Published: November 23, 2009 09:38 am      

Lindsay rattles Tolar 35-8

By JIM OTTS

Register Correspondent

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — The Lindsay Knights used a stifling defense and took advantage of Tolar Rattler miscues to roll to a rain-soaked 35-8 playoff victory Friday on the artificial turf of the Birdville Independent School District's Fine Arts Athletic Complex.

Lindsay (11-1) will face either Bronte or Munday in the regional semifinals this week.

The Knights were given a short playing field the first two times Tolar touched the ball and held a 21-6 halftime edge, but a third-quarter momentum shift threw a damper on the celebration that wasn’t lifted until a Greg Luttmer fumble recovery in the fourth.

On a night when the Lindsay offense used big plays to amass 397 total yards, it was the defense, with three fumble recoveries, three fourth-down stops and two pass interceptions, that kept the Knights in front.

“There is no question our defense kept us in it all night,” coach Cody Bounds said.

Lindsay received to begin the game and a 42-yard romp by Frankie Cornett, with a personal foul face mask penalty added, got the Knights to the Rattler 15.

In a strange series of events Ryan Haverkamp lost nine, Dax Fleitman passed to Ross Jones for plus nine and Fleitman was sacked to give up nine and bring up fourth and 19 at the Tolar 24.

Normally Bounds would call on Jones, his All-State kicker, for a 41-yard field goal attempt but Jones has ankle, knee and shoulder injuries. He played, caught four passes for 98 yards and a touchdown, tackled Rattler receivers for losses twice and claimed both interceptions for the Knights, but he could not try that field goal. Instead, Fleitman tried to throw a pass to Jones at the goal line and the ball went behind the intended receiver.

On the first Rattler play from scrimmage quarterback Tanner Gilliam fumbled the snap and Lindsay recovered at the Tolar 22.

Josh Mueller ripped off 10 and Haverkamp danced in from the 12. Travis Skinner filled in for Jones nicely with the first of his five PAT kicks.

Skinner also handled kickoff chores and sent his first one to Tolar's Chase Campbell, who gathered it in, ran it out to the Rattler 22 and fumbled.

Lindsay's John Block claimed the ball on a bounce and rumbled to the six.

Cornett went to the one on first down and scored from there on second. Skinner made it a 14-0 ball game just under four minutes into the fray.

Tolar's only scoring drive came late in the first stanza and was set up by a 59-yard pass play from Gilliam to wide receiver Parker James that carried the Rattlers to the Knight 19. Running back Sandy Umphress scored on a draw play from the 18 and the PAT try by Campbell was wide of the uprights.

A 46-yard scamper by Cornett was halted just short of paydirt at the Rattler one in the second quarter and a fumble on the ensuing play halted the scoring threat.

The teams exchanged punts twice before the Knights got their long drive opportunity.

Fleitman passed to Cornett for 23 yards from the Lindsay 34. A Fleitman aerial to Block picked up 28 to the Tolar 15 and Cornett, who finished as the game's leading rusher with 134 yards on 10 carries, made another big run only to be stopped again at the one.

Tolar stiffened and knocked the Knights back to the four, but Haverkamp bulled his way in from there to ensure the Rattlers would not have two goal line stands to brag about during the intermission.

“That touchdown was critical, all the touchdowns were critical,” Bounds said. “They had already stopped us once at the one-inch line, and that was critical.”

The Rattlers took the Knights right out of their comfort zone in the third quarter. Lindsay's first possession of the second half began at the Knight nine after a Tolar punt. Two plays later Fleitman was sacked in the end zone by linebacker Randal Stewart for a safety and Haverkamp had to punt the ball away on the ensuing free kick.

The Rattlers drove to the Knight 15 but the drive was stymied by an illegal formation call and a 32-yard field goal attempt by Zack Naquin was partially deflected and fell short.

Two plays later the Knights fumbled the snap and lost the ball at their own 28.

Jones halted that threat with his first interception, picking the ball off at the four and returning it to the 24.

Lindsay picked up a pair of first downs to get near midfield and then fumbled away another snap.

The Rattlers marched to the nine with the help of a 26-yard pass from Gilliam to James that had a 14-yard half-the-distance personal foul penalty tacked on but the drive died at the nine after the Knights knocked down a pair of Gilliam passes.

A 50-yard punt by Haverkamp got the Knights a little breathing room, but all of the third quarter and three minutes of the fourth had been played on Lindsay’s end of the field.

Luttmer changed the field position battle and gave the Knights the chance to ice the game away when he dove underneath the pile to recover a Gilliam fumble at the Rattler 43.

After an incompletion and a bobbled snap that resulted in a three-yard loss, Fleitman hit Jones in stride in the middle of the field with a 46-yard scoring pass to put the game out of reach.

The second interception of the night for Jones set up the final Lindsay TD, a 23-yard aerial from Fleitman to Robert Arend with 1:38 left.