end of the third quarter, the Tigers had scored on the Sharp-to-Williams trickery and on a 16-yard run by Barrera.
Junior wide receiver Cody Jones caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Sharp to open the fourth quarter followed by a 28-yard interception return by David Fulgencio and the final score of the night, a one-yard run from Malcom Marks.
Wide receivers Stephen Williams and Shillow led the receiving corps and accounted for 12 of the team's receptions. Chessher said center David Moreno also had a good game against Connally.
Defensive standouts included Fulgencio, who had two interceptions, and defensive tackle Jordan Wade. TCU-bound Kevin White and Texas Tech signee Desmond Martin did a good job of patrolling the secondary.
Chessher said he doesn't know a lot about his team's next opponent, Waco, but new head coach Danny Ramsey drew a lot of praise for his offense when he was offensive coordinator at Cypress Creek. The Cy-Creek offense averaged more than 500 yards a game last season.
"Waco runs a lot of spread formations and they have some good talent," Chessher said. "It's going to be interesting to line up against a team like that, and it's going to be a good football game."
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